Today we're at the range field testing an H & R Pardner Pump Protector 12 gauge home defense shotgun. Wyatt is very familiar with the standard fighting shotgun from his video gaming but there is nothing better than some real live fire exercise to appreciate the awesome firepower of a 12 gauge pump gun.
The H & R is a solid no nonsense Remington 870 clone with a receiver machined from solid steel. I noticed the scatter gun at the local hardware store the other day and after doing a bit of research I went back and put my money down.
For the initial test after swabbing out the 18-1/2" cylinder (no choke or constriction at the muzzle end) bore we fired some Remington 2-3/4" game loads consisting of 1 ounce of #6 shot. After noting a spread of about 12 inches at 7 yards I loaded the five round tube with Rottweil 1-1/8 ounce Brenneke rifled slugs. Of course the boom and kick of the slug was nearly double that of the game loads but the size of the groupings shot from 75 feet is interesting and promising to say the least.
Keep in mind the Protector is a defensive weapon for close combat situations and it's pretty obvious it would fill this role perfectly. What is cool about shotguns is their inherent versatility and it's good to know the gun can sling a solid projectile downrange with a degree of accuracy as well as a hard hitting spread of pellets in basic shotgun fashion.
Boom!
This target shows my first five shots of the rifled slugs. The very first shot is the hole at the bottom of the paper. I read online that the standard brass bead on a shotgun barrel is set for 100 yards so I put the point of aim down at about the bottom of the paper target and squeezed off the round. (Don't believe everything you read online.) One nice thing about the giant hole left from the slug is I could see it plainly from 25 yards. For the following shots I held the bead dead center on the target which effectively covered the black rings.
After replacing the paper I held a bit higher for the fifth through tenth shots and did bring up the point of impact to center but the round seemed to group up to the right. These five shots are shown in the photograph with the gun resting on the target. By this time my was shoulder was feeling it so we called it a day.
During my second string of slugs I did experience one stoppage. After the first shot the action froze and it took several firm jerks of the fore-arm to eject the fired shell. The remaining four rounds cycled perfectly through the action. I'm not overly concerned as any new weapon needs at least a few hundred round fired through it to break in the mechanism. Besides further proof testing provides an excuse to go burn some more gunpowder and have some more fun.
Here's a review that influenced my decision to purchase the weapon: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/12/ralph/gun-review-hr-1871-pardner-pump-protector-12-gauge/
Looks like a LOT of fun! I'm sure the boy was in his glory! My first experience shooting a shotgun was in the woods hunting. The target: an old stump. Memorable!
ReplyDeleteYeah he was loving it. (So was I for that matter.) He says the 12 ga is his new favorite.
DeleteI love it! Nothing is better than a father and son, or grandfather and grandson time at the range or just sharing a few rounds donw range with a devastator like the Pardner Pump. Great pix!
DeleteThe purpose of a Shooting Benches is to stabilize the gun as much as possible so the best possible shooting can be done.
ReplyDelete