H&R Pardner pump shotgun

[Kaco356]

just pick up a h-r pardner pump and its interchangeable with remington 870 parts. i mainly picked it up for home defense as i feel i have a shotgun for everything else at this point. my question is this. its hard to chamber a round i have to slam it shut for the round to chamber. Is it a barrel issue? or could it be something with the reciever? Open to any opinion

 

[WI-2021]

Is it difficult to close the bolt when unloaded, or only when chambering a round? If only when chambering, I'l take a close look at the chamber and breech face. The chamber may be rough, or there may be a burr somewhere that wants to catch the shell. If it's difficult to close all the time, the problem is in the receiver, bolt, or maybe the barrel extension.

FWIW, I used to have one of the early rounded receiver versions with an 18.5" bead sighted barrel. While rather ugly, that gun was a tank and didn't give me the slightest trouble while shooting. It was also shockingly accurate with Brenneke KO slugs and fit me well, so they landed right where I pointed it. The only issue with it was that it had a bore like a gravel driveway. It seemed that, no matter the round count, you could spend all day trying to get that barrel clean; hence my suggestion to see if the chamber needs polishing.

The only reasons I no longer have that gun are that WI went to rifles for deer hunting statewide, and I inherited an 870 Wingmaster.

 

[BeeMaa]

The H&R Pardner Pump is not an expensive shotgun, with average prices around $200. Granted you saved a bunch of money on the initial firearm purchase, but the reality is that you probably got what you paid for. And the likelyhood of spending more to get it working properly is a real possibility.

Not to be mean or crush your dream of owning a H&R, but is it possible for you to get your money back? If you just got it and it was used already, why not return it and start over?

If you are locked into a pump shotgun for a home defense, there are a number of really good options that are still budget friendly. Mossberg 590A1, Mossberg 500, Remington 870 (used), Stoeger P3000, Winchester SXP, Benelli SuperNova...all of which can be had for less than $700 and have aftermarket accessories galore.

 

[WI-2021]

I agree with BeeMaa that could be very easy to spend way more trying to fix this gun than it's worth, but it could also be a very simple fix that could be done at home for almost nothing. At this point, we don't have enough info to know. If it's new, there should be a warranty.

@Kaco356 if you could describe, preferably in excruciating detail and with pics, exactly what happens when you try to chamber a round, someone here will most likely be able to tell you what's wrong with your gun and whether it's easily fixed. Try to close the action slowly to see and feel where it's hanging up. Since your gun is a straight up copy of an 870, a lot of people will be very familiar with its inner workings and common problems.

 

[Ridge Runner]

@Kaco356,

With new or new to you guns my first recommendation is to contact the manufacturer and ask about having the manufacturer to solve the problem.

Usually on newly purchased firearms manufacturers are easy to work with, some manufacturers may or may not extend their warranty for repair and services on used firearms.

Here's one way to check for burr(s) and rough area(s) and how to remove them.

If possible as, or if, you use this method try to mark the burrs or rough areas with chalk, some marker colors can also work. I prefer using white chalk.

Take loose cotton balls with the bolt open and barrel attached, using your fingers in a slow gentle circular motion feel for any snagging of the cotton on any burr(s) or rough area(s).

Next remove the barrel repeat the process inside the chamber.

Sometimes all it takes is a little gentle brushing of emory cloth or fine steel wool to remove the burr(s) or smooth the rough area(s).

Heavy burr(s) or rough area(s) may require the services of a gunsmith and polishing stones or some gentle filing.

Just my 2 cents.