The H&R 1871 Pardner Pump Compact 20 Gauge Shotgun

A friend of mine noticed a Pardner Pump Compact shotgun at a local Walmart for $179 and expressed interest in it as a low cost, general purpose weapon useful for home defense and hunting.  A youth sized 20 gauge that is heavily based upon the Remington 870, it is drilled and tapped and equipped with a 21 inch barrel, a screw in modified choke tube, sling swivel studs, and a rather short, synthetic stock with a 13 inch pull.  The Pardner Pump is manufactured in China by Hawk Industries, a subsidiary of Norinco, and though I had not shot the version imported by H&R 1871, I still advised my friend to purchase it as I have found riot guns marketed under the manufacturer's name entirely satisfactory in quality, performance, and reliability.

He bought his H&R Pardner Pump Compact 20 gauge shotgun yesterday and out of the box, with fit and finish on par with the average Remington 870 Express, it functioned flawlessly and proved worthy of the many positive reviews that now circulate the Internet.  The Pardner Pump is not an elegant work of art for the scrutinizing eye of a shotgun aficionado; however, it is a simple, rugged, effective tool that is readily available at a bargain basement price.  While it is often said that you get what you pay for, in this instance, value far exceeds price and the Pardner Pump provides dependability within a tight budget.

My buddy put a lot of thought into purchasing his H&R 1871 Pardner Pump Compact 20 gauge and he did not choose it because it was the least expensive repeating shotgun on the shelf.  Moreover, he selected it over the well reviewed Pardner Pump Protector in 12 gauge.  This is why:

1. The preponderance of good quality, third party information indicates that the Pardner Pump shotgun is as structurally sound as the Remington 870 and its reliability is.well documented.
2. The Compact, with its 21 inch barrel, is 2 and 3/8 inches longer than the 18 inch, cylinder bored, 12 gauge Protector yet, with its true, 20 gauge receiver, it is a full pound lighter, remaining short enough to be maneuverable in close quarters and more pleasant to carry than its heavier sibling.  Likewise, 20 gauge shells are less bulky than 12 gauge shells, thus conserving weight and space.
3. The Compact comes with a screw in, modified choke and tubes for Mossberg, Winchester and Browning shotguns will work in it, giving more out of the box flexibility than the Protector and other riot guns.
4. Although the 13 inch length of pull is not good for a man who is over six feet tall, it is ideal for the woman and two teenagers who will be trained to use the Pardner Pump Compact shotgun.  A slip on recoil pad, such as that manufactured by Limbsaver, can temporarily increase the length of pull by one inch.
5. The 20 gauge is effective for most game that is hunted with a shotgun (my friend is not a waterfowler) and, although some frown upon 20 gauge Foster slugs for deer, many have fallen to them; some report remarkably good results with the combination of Remington Buckhammers and rifled choke tubes.  In typical home defense situations, a 2 and 3/4 inch load of No. 3 buckshot launching twenty pellets through a modified choke should be sufficient to stop most assailants.

Certainly a 12 gauge shotgun can do more than a 20, especially with the wide variety of ammunition that is available for it, including specialty loads, and it is not the purpose of this article to argue otherwise.  However, the 20 gauge platform of the Pardner Pump Compact offers plenty of versatility and capability for multiple users in a household, including those who are small in stature, and I believe that my friend made a wise and informed decision.  Moreover, I believe that his Pardner Pump shotgun will serve him well for a long time to come.  The woman who will be using it began her training today!