Pardner Protector Pump for $159...

You'll probably spend another $100 on a new Express and, if I was going to do that, I'd find a used Wingmaster. It's a far nicer finished, smoother operating shotgun. The Express finish is sub-par at best. The Pardner, IMO, has a better finish on it than the Express does....parkerized rather than poorly blued. I love 870s...have 7 of them at the moment...but any good used Wingmaster is better than any new Express...again, just MO. The Pardner is a good deal at $159 for anyone on a tight budget.
 
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I've done some digging on those. Except for that hump on the back of the receiver- it's pretty much a Chinese made 870. And, according to the net-juice, pretty much all 870 accessories will fit the Pardner except for the mag extention. I can't find anything negative to say about them- I certainly haven't found anything that looks weak or apt to fail or fall off.

Folks, believe it or not- but there are people in the world who are honest, hard working, secure of mind, maybe just married or in college who can't squeeze the bean pot hard enough to be able to afford a shotgun that costs twice (or more) than the Pardner!
 
But those same folks who cannot afford double that price can often scrape up the 1/3rd more for an american made Mossberg 500;)

And from what I heard... most of the clones will not accept an 870 barrel either...
brent
 
And how often do you change out your HDSG barrels? Wearing a lot of those out these days?
The OP merely pitched in that a decent SG can be had where ever he is for $159- and I thought I'd be neighborly and pitch in what little I know about them before somebody came along (like they always do) and tells him to forget the Pardner and go right out and buy a (fill in the blank), and somebody else pipes in and says something like "no-no-no! He just won't be a man unless he gets a 36" barreled $10,000 Super Model Whatever!" And then it would likely just get ugly from there.

Anyhow, one of the Officers I work with picked one up and he's tickled enough with it.
 
And then there are folks who bemoan Americans losing jobs as things are outsourced, but want the cheapest tyhing possible, even if their life depends on it, and there are those folks who support Americans and realize their lives are worth a little more in the reliability department. Makes this a great place - you can whine about chinese crap all day long as you cruise the wally world buying it.........

Just sayin'........:D
 
Barrels rarely wear out here but if a guy should decide later on that he wants the versatility of several barrels of various length and configuration... them low dough mossberg barrels really are nice to have available at a nice low price...

I don't care if you want to own chinese knock off guns or rolex oysters. But I will always state that a venerable gun design made right here for just a few bucks is available as are every single part it could ever need. these will remain available no matter what our status as a nation is with the exporting nation. Kinda like the U.S. military requiring all contractors of "hard" goods have their plant on U.S. soil;)
Brent
 
The economy is global now. Might as well get used to it, because that appears to be here to stay. And the reasons are much more complex than most people are willing to admit. It's not nearly as simple as "always buy American". The reality is, that's not possible anymore, and it comes with it's own downside for American workers. Lack of tariff protections, extremely high US corporate taxes (compared to many other countries), the union influence (great in theory, but carried far enough and problems develop), stupid decisions in Washington, D.C. that push jobs off-shore, cheaper labor off-shore, better than perceived quality off-shore, the U.S. debt, foreign investment in our industry...are just a few (very few) items that impact our economy. We all wish our politicians would make better strategic decisions....but many times they make the tactical call because we, the voters, demand it. In any case, I'm guessing Remington > Marlin > H&R have done their analysis and believe that the Chinese-made Pardner Pump is a good decision for the corporation and therefore good for the American workers (that the corporation can still afford to keep) who get their livlihood from Remington-Marlin-H&R corporate profits. And...if the business model proves good enough, don't be surprised to see production of the old standard 870 move off-shore at some point. The Pardner is just a clone of it, after all. Just as Mossberg outsources some of it's component production to Torreon, Mexico and receives barrel, bolt assemblies, and trigger assemblies back in Eagle Pass, Tx. to be assembled into the Mossberg (no, not just the Maverick) product lines. And if enough people won't buy Mossberg because some parts are made in Mexico, eventually an American, somewhere, will be put out of work. Remember, all these gun manufacturers are extremely vulnerable, with thin profit margins. Many have gone out of business and returned, several times, with new ownership and/or new investors. Many consolidations have taken place and they struggle to remain viable. And sadly, some of those struggles were due to their reluctance to play globally, given the realities of the U.S. marketplace.

It's complicated. I understand the sentiment, and am always tempted by it myself. But at some point, in the global economy, American jobs are impacted by boycotts. Better to demand more sensible strategic decisions by our politicans. (Aw, scratch that...that's dreaming too, I guess. :rolleyes:).

Just sayin'.
 
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The Hawk made shotguns 982 H&R Protector, are more durable built tactical utility shotgun then the economically made 870 Express.

The basic HD 870 Express cost about $140 more than the H&R Protector. With the Express you are only paying $140 more for the name and better packaging. It's not as well made as the Protector or the 982.

If you have to have an 870 look for a lower cost used one.

The Hawk 982 is the best value because it comes with nice set of ghost ring sights.


GC
 
Spend the same amount of money and get an 88.

I dunno why youd want this cheap piece over something well-made and durable that is known to work very well.
 
I dunno why youd want this cheap piece over something well-made and durable that is known to work very well.
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You need to do a web search on the Hawk made shotguns so you will understand what you are saying.


GC
 
I have looked at them before. They do seem pretty sturdy. Fit and finish is not superb, but not much is anymore unless it is high priced. There really is no reason it should not be strong and dependable as an 870, or maybe even more so as I believe it has all metal parts, and no MIM parts. As for the "made in China", every person will have to decide what they think is right.
 
Despite the long and painfully true spill over why "always trying to buy american is not ALWAYS best", I would still go with a maverick for a few dollars more;)
 
Gah, they're like $230 around here. It's still tempting. I love my "normal" Pardner pump. I bought a Mossy to replace it as my primary hunting gun, and yet I still used the H&R. Don't get my wrong, I love my Mossy. I converted it for home defense purposes. :D
 
its a good gun that serves its purpose good enough for the money.personally i like my REM 870 EXPRESS SUPER MAGNUM better but the pardner is a descent shotgun.doesnt really matter who made it..
 
You can buy a 18.5" barrel for your Pardner Pump from H&R.


GC
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GC-
I'm glad you mentioned that! I'm told that the Remington mag extensions go a few inches past the H&R's 18.5'' barrel. So how do I go about buying one of yours? :D
 
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