H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun Review: Part 3 - External and Operational Features

H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun Review
Part 3 - External & Operational Features
December 23, 2012

In this part of my H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun review, I cover all of the external and operational features of the shotgun. Refer to other parts of the review for details on the disassembly and the internal features of the shotgun.

The Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun measures 38.6" in length which is an inch longer than that stated in the specifications and the shotgun has a length of pull (LOP) of 13.6" which is also about 0.6" shorter than the specifications.

Figure 1

The shotgun comes with a black matte finish and includes a black polymer fore-end and buttstock. I've read several different comments on the web stating that the surface finish on the steel parts is a parkerized finish, but at this time I have not been able to confirm this detail and have emailed H&R for clarification. The surface finish does have a parkerized look.

In my mind, the Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun has a simple "no frills" look and the basic features are all many people would need for a good home defense shotgun. Those basic features would be 5+1 round capability (reasonable capacity), 18.5" barrel (maneuverable) and a pump action (reliable). Since this shotgun maintains the same geometrical interfaces at the stock-to-receiver and forearm-to-action locations as the Remington 870 shotgun, it also provides you the opportunity to add aftermarket parts if desired.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

The shotgun weighed in at 7.76 pounds empty and 8.52 pounds with 6 rounds of 2.75" #4 Buckshot. The empty weight is about 1/4 pound heavier than the advertised weight of the shotgun.

Figure 5

Figure 6

The center of gravity (CG) of the unloaded shotgun was about 18.5" from the end of the buttpad and about 19.12" loaded. I have been compiling some data on all the shotguns I review at my Home Defense Pump Shotguns Data page. You can compare the weight and CG of this shotgun to others to get an idea on the point-ability of the shotgun. Based on my data, I would say this shotgun's point-ability is above average (good).

Figure 7 - CG Empty

Figure 8 - CG Loaded

The Pardner Pump Protector comes with a brass bead front sight. The outside diameter of the barrel at the muzzle measured 0.878" and has a beefy look. This outside diameter is similar to that of my 870, except the Pardner does not have a removable choke like the 870. I feel that being able to see the full wall thickness of the barrel gives the impression that the barrel thickness may be thicker than normal. For another data point, I did compare this to my Mossberg Maverick 88, and the Pardner does have a slightly thicker barrel than the Maverick.

The inside diameter of the barrel at the muzzle measured 0.730" which is a size that corresponds to that of a cylinder bore choke. This means the barrel has no constriction which is what you want for a short range home defense shotgun. This will allow you to shoot nearly any type of shotgun shells (rifled slugs, buckshot, birdshot, etc.).

The magazine tube has a steel end cap which includes a forward sling swivel stud. The magazine tube outside diameter is 1.00" which will allow the use of aftermarket parts like tri-rails.

Figure 9

The shotgun has a 5 round magazine capacity with 2.75" shells, but comes with a magazine plug installed that limits the capacity to 2 rounds in the magazine. To remove the plug and increase the capacity to 5 rounds, you will first remove the magazine cap as shown below.

Figure 10

Next you can use either a screw driver or your fingertip to press the magazine spring retainer inside the tube about 1" and rotate the retainer 90 degrees until you can release the retainer and let it come out of the magazine tube. Be careful because the retainer is spring loaded and could potentially fly across the room and/or harm someone.

Figure 11

With the retainer removed, you can easily remove the magazine plug. Detailed instructions for doing all these steps are covered in the Owner's Manual.

Figure 12

The forearm is made from a synthetic (polymer) material and has texturing on both sides. The forearm measures 9" in length and 1.86" in width. The forearm is also replaceable with other Remington 870 compatible aftermarket forearms.

Figure 13

The Protector model comes with a 18.5" smooth bore barrel. As I mentioned in Part 2 and show in Part 6, the barrel on this shotgun had a slight bow to the left.

Figure 14

Figure 15

The right side of the barrel is marked with the standard warning "WARNING MISUSE CAN CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH, FOLLOW WARNINGS AND INSTRUCTIONS IN OWNER MANUAL".

Figure 16

Just behind this warning, and forward of the receiver, is the proof mark shown below which is an oval with "REP" on the inside and this mark stands for "Remington English Proof". This mark is applied after the firearm has passed it's proof test which consists of shooting the shotgun with a high pressure shell to proof pressure check the shotgun. I believe the "T" is the test mark which indicates that it has passed some type of quality control testing (i.e. hardness test, etc.).

Figure 17

The bottom of the forearm is smooth with no extra features.

Figure 18

Another feature worth mentioning is that the forearm cycles the bolt using dual (one on each side) action bars.

Figure 19

The left side of the barrel comes with the manufacturer's brand, location, gauge and chamber size. In this case the barrel was marked, "******* H&R 1871 LLC ILION, NY ******" on the first line and "PARDNER PUMP - 12 GA - 2 3/4" or 3".

Figure 20

The upper receiver comes drilled and tapped with three mounting holes. The holes are spaced such that the middle hole is 1.00" from the rear hole and the front hole is 2.30" from the rear hole. The scope base that fits this hole pattern is #72920 and a base kit costs about $15.

Figure 21

The upper receiver is made from steel and although this shotgun can be considered a clone of the Remington 870, H&R did change the style of the rear of the receiver. The rearward extended sight plane, along with concave blending into the stock, gives this receiver a different character than the fully blended curve of the 870 (reference photo of an 870). The right side of the receiver has no markings and you can see the bolt has the same matte black finish.

Figure 22

When you pull the action to the rear, you see that the forearm extends about 1.9" over the bottom and sides of the lower part of the receiver.

Figure 23

On the bottom of the receiver you see an aluminum housing which holds the trigger group. You can also see the steel carrier.

Figure 24

Figure 25

By pressing the carrier, you can see the orange polymer magazine follower.

Figure 26

The left side of the receiver contains all the required marking for the shotgun such as manufacturer, manufacturing location, importer and serial number.

Figure 27

In the case of the Pardner Pump Protector, this shotgun is made in China by Hawk Industries Co. LTD. and imported into the US by H&R 1871, LLC. I want to point out that because this shotgun is made in China and imported into the US, you must make sure that the shotgun follows all 922(r) compliance rules and regulations when you are considering adding aftermarket parts. I have sent a letter to the ATF to get them to clarify which parts are considered imported parts and will add a link to the letter when it arrives.

Figure 28

On the left side of the trigger guard is the bolt release and this release looks very similar to that of my 870 (see photo for reference). The trigger pull on the Pardner was similar to that of my 870 in length, but it did have a rougher feel. I wouldn't say the trigger pull was bad, but I also wouldn't say it was good. It is about what I would expect from a value based shotgun.

Figure 29

I added this photo to give you a slightly angled view of the right side of the receiver.

Figure 30

These next two photos show the cross bolt safety in the "safe" position and in the "fire" position. For visual verification, you can see the red ring indicating the "fire" position of the safety. There is also a ridge that you can feel with your fingernail to confirm the "fire" position in the event you cannot see the safety.

Figure 31

Figure 32

This photo below gives you another view of the left side of the receiver.

Figure 33

The Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun comes with a synthetic (polymer) stock. As mentioned earlier, the length of pull (LOP) is 13.6" which is also about 0.6" shorter than the specifications.

Figure 34

The drop at the comb and drop at the heal measured 1.65" and 2.77", respectively, and were slightly more than stated in the specifications. The grip area has checkered panels on each side of the grip to give the stock a little more texture when handling the shotgun.

Figure 35

The bottom of the stock comes with a sling swivel stud.

Figure 36

This stud is removable and there is a brass insert that stays inside the stock when the stud is removed. If you don't install a sling, then you need to be careful that the swivel stud does not unscrew out of the insert and become lost.

Figure 37

Figure 38

The ventilated buttpad is about 0.9" thick and is made from rubber. The rubber has a firm feel when compared to some other buttpads, but the ventilated areas should help in reducing felt recoil. I mentioned in Part 2 of the review that the buttstock had a "solid" feel, so I decided to go ahead and pull the buttpad to show why the stock gives such a solid feel. Basically, the buttstock has extremely thick walls compared to many other polymer stocks.

Figure 39 Figure 40

Thoughts

After studying the Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun, the thought that keeps coming to my mind is that this shotgun seems to be built like a tank (in a good way). When you consider the steel barrel and receiver, aluminum trigger guard and extra thick stock, it has the potential to be able to handle a rugged environment . At an empty weight of 7.75 pounds, it is not a featherweight, but when you consider it as a home defense shotgun, I don't see extended carry situations being a real issue.

For more detailed photos and commentary, make sure you check out the other parts of this review and feel free to leave comments on my Reader's Comments page. The following links are provided to help you see other parts of this review.

H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun Review: Part 1 - Introduction, Specifications and Summary
H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun Review: Part 2 - What's in the Box
H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun Review: Part 3 - External and Operational Features (this page)
H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun Review: Part 4 - Disassembly
H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun Review: Part 5 - Internal Features
H&R Pardner Pump Protector Shotgun Review: Part 6 - Range Test

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