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Harrington & Richardson Pardner NPI2C8 12-Gauge Pump Shotgun, $200

Courtesy, Gun Tests

A shotgun with good features for the price. The fit of all parts was tight and the ability to mount a scope might be important. The blued-steel-and-walnut cosmetics weren't bad. The tight fore end was an advantage, but the superior safety made a real difference to our team.

(GunReports.com) -- The pump action is a very popular shotgun type, mainly for its ease of operation and its ruggedness. While a self-loader may be a bit faster in trained hands, the point is debatable. Expensive autoloaders are reliable, but in the end a dirty or well-used pump is always more reliable than a dirty autoloader. We recently tested an affordable pump—the H&R Pardner, a basic copy of the Remington 870 design beneath the humpback receiver. We bought the gun at Academy Sports, a giant sporting chain that offers rifles, pistols, and shotguns as well as other sporting goods. We were surprised to see the pump-action shotgun listed for less than $200 in an Academy Sports sales paper—it was listed at $180.

Our team gathered and shot the gun using 2.75-inch Winchester Super Target loads (1-ounce charge of No. 8 shot, 2.75-dram equivalent, 1180 fps muzzle velocity) and also a new steel trap load, the Winchester Xpert Game/Target load WE12GT7, a 2.75-inch 12 gauge with 1 1/8 ounces of No. 7s, Max dram, developing 1280 fps, according to Winchester.

When we purchased this shotgun, we grumbled that it was not on sale and cost twenty extra bucks. After the test, the primary rater decided he would not sell this shotgun. We didn’t pay much, and it would not command a good trade in on the next project. We did not cherry pick a Pardner, we brought home an example wrapped in plastic.

The fit and finish of the Pardner were good, our team said. The blue on the receiver was, more or less, equal to the Maverick, while the Pardner’s barrel was matte finished. Some of us prefer blue steel and walnut. The wood used in the Pardner was a contrast to the synthetic stock on the Maverick. The fit to the metal was good. The forend was good and tight. The

Courtesy, Gun Tests

The stock to metal fit of the Pardner was good and the stock well contoured of good wood.

Elsewhere, the trigger of the Pardner was crisp enough and broke at 5 pounds. When loading and firing, we encountered no surprises. The firing tests went well. Even with heavy trap loads, the recoil pad did a good job of diminishing felt recoil.

We had a minor complaint from some of the raters, and this depended upon shooting style. The top of the stock was a bit sharp, and while never painful, it could have been better designed. Otherwise, the Pardner was very comfortable to fire.

The crossbolt safety was located in the rear of the trigger guard. This was ideal for rapid manipulation and may be managed by a left handed shooter with a little practice.

The Pardner was designed to sell at a price point most people could afford, and H&R and their Chinese contractors have done a good job on the gun. The fit and finish were good, although the receiver was a brighter blue than the matte finish barrel. This shotgun was handy to fire and use. The mechanical resemblance to the Remington was obvious, but the humpback receiver gives the Pardner a distinctive appearance. For the price, we could not register a complaint.

Reader Comments

Maybe I missed it, but what's the capacity with 2-3/4" shells?

Comment by: Wade P | January 13, 2011

Great report. I almost bought one of these @ Big5. It is comparable to the Maverick (177.97 @ Wally World)or the actual Mossberg (219.99 @ Sports Authority). The only drawback for me was the country of manufacture. I ended up spending the extra 40 bucks and getting a "made in USA" Mossberg. I thought the extra money was well spent especially in these challenging economic times when my country has such high unemployment.

Comment by: 469shooter | January 13, 2011

Dang! I was all set to go buy one, after all, who can't use another 12 for home protection and hunting? But 469shooter's comment got me where I live - for $40 I'd rather give the work and profits to an American, not a Chinese sub-contractor. So I guess I'm buying another Mossberg. I've had my first one 40 years now and am still waiting for the first problem.

Comment by: david b | January 13, 2011

I agree with 469shooter and david b above. Cough up the extra few dollars and buy AMERICAN. I have a Mossberg and it has never failed. I also sleep better knowing that I'm helping out American workers.

Comment by: Ethan S | January 13, 2011

A Chinese citizen can't own one of these, even if he or she could afford it.

Comment by: JOHN R | January 13, 2011

For the same reasons that 469 mentioned, I just bought a Chevrolet for the first time in my life although I favored a couple of foreign brands. Sounds like a heck of a buy, but If I want an 870, that is what I will buy.

Comment by: DocAitch | January 14, 2011

"MADE IN CHINA" Best ad for a Remington 870 or Mossberg. No thanks on this gun for me.

Comment by: Jedediah Strong Smith | January 14, 2011

"MADE IN CHINA" Best ad for a Remington 870 or Mossberg. No thanks on this gun for me.

Comment by: Jedediah Strong Smith | January 14, 2011

A lot of things you either buy chicom or do without but a shotgun isn't one of them.

Comment by: cat killer | January 14, 2011

I bought one for $200 and was very pleased with it until I noticed it was made in CHINA.I have 2 other H&R guns and both of these are made in the USA so they caught my by surprise on this one cuz I do not want foreign made firearms except Mausers and do not want to help the Chinese develop their firearms industry.If i would have known these guns were made in china ahead of time i would have bought a Mossberg.

Comment by: pigman | January 15, 2011

Personally I buy firearms as an investment, I don't sell, I don't trade I keep. I only buy guns made in the USA and only ones that will go up in price over the years. At least that's what I tell my wife, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

Comment by: firstsoldier | January 15, 2011

Personally I buy firearms as an investment, I don't sell, I don't trade I keep. I only buy guns made in the USA and only ones that will go up in price over the years. At least that's what I tell my wife, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

Comment by: firstsoldier | January 15, 2011

Personally I buy firearms as an investment, I don't sell, I don't trade I keep. I only buy guns made in the USA and only ones that will go up in price over the years. At least that's what I tell my wife, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

Comment by: firstsoldier | January 15, 2011

Chinese weapons in the American market place? Who would ever have believed it? When I was a kid, the Red Chinese were the enemy. And for those that say it is not so today, it was only a few years ago that a People's Army General spoke of the need to nuke the USA. How about a signature Gen. MacArther firearm? I would buy that in an American minute.

Comment by: fezletter | January 25, 2011

I bought the H&R Pardner because of low price, then discovered it was made in China! NO RETURN policy on firearms. It performed well 1st time out, but I'm a bit nervouse about Chinese-made components for quality/safety. I recently bought a Mossberg (now I check everything for aountry of manufacture).

Comment by: blue88 | October 27, 2011

I hear alot of whining on here about the Pardner Pump... Though I'm an American and I always try to buy American when possible... We Americans are the reason China has gotten American jobs.. Poor quality Workmanship... It started with Cars in the early 80"s when many of you bought the Honda's etc... Now everything is almost from china... Yes China makes junk for the most part... But many of you forget that in the 70"s many remingtons were made in Japan.. Today some guns are made in Russia and Mexico...The Freedom Group company of Firearms owns Remington, Marlins, Bushmaster and many others, so drop the ego trip... Sure it's a China gun and built like a tank.. Some American guns today have quality issues today... Maybe it's a wakeup call to made our guns better... I don't care if you buy a Show piece shotgun... Many field testers and US Mility men tested this gun as a well made get it dirty, muddy, whatever great shooting gun... So you sleep well thinking your saving an American job, you might have a gun you think is American like the Mossy Mavrick 88 , but all the parts are Mexican.... I can take this under $200 gun and hit anything you can with your $300 to $1500 dollar gun silly and if I scratch it, I wont cry....

Comment by: TEX88 | January 9, 2012

Oh and to those who buy guns to keep... Check out the guns you have, you will find that unless they are in mint condition and a special type, they are not worth as much as you paid for it....I have a 1927 Remington Model 11, 12 gauge shotgun with short and long barrels and unless it's in new mint condition, its not worth as much as when it was new....It was passed down to me, so it's worth more to me than a gun shop....So run your gun serial numbers and reseach them, see where they were made, you might be in for a unhappy surprise....I'm sorry if I'am a bit harsh to the people who are trash talking, but unless you have a H&R 1871 Pardner 12 gauge pump,your badly mistaken on this gun... I will sleep fine with my American Cars, Trucks and Bass Boat I have along with the $150 to $1000 more in my pocket....

Comment by: TEX88 | January 9, 2012