Guys,
I stumbled upon this thread just the other day and thought I might be able to add to it in some way. I purchased a USH 12 ga in February 2007, anticipating a long awaited Spring Bear Trip to Alberta. Of course I had to hear the usual josting from everyone in our hunting party about the "Bazooka" I had acquired. Nevertheless, I had my heart set on taking this $200 gun to Alberta and could have cared less about the others high end equipment. Besides, to me it was the perfect weapon for Bear over Bait. The shots would be short, the walking would be minimal, and available energy was more than sufficient. Little did I know the ATV rides we would encounter were often 10-20 miles in duration, and the sheer length of the USH allowed me to "cross strap" it across my back without having to worry about getting caught on overhanging limbs and vines.A quick wipedown of oil at the end of the day and the USH was ready for the next days hunt. But.....back to the story at hand.
After acquiring the USH I topped it with a Leupold 2x7 VX1 shotgun scope set in Leupold PRW rings and the supplied base. I immediately ordered a "hodge-podge" of ammo from Midway. This part was a little hard on the wallet, but I figured it was a small price to pay to see what this Animal Ate! I ended up testing Remington 3" Coppersolids, Remington 3" Buckhammers, Brenneke 3" Black Magics, Brenneke 3" Super-Sabots Lightfield 2 3/4 Hybrid. Hastings 3" Lazer-Mags, Federal 3" Barnes Expanders, and Winchester 3' BRI's. I fired each of these rounds for 3 shot groups from 50 yds, cleaning between each group. My memory fails me as to the Exact order of accuracy...but the Remington 3" Buckhammers and Brenneke 3" Black Magics were clearly the most accurate in my weapon. The Coppersolids were very acceptable, as well as the old venerable Winchester BRI's. The least accurate were the Federal Barnes, and Lightfields. After shooting some additional rounds for confirmation I ended up firing a total of 49 rounds that afternoon. My shoulder was a bit sore....but the performance of the USH was nothing short of astounding. The Buckhammers shot three 3 shot groups, each one ragged hole! I experienced no failure to fires, or anything out of the ordinary with my new USH. The only complaint I had at days end was the trigger on the USH. It was somewhat heavy at roughly 5.75 pounds and a little "gritty".
As I have done with virtually all my weapons, I sought to have the trigger "manicured". I called H&R and was advised to ship the weapon and they would return a crisp 3-3.5 pound trigger. I left the scope attached and shipped the gun promptly in my Pelican case. The turnaround was great, as I received the gun back in approximately one week. I then returned to the range to re-check performance and accuracy prior to my impending trip. Once again the USH performed flawlessly. The POI was consistent with the Buckhammers, so I cleaned her up and put her away until my trip commenced two weeks later.
Upon arrival in Alberta, we promptly were taken to the range to verify our weapons after travel. I was the last to shoot out of 8 hunters. I fired one Buckhammer which literally cut the X out of the target. I probably could not have made a cleaner shot if I had held the muzzle against the target. Nonetheless, all was good as the first day to hunt quickly approached!
Here is where the crux of this story gets interesting. The first evening on stand I saw only one small bear. While small, this bear was extremely nervous the entire time I observed him, as if he had his butt whipped near the bait on previous evenings. Darkness fell with "Mr. Nervous" being the only taker for that evenings meal. The hunt continued for the next several days and I was fortunate enough to observe many different bears, but none I really was interested in having the ole USH lose it's virginity too. On the 6'th day of the ten day hunt, I was hunting a bait some 20 miles out on a quad. The area was absolutely sparse, as the guide advised me the Northwest held some 200 miles of pure Wilderness. On this evenings adventure I took what turned out to be a very respectable 6'8" Blackie. The bruin was standing up on his rear legs much like a man, attempting to reach a strung beaver when the USH stung him! I shot him just behind his outreached left front leg, and the Buckhammer absolutely demolished him. The impact was so great his head struck the ground before his body. I could not help but grin to myself as my "poormans" special had struck gold. As a footnote, while I was awaiting my guide to return and pick me up, this bears big brother showed up at the bait unfazed by his fallen comrade. He was truly a beast and I still had one tag in my pocket...but quite frankly I just did not want my hunt to end, and I simply watched him until he finished virtually everything at the baitsite and ambled off.
That night back at the lodge folks could not believe the damaged inflicted by the USH/Buckhammers. Several guys asked if they could look at the USH a little closer. I got the feeling I might be helping H&R's sales without saying a word. Nonetheless, one guy had experienced a rough week and as the conversation turned to the next days hunt I suggested he hunt the bait I had taken my bear on and take his Big Brother. Well the guy about shi8 himself. He kept asking me if I cared, to which I told him it was not my bear...go get him....besides I couldn't get the "nervous bear" out of my mind from the first nights hunt!
Well the next night I went back to check on my nervous buddy. Just lock clockwork he showed up at the same time and began to gorge himself...always mindful of every fluttering bird and squirrel within his domaine. As I watched his every ansy move, my hunting experience told me what had to be true....there was a Big Bear and he was in close proximety! Shortly thereafter the little guy threw his head up in an erect position, his ears began to twitch and his eyes became nothing short of magnetic. Without further notice, he sprang straight up into the air and took off like a bat out of he$$!!! I heard him crashing sticks as far as my 44 year old ears would allow. I now knew the curtain was about to fall. Without delay I heard a small stick break from approximately "2'oclock". Suddenly without further adoo the Big Boy was on the scene! He strolled into the baitsight like a Stud Bull in a lush meadow full of unattended cows. He walked straight over to the hanging beaver and proceeded to snap his backbone in half, dropping it to the ground. At this point I had done all the sizing up I needed to and was looking for vitals. As the ole Bruin turned to grasp at the beaver half he presented me with a perfect nearside shoulder. I steaded the USH, quietly charged the hammer, and settled the crosshairs on the "Death-Zone"! I proceeded to squeeze the 3.5 pounds of trigger and was instantly rewarded with an Horrific SNAP! My beloved USH had failed to fire! The bear was so pre-occupied with his evening morsels he had not even heard the calamity. Every thought imaginable flashed through my brain in the next milli-second. Had I forgot to load the weapon after settling into the stand. Surely not! The next series of events happened within mere seconds. I re-cocked the USH and resettled the crosshairs. Once again I squeezed the trigger.....Once again the chilling CRACK of a misfire echowed through the Alberta wilderness! This time Mr. Big was all ears and he immediately threw his big mellon up into the crisp evening air...on full Red Alert! As far as me, well I immediately fell back on my 20 plus year career as a State Trooper and the training I had endured. I knew the shell had to be extracted and the USH must be re-charged with a fresh shell. I knew it had to be done fast, quiet, and NOW! I eased the breech open ever so slightly with one hand while simultaneously retrieving a fresh round with the other. The Bear was on full alert and started to walk over towards my stand. I managed to get the "Dud" out and the new one in just as the bear was directly below my vantage point. I shut the breech quickly...but quietly and I heard the muzzled snap of a closed breech. The bear was still there...I had a chance! While I have no way of knowing what was going through "Winnie the Pooh's" mind, I do know he had seen enough and was picking up his pace to evacuate the premises. As he stepped out from under the stand I once again settled the USH into the "Zone"! Without hesitation I squeezed again! Without hesitation I once again was greeted with a unmistakable SNAP! By this time I had transitioned into the Survival Mode. As the bear took off I immediately pivoted in the stand and to my astonished eyes observed him stop within the cover of an adjoining spruce thicket. He was only thirty yards away and I was damned and deternined to make the USH go BOOM! I recharged the hammer put the scope on him and SNAP! I recharged the hammer a third time settled the crosshairs and BOOOOM! He crumbled into a Black Mass on the bed of Canadian moss. I was sweating over every inch of my body. I spent twelve years as a Swat Trooper and had found myself in several hazardous scenarios, and I'm not quite sure if even those endeavors prepared me for this fiasco.
Once back at the lodge I realized my prize was only slightly larger than the bear I had taken the previous evening. Regardless in my mind it would be hard to top these series of events. The next morning I telephoned H&R from the lodge and explained my situation. They advised me to ship the weapon back once I returned to the States and they would provide a full inspection. The rest of the hunt was quite relaxing and a good time was had by all. Our group went 200% as each hunter took two bears apiece.
After arriving back in Virginia I immediately shipped the USH to H&R. I received a telephone call and the gentleman said they had replaced one of the springs and it would allow the firing pin to protrude slightly farther forward, and thus fix the problem. I received my gun back within 10 days...just in time for our annual road trip to New Brunswick for yet another Spring Fling! If this is boring you by now; which I'm sure it is Stay With Me...It Gets Better!
Before leaving for New Brunswick I "emptied" a full box a dove shot, by cutting the shell off emptying the shot/wad. I then proceeded to "fire" each of the remaining primer/hulls in an attempt to verify correct detonation. Each and Every primer detonated without a glitch! I then revisited the range to confirm zero. Once again the USH performed like a Champ! The buckhammers were deadly accurate and all detonated without hesitation. My USH was still OK in my mind!
The next week we started the trek to New Brunswick. After traveling roughly 1300 miles we arrived to our customary Thanksgiving style dinner of Turkey/mashed potatoes and dressing. I was forced to endure a barrage of ribbing from everyone about my 'Junk gun". I took it all in stride, as I still had great faith in my beloved USH. Early the next morning we went to the range (Gravel-pit) to check our zeros. After all others had completed their random shots, I unzipped the ole USH. As I settled behind the scope, thoughts of the "Alberta Debacle" danced in my head. I steadied on the target and made that fateful squeeze. SNAAAPP! I tell you I could have thrown the USH in the river, the only reason I didn't was it was some five miles down the road! I retried the shell...SNAAP! I must be jinxed I thought as the echos of Boos from my fellow hunters penetrated my cranial vault! And then like a second grader who suddenly remembers the correct spelling of word in the school spelling bee championship....something dawned on me! I ask the guide if we could go back to the cabin so I might retrieve all of my ammo, as I had only taken a couple of shells with me. After a short 1/2 trek back we returned to the gravel pit. I had brought 22 Buckhammers with me. I fevershly inspected my little plastic shotgunshell holder. And Shazamm......not a sigle one left in the case had an indented primer. I had unknowingly attempted to fire the same shell which had been the first misfire in Alberta!!! I had returned home from Alberta with the round and planned on sending it to Remington in case H&R failed to find any issues in my USH. Well after going through the scenario with H&R I had forgot about the shell and had no reason (I thought) to send it back to Remington. I had inspected this shell quite closely in Alberta and it knew quite well what the primer looked like. So without provocation I fired 17 Buckhammers without a glitch. Once back at the lodge I acquired a remington 870 and attempted to fire the Dud Round. Snap...No Go! While I probably should have kept it, to send to Remington for inspection...the only thing I can say is right now it occupies a home deep in the Canadian bush as I flung it in frustration deep into the bowels of New Brunswick Heaven! I subsequently went on to take what turned out to be a extremely large Sow that DNR officially aged at 16.5 years. As for the USH, I again took it back to New Brunswick Spring of 2008 and took a very nice Boar without any issues. I have fired somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 rounds through it since receiving it back from H&R (Not counting the dummy dove loads) without a hiccup. I really don't no what to make out of this series of events. My best guess would be I had TWO bad Buckhammers from the same lot that just happened to fall behind each other in hunting situations. I will continue to hunt with my USH;for not unlike a trusty ole pickup which has served you well for many years, I have come to love the thing...despite the headaches!!!
I realize this post is extremely lengthy, and lo and behold I have sat here through the turning of a new year. I hope it may shed some light on this topic of misfires or at least create some discussion. Thank you for Your Patience....and by the way Remember the guy in Alberta who wasn't having any luck.....well he Killed my bears brother the very next night....7'3" 419lbs. Everything happens for a reason...God Bless!
