Well, for Christmas this year, I got a new Pardner Pump 12 gauge with the 28" vent rib barrel and black polymer stock. I had my first chance to get it out today, and shot a few boxes of ammo through it. I shot 25 rounds of Remington Game Loads, 2.75", 1oz, #6; 20 rounds of Remington Gun Club, 2.75", 1oz, #8; and 10 rounds of Remington Express Buckshot, 2.75", 9 pellet, 00.
First impressions of the gun itself. It is to all appearances a well-built firearm. I like the matte finish, which is even and without rough patches or light spots. It has a significant heft to it, but is not overly heavy. The gun feels well-balanced, and it shoulders and swings smoothly. The recoil pad on the buttplate works well, absorbing recoil and giving enough grip that the stock anchors against the shoulder well. I like the steel receiver and dual action bars, even though they obviously add to the weight, they feel solid. The action works very smoothly, with each round ejecting cleanly, and all 55 shells that I fired chambered and ejected without any issues. I do wish that the slide-release were positioned behind the trigger guard, rather than in front of it, but I was able to engage it without having to remove my hand completely from its firing position. I was not able to accurately measure the trigger pull, but it feels like about 4.5 to 5 lbs, and broke cleanly.
On firing the Pardner Pump, I was surprised at the low perceived recoil. Granted, there is a bit of weight to this gun, and inertia plays a big role in "kick", but my Pardner 20 gauge single shot appears to kick more than this gun -- there is no way I would want to shoot fifty-plus rounds through that single shot in one day. With the Pardner Pump, I have no soreness at all. I was shooting relatively light loads today, too... I may well change my tune when I get around to testing turkey loads and deer slugs. The modified screw-in choke tube patterned fairly well at 25 yards, with the game and target loads pretty evenly covering a 12" x 12" sheet of cardboard, and every buckshot pellet falling within the same area, and most of them within an 8" circle. I will be looking at some different choke tubes soon, and will post pattern pics in the sticky when I start working up a turkey load.
All in all, I am quite pleased with the Pardner Pump 12 gauge. Especially for the money -- $159.00 new in box. I am looking forward to shooting this gun a lot more, and hope that it continues to perform this well in the future.
