← All firearms · Printable work order

H&R Pardner Single Shot

• easy
• Shop tier 1
• medium confidence
• Shotgun
• break action
• single shot
• budget
• transfer bar
• beginner friendly

field strip ~1 min · reassembly ~1 min · detail strip ~15 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• A single-shot break action is the most visibly verifiable firearm there is: open the action and you can see straight through. Use that — leave the action open whenever the gun is not being fired.
• Most H&R and NEF single shots use a transfer bar safety, so they are designed to be carried with the hammer down on a loaded chamber. Confirm your specific gun has one before relying on it.
• Support the barrel when the action opens. A single shot is light and the barrel drops fast.
• The extractor lifts the case for removal; ejector-fitted models throw it clear. Keep your face out of the ejection path.
• Barrel and receiver are a fitted pair on these guns. Do not swap barrels between receivers without having the fit and headspace checked.

Under spring tension

• Hammer spring
• Extractor spring
• Forend spring

Easily lost parts

Forend · Forend screw · Extractor

Tools

No tools required for the field strip.

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 1 Tier 1 — easy among shotguns, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. The simplest gun in the category: 42 key numbers (43 rows) on a single-shot break action whose lockwork is a hammer, trigger, transfer bar and a few springs on cross pins. The only catch is that the striker and barrel-catch striker are factory-installed parts, so the frame is coated with them in place.

Parts: 42 numbered parts (Pardner shotgun illustrated parts list S03916 (2/07), complete gun, names only), from Owner's Manual, Harrington & Richardson / New England Firearms Shotguns (Pardner® Shotgun parts list S03916, 2/07) — H&R 1871, LLC, PDF p. 4 archive.org [3].

Bench time: about 20 min to strip, 30 min to rebuild (estimate). Strip of forend, barrel, stock (through-bolt), trigger guard, hammer, trigger, transfer bar and ejector; striker left in the frame (factory-installed).

Small parts: 11 pins, 6 springs, 0 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Barrel / forend: forend screw and forend, barrel off the hinge pin, ejector, ejector spring, latch and pins
• Frame: stock tang screw and stock, trigger guard pin and trigger guard, hammer, trigger, transfer bar and springs on the hammer/trigger/catch pin, barrel catch and spring
• Stock: butt plate screws

Special tools

• Punch set — Hammer, trigger and catch pin

Known pain points

• Several frame parts are restricted: the striker and barrel-catch striker assemblies are factory-installed only and the hammer and trigger go to a gunsmith, so a shop should leave the striker in the frame and work around it. (both)
  Source: Owner's Manual, Harrington & Richardson / New England Firearms Shotguns (Pardner® Shotgun parts list S03916, 2/07) — H&R 1871, LLC archive.org [3] — “** Restricted availability-Parts installed at factory only.”

Fit or check on rebuild

• Lock-up and transfer-bar check — A break action that does not lock is dangerous, and the transfer bar must rise only with the trigger held.
• Function check: safety, trigger/sear release, disconnector and feeding with dummy rounds — Standard after any detail strip; a mis-assembled sear or disconnector can double or fail to fire.

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Procedures

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

What the manufacturer does say: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "Replace the forend and be sure the forend screw is securely fastened." (Harrington & Richardson Shotguns Owner's Manual (Pardner, re-hosted), PDF p. 2)

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (Owner's Manual, Harrington & Richardson / New England Firearms Shotguns (Pardner® Shotgun parts list S03916, 2/07) — H&R 1871, LLC, PDF p. 4 archive.org [3]) — Pardner® Shotgun (10/12/16/20/28 ga, .410) illustrated parts list S03916 (2/07), names only. The per-model part-number tables on PDF p. 5 (Pardner, Youth, S/I Choke, Turkey, Waterfowl SKUs) are left out.. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Verify the chamber is empty before each check.
• Close the action and confirm it locks shut with no perceptible play.
• Cock the hammer, engage the safety if fitted, and press the trigger. The hammer must not fall.
• Disengage the safety and press the trigger. The hammer should fall.
• With the hammer down, press forward on the hammer — a transfer bar should prevent the firing pin being struck.
• Open the action and confirm the extractor lifts a snap cap cleanly.
• Confirm the forend is secure.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Hinge pin and barrel hook
• Locking lug surfaces
• Extractor
• Hammer pivot

Cleaning notes

The hinge pin and locking lug carry the firing stress. Keep them clean and lightly greased and watch for developing play when the action is closed.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 2000 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Hinge pin and barrel hook · Locking lug · Firing pin · Extractor spring

Common issues

Also covers

The procedures above are reported to apply to: H&R Topper · NEF Pardner · H&R Handi-Rifle (rifle chamberings) · Most single-shot break actions follow this pattern. Verify against the manual for your specific model.

Similar manual of arms

• Stoeger Coach Gun
• Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon

Sourcing