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I just bought a new (to me) shotgun. It's the latest, greatest tacticool home defense tool. You all are going to be so jealous.

I don't know why I bought it. I'm not a shotgun guy and I don't even hunt. I guess it's just because it brought back some long-ago memories and cost me less than what a brick of .22lr ammo was selling for not too long ago.

It's a J.C. Higgins bolt-action 16 gauge, with adjustable choke! Made by High Standard for Sears and Roebuck back in the late 1940's. Someone painted the metal and refinished the stock with varnish or something. It'll be fun to strip off the paint and redo the stock more to the way it should be. Hopefully there's some bluing with 70 years of honest wear under the paint. I know they're not much by modern standards but I've come to appreciate old guns like this a lot more.
 
I just bought a new (to me) shotgun. It's the latest, greatest tacticool home defense tool. You all are going to be so jealous.

I don't know why I bought it. I'm not a shotgun guy and I don't even hunt. I guess it's just because it brought back some long-ago memories and cost me less than what a brick of .22lr ammo was selling for not too long ago.

It's a J.C. Higgins bolt-action 16 gauge, with adjustable choke! Made by High Standard for Sears and Roebuck back in the late 1940's. Someone painted the metal and refinished the stock with varnish or something. It'll be fun to strip off the paint and redo the stock more to the way it should be. Hopefully there's some bluing with 70 years of honest wear under the paint. I know they're not much by modern standards but I've come to appreciate old guns like this a lot more.

If it was really made by high standard then you have one of the finest pump shotguns around imo.

I absolutely love my 12ga.

Wait till you go to get ammo for a 16ga though - you'll want some depends on:D:eek:
 
Except it's a bolt-action. :) I just bought a box at Walmart, $9. One box is really about all I need. I probably won't shoot it much.
 
These are strong, well made guns. I would drop it off at my smith for some new blue and stock refinish, or you could just drop off the metal and do the stock yourself. It will never be a collector gun but can be a nice gun again. I have several 16 gauge guns, the Europeans love the shell but it is not as common in this country any more. Buy them when you see them on sale. High standard always built great modestly priced guns that helped produce food for countless families. They also built world class 22 target and training pistols.
 
I know, I know; pictures:

Higgins.jpg

It's just an old shotgun; the kind Grandpa might have had in the closet. An old-school duck gun, nothing special. It just brings back memories for me because I hunted with one as a teenager. I figured I just couldn't go wrong for $50.
 
I know, I know; pictures:

View attachment 398400

It's just an old shotgun; the kind Grandpa might have had in the closet. An old-school duck gun, nothing special. It just brings back memories for me because I hunted with one as a teenager. I figured I just couldn't go wrong for $50.
Jeez, I never saw a tube fed bolt shotgun. Neat!
I had a box fed 12ga bolt (wo a magazine) with a barrel two yards long..
 
I guess I'm going backwards, because my favorite hunting rifle (though I don't hunt) is an old Remington 721 30-06 from the early 50's. It's got a lot of honest wear on both wood and metal, not abused but very much used, and that doesn't bother me at all.

My favorite pump shotgun is an Ithaca 37 from the same era. A friend had an old High Standard pump. They are neat old guns too. For some reason I really like those old timers. 20 years ago I would have turned up my nose at them and gone to find an AR or something. I guess I'm getting old too.

As to re-bluing it, I don't think I could bring myself to spend any money restoring it. I'm sure a smith would charge several times what the gun cost me. I think I'll just do what I can myself and be happy.
 
I have a bolt action 16 also, and also bought it on a whim. I like 16s and have a couple of them. Luckily, Cabela's and also occasionally Bi Mart has 16 gauge shells.
 
It's just an old shotgun; the kind Grandpa might have had in the closet. An old-school duck gun, nothing special. It just brings back memories for me because I hunted with one as a teenager. I figured I just couldn't go wrong for $50.

That was a great deal! I shot the crud out of a 16 when I was a kid. I loved that gun, and really wish I still had it.
 
Paul Harrell just did a vid on the 16 ga. I had no idea the only reason it's so unpopular here is/was some old skeet shooting rules. I do know that Sportsman's carries a big selection of shells and I won't shirk the bore if I ever see a gun I like.

 
In this day the biggest problem isn't finding 16 gauge ammo, but it seldom is cheep. Even 20ga goes on sale but you commonly will pay a premium for the 16ga. Retailers don't sell enough and a sale won't bring enough people through the doors to make a sale productive. The Europeans love the gauge because they use smaller frames than they do for 12ga. Also in my experiance there is less waterfowl hunting in Europe than upland shooting. They are very sleek and attractive. US manufacturers generally don't move to using the smaller frames until they get down to the 20 gauge. I love my 10 gauges (my first 10 ga was a bolt action Marlin) the problem (besides expense) with that is the only rounds commonly available are 3 1/2 inch magnums, a little rough for shooting Phesants.
 
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Popular in the very high end range's of shotgun, the ones that ordinary mortals can't afford.
But seldom seen in the field or clay range.
12 Bore reigns supreme. 20 Bore a distant second.
 
fiddy dolla is beyond ordinary mortals? pshaw!
The only new 16 Bore's I've seen advertised lately are by AyA and Rizzini. High end Spanish and Italian respectively. Can't remember the prices, but north of 2500 Pounds Sterling. That's about 3000 of your yankee Dollars. The car and jeep I currently drive didn't cost that much, combined!
 

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