Restored JC Higgins Model 20

[BLUE COLLAR IRONS]

Just wanted to share what I did for a customer of mine. This is a JC Higgins, which used to be able to get it Sears Roebuck. It's the model 20 here's some before and after pictures. I color case hardened all of the metal on the shotgun. Usually don't see finishes like this on shotguns less than $8000. You sure as he ain't gonna see it on the JC Higgins model 20. Redo all the furniture as well.
BEFORE













AFTER

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[64MercurysRule]

That is one Sweet project right there . Awesome results . One to be proud of for sure . Congrats

 

[Tlock]

That is beautiful! I wont ask the cost but I am curious how many hours of labor? If you dont mind sharing

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Very nice....!
Always good to give a old , neglected firearm a new lease on life.
Andy

 

[BLUE COLLAR IRONS]

That is beautiful! I wont ask the cost but I am curious how many hours of labor? If you dont mind sharing

Took me roughly 30 hours to do it. The guy that I did it for blown to his father it was passed down from his dad and it means a lot to him even though it's a JC Higgins model 20, which we all know is basically a pawn shop shotgun. I wanted to make it look like it cost a few thou.

 

[BLUE COLLAR IRONS]

That is beautiful! I wont ask the cost but I am curious how many hours of labor? If you dont mind sharing

By the way, you can ask the cost. I only charged him 500 bucks because it's got sentimental value to him and I wanted to help the guy out and do it for him so. Plus you know I like working on guns it's fun even though it's my side hustle and I do it as a job. It's still fun to me so I don't mind helping people out and cutting the price down a little bit if it's something like that.

 

[Tlock]

By the way, you can ask the cost. I only charged him 500 bucks because it's got sentimental value to him and I wanted to help the guy out and do it for him so. Plus you know I like working on guns it's fun even though it's my side hustle and I do it as a job. It's still fun to me so I don't mind helping people out and cutting the price down a little bit if it's something like that.

Great work! Im glad you could do that for him

 

[joeyou]

Took me roughly 30 hours to do it. The guy that I did it for blown to his father it was passed down from his dad and it means a lot to him even though it's a JC Higgins model 20, which we all know is basically a pawn shop shotgun. I wanted to make it look like it cost a few thou.

Those were good shotguns made by High Standard. I have one.

 

[joeyou]

Took me roughly 30 hours to do it. The guy that I did it for blown to his father it was passed down from his dad and it means a lot to him even though it's a JC Higgins model 20, which we all know is basically a pawn shop shotgun. I wanted to make it look like it cost a few thou.

Those were good shotguns made by High Standard for Sears. Not a pawn shop shotgun. I have my grandfather's and would never part with it.

 

[gmerkt]

pawn shop shotgun

I won't argue that the gun in question is in that category. But I will say lots of pawn shop shotguns will do the job well because of their scattershot nature. They don't have to be as precise as a rifle.

 

[BLUE COLLAR IRONS]

Those were good shotguns made by High Standard. I have one.

The only thing on it that I found that was a little bit shotty was the wood on the pump portion. It was a little bit thin they machined it very thin under the barrel portion, , but it doesn't really affect the way the shotgun functions and you can't see that part. I'm curious if they're all like that.

 

[Vernonia MW]

Very nice! How did you go about doing the color case hardening? I have been slowly working on a joint venture with a local blacksmith (Ray Taber) to attempt our own CCH setup, but it's been difficult finding anyone willing to share specifics of their process. Namely quench temperature, charcoal bone:wood mixture ratio, and temperature of the water at quench.

 

[orygun]

I was curious as well as to how the case hardening was done. That looks great!

Just like another thread on old Marlin bolt action 22s, these old "department store" shotguns were very solid guns. Sears and Wards were the two big hitters and had several different manufacturers rebrand shotguns and rifles for them. Winchester, Marlin, Mossberg, High Standard, etc. Most of those guns are great working guns.