I never thought much about J.C.Higgins,always thought " just another house brand" but I own 2 1/2 and the construction of them is actually very well done ,no thin metal or crappy finishes here,barrels are threaded ,quality bluing,and walnut ,this is everything they need and don't have in .22's today AND they work ,I have heard of some that don't ,but,I bet if I worked on those I could fix them ,nowadays you get brand new from the factory and they don't work,I should not get a new rifle and have to " break it in " for 1000 rounds before it starts to work right.
Oh, the guy that had one break last year,the metal is not pot metal ,it is good Alcoa aluminum ,if it broke,a good tig welder can fix it,my bolts are threaded right in the rear of the receiver but I have seen tangs for sale they look like they are steel and thread in also but if not aluminum is easy to weld,TIG is the way To go and it is easy to work out any minor imperfections later and easy to re thread ,I wish he sent pics in.