What do you guys think of the JC Higgins Model 10 recall on all of the 12 gauge models? It seems like every gun-smith I've talked to that's familiar with the gun and the recall thinks there was some other motivation behind the recall, like a fear of lawsuits, or anti-gun management taking over Sears. Considering how many of the guns Sears sold, it seems extremely odd that it would take them 40 years to find a design flaw serious enough to warrant a recall. The guy I bought parts from when I was fixing up my Great Uncle and Uncle's old 583.17 swore that they were great guns and would last forever if properly maintained. Of course, this has to be taken with a grain of salt when we consider that he makes money off of selling parts for them.
There are pictures floating around the internet of an exploded JC Higgins Model 10 12 gauge, from 1959. But if you also look at the failure report that accompanied those photos (I read it a year or two ago but can't seem to find it now), the High Standard Engineer who wrote it up said that the bolt-face showed signs of severe peening, which may have resulted in an excess head-space scenario. In this instance, the bolt retention screw prevented the bolt from exiting the back of the gun and smashing the shooter's face. I will look around and see if I can find the failure report anywhere when I have more time.
There was another incident, in 86, where a guy sued Sears because the bolt retention screw broke when he was pulling the bolt handle back and he whacked himself in the face with the bolt. The suit was eventually thrown out. Here is a link to the judge's report on the case; https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/812/750/1761760/
I was searching for more info on the recall a while back when someone in the comments section of a JC Higgins Model 10 Recall article said that their son had been severely injured by a JC higgins Model 10 when the gun exploded and shot the bolt into his face. Oddly enough the Model in this case was a 16 gauge, one of the variants that was not subject to the recall. I think that I have the pages for this and the 1959 failure report I mentioned earlier bookmarked on my old laptop. I will try to find and post them here when I get a chance, which might not be for another few weeks.
Like I said, I find it extremely odd that it would take Sears 40 years to find a flaw worthy of a recall when they sold so many of the guns. But I don't have any experience in firearms design. What do you guys think?
There are pictures floating around the internet of an exploded JC Higgins Model 10 12 gauge, from 1959. But if you also look at the failure report that accompanied those photos (I read it a year or two ago but can't seem to find it now), the High Standard Engineer who wrote it up said that the bolt-face showed signs of severe peening, which may have resulted in an excess head-space scenario. In this instance, the bolt retention screw prevented the bolt from exiting the back of the gun and smashing the shooter's face. I will look around and see if I can find the failure report anywhere when I have more time.
There was another incident, in 86, where a guy sued Sears because the bolt retention screw broke when he was pulling the bolt handle back and he whacked himself in the face with the bolt. The suit was eventually thrown out. Here is a link to the judge's report on the case; https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/812/750/1761760/
I was searching for more info on the recall a while back when someone in the comments section of a JC Higgins Model 10 Recall article said that their son had been severely injured by a JC higgins Model 10 when the gun exploded and shot the bolt into his face. Oddly enough the Model in this case was a 16 gauge, one of the variants that was not subject to the recall. I think that I have the pages for this and the 1959 failure report I mentioned earlier bookmarked on my old laptop. I will try to find and post them here when I get a chance, which might not be for another few weeks.
Like I said, I find it extremely odd that it would take Sears 40 years to find a flaw worthy of a recall when they sold so many of the guns. But I don't have any experience in firearms design. What do you guys think?
Thanks for the input guys. Anyone who's handled or worked on them?
