JC Higgins Model 20 shotgun...

[jlv08]

I had the good fortune to have obtained one of these shotguns yesterday and did a good detail cleaning to it. The gun is solid and is as slick as it gets when it comes to pump action guns.

It has an adjustable choke, sorta like a Cutts comp. and the bead is missing. It also is vent ribbed.

I'd like to find a bead for it and Numrich doesn"t list it.

If any of you fine fellows out there could help me out , I would be gratefull.

This old gun was made at a time when quality was the rule rather than the exception.

I will say again, it's got the slickest action of anything I've ever held.

 

[wnycollector]

Congrats on your new shotty...its really a High Standard 200 This is the place to get cross reference info http://www.gunpartscorp.com/CrossReference.aspx
Yes it is one of the slickest actions you will ever feel!

 

[jlv08]

I did a detail cleaning of this gun last night and it had gobs of dried lubricant that needed to be removed.

There is a lot of wisdom here on this forum regarding cleaning older guns and I can tell you, after being into several older guns, lube DOES gum up and gums up bad.

After cleaning and using a high quality lube, this gun is as slick as ice and should be a good shooter.

I ordered a truglo front bead that comes with five screws to replace the sight with a fiber optic, so Im should be back in the game with a new sight soon.

I could very well shoot it like it is ,but still like the front sight.

Like I said in my earlier post, This is a well made shotgun and the internals are just as crisp as the day this gun came out of the factory.

I grew up in New YorK, upstate, and next to the Ithaca Deerslayer, the High Standards were very popular among hunters. I have some friend who have JC higgins and they love 'em.

 

[BullsAndClays]

A friend asked me to clean his grandfather's JC Higgins Model 20 12 gauge. Once I got the crud cleaned out of it, the action cycled wonderfully. Very nice gun.

 

[Black Knight]

The J.C. Higgins brings back many good memories. I bought my Grandpa's from him for $25 many years ago. Around here we have shooting matches using shotguns. This was my Grandpa's second favorite shooting match gun. It is one of the best shotguns I have.

 

[jlv08]

I took it out today and ran some buckshot thru it. Winchester XX Magnum would swell and be almost difficult, with out smacking the butt on the ground to eject a shell.
This was with Winchester 2 3/4 magnum XX loads.

Federal mag is the same. :banghead:

I toned it down by using Remington low recoil buckshot and it ran like a clock.

A gunsmith told me to stay away from Winchester mag loads and try different loads which I did.

The Federal loads were not as bad but still needed more than just a hard shuck to eject the shell.

The Remington loads loaded easily in live shell form and were notably different than the other two brands.

I also ran some high power field loads thru the gun with out a hitch.

I think that this gun has a tight chamber and I will take some steel wool and Hoppes and do a good cleaning of the chamber and see if this changes things.

I sort of doubt it will but its worth a try.

The gun performed very well with the shells it liked and I have no real complaints and love how slick this gun is .

 

[paducahrider]

Howdy!
Somewhere, years ago, I seem to remember seeing an ad for a J.C. Higgins shotgun that ejected the spent hulls out the bottom of the action.
Would this be one of those?
Thanks for your time.

 

[jlv08]

This is a HIgh Standard model 200 made for Sears and ejects from the side. It is a very well mde shotgun and the one I got just needed a good cleaning.

It has some rust but no pitting and I steel wooled it off with 000 steel wool and oil.

I then cold blued and oiled it again.

I need to do a good bore scrubbing, especially at the chamber as it is a little finnicky with some ammo. I think that it is possible I got a bad batch of ammo or it just doesnt like Winchester mag ammo.

My gunsmith doesn't like Winchester ammo, so that should mean something.

I ran some Remington low recoil buckshot and it worked like a charm.

I noticed that live shells that gave me problems cycling and think maybe that the tolerances of that particular ammo is not compatable with my gun.