Jc Higgins 20

[Boogsawaste]

Just snagged one of these in pretty darn nice shape. It's a 12 gauge with a modified choke 28" barrel. Does not have the adjustable choke or the powerpac. Roll mark dates it to 1952.

My question is if it's in good working condition (which it is), can this handle modern loads? Nothing magnum or anything but I have some Winchester "super target" which is listed as "heavy target". And I also have some super X 00 buck as well. The gun seems pretty robust.

Anyone else have one of these? I'll get pics up later.

 

[model70hunter]

Search Sears Model 20 or High Standard Model 200.

IT is believed to be one of the strongest shotguns made due to machined receiver and heavy threaded bbl.

Go to bio hazards post in this string. Only a short time back I had a lowered opinion of the HS shotgun based on opinions by others. I've done research and have changed my mind. I now own one.

Here is the link. Shotgunworld.com

 

[DWalt]

I believe any domestically manufactured repeating shotgun from the Winchester Model 1897 onward should be safe with any modern shotshells of the correct chamber length.

 

[alwslate]

The JC Higgins mod 20 must have been very popular back when they
were being sold because there seems to be lots of them around. I've
got one that I bought some years ago at an estate auction. A shotgun
made in 1952 is not an old gun. Many Winchester Mod 12 fans use
guns made before WW2 for hunting with modern shells but not with
steel shot due to the fairly thin barrels of softer steel than current
shotgun barrels. The model 20 has a steel receiver with a threaded
barrel and a bolt that locks into a recess machined into the receiver.
It's plenty strong.

 

[Class III]

Your JC Higgins Model 20, like many shotguns of the period does no have a trigger safety disconnect. Pull the trigger and pump away without releasing the trigger, goes bang until it runs dry.

Class III

 

[Boogsawaste]

Great! Thanks for the replies everyone. Shotguns in general are very foreign to me so I wanted to make sure.

 

[2152hq]

There are a couple different versions of the JCH20/HS200.

Here's a schematic (hope the link works)
http://www.histandard.info/manuals/sears/pashotguns/1068D150R.pdf

Earliest version late 40s?/early 50s) had the so called 'slam fire',,,'hold the trigger back and pump the action and the gun will fire when the action is closed and locked'.

A slightly later version did away with that feature and allowed the hammer to just follow the bolt forward on the return motion if you hold the trigger back. The hammer will not strike the firing pin when the action was closed and locked. (I think the hammer was caught on a half cock type setup). This made the operator use the slide latch to open the breech and eject the unfired live round.

The last version had a positive disconnector in the design. Much like the Browning redesigns of the Winchester M12 & M42 (repros). You just have to release and repull the trigger to get the gun to fire. No slam fire,,no hammer follow-down.
This last version was also the design used in the H/S Flyte-King (sp?) shotgun.

 

[alwslate]

Mine does drop the hammer if I hold the trigger back and close the
action. I had assumed it would slam fire but never tried it. I didn't
know about about the safety version you described so I don't know
now if it's a slam fire or not. I'll have to get it out someday and find
out. But the slamfire feature is way overrated in my opinon anyway.

 

[Boogsawaste]

Here's a question for you guys. I noticed that the action slide release drops when the trigger is pulled. From what I understand it's not supposed to drop until the forend stock is pushed forward by recoil during firing or by manually pushing forward when dry firing. It's supposed to be held up by friction before the forend moves forward. Mine drops after the trigger is pulled. Does this bolt stay in place by other forces because I'm afraid that the with the release dropping the slide will slam back during firing. Anyone know or have theirs handy to check?

 

[Drm50]

In the late 60s and early 70s there was hi demand for these
shotguns, to cut down into slug guns. They made good ones due
to the threaded in barrel. I made quite a few of them back then.
The only glitch that I ran into with them was in vent rib models,
there was a lot of rib separations. Other than that they were a
very good shotgun.

 

[model70hunter]

Here's a question for you guys. I noticed that the action slide release drops when the trigger is pulled. From what I understand it's not supposed to drop until the forend stock is pushed forward by recoil during firing or by manually pushing forward when dry firing. It's supposed to be held up by friction before the forend moves forward. Mine drops after the trigger is pulled. Does this bolt stay in place by other forces because I'm afraid that the with the release dropping the slide will slam back during firing. Anyone know or have theirs handy to check?

Go to Shotgun world forum or just do some searches on this gun.

The Model 12 for sure has to go slightly forward, but the HS 200/Sears 20 had a spring that started the rearward movement. I have never owned a Rem 31, but a broken in M-12 WIN will to a degree drop the action when the release is pushed. The HS spring assist probably made it the smoothest pump going.

The HS from what I gather uses some R-31 and Win-12 best ideas to make it better.

This model still brings less money than a REM-31 or WIN M-12 due to, collectors are enamored of the name.

Store brand and HS shotguns never had the resale value of other guns. I was misinformed by an LGS owner when younger that parts in the HS broke and there were not any spares. Now I feel he was directing me to a higher priced gun.

As we gain experience and knowledge we find that if one judges an item on it's own merit the name may not be quite as important. I.E. High priced Colt Woodsman's vs HS 22 semi autos. Why would a pistol, HS, that can shoot better groups than a Colt be worth less? Name and collectors.

 

[model70hunter]

Another thought, back in the day some stores, usually a hardware store, had a small rack with 5-10 guns on it with ammo and sold the hunting lic.

Many smaller towns did not have an LGS close.

There were Sears, JC Pennys, Monkey Wards, Coast to Coast and Western Auto type stores that sold house brand guns. And The catalog stores covered the entire US before 1968.

So I can see why there were lots of these guns.

My Dad ordered his 1952 Model 70 Winchester in 270 WCF through the local lumberyard who kept a few guns in stock. I was 6, I remember going to order it and going back to pick it up. Of course at that age I did not yet understand the lust and love Jack O'Connor had instilled in my Dad for this combo.

 

[2152hq]

Here's a question for you guys. I noticed that the action slide release drops when the trigger is pulled. ...

The Win M12 (and 42) are designed so a short movement forward of the pump action is required to release the slide latch from the action slide inside before the action can be opened after the hammer is fired. Recoil takes care of that during firing. Wear on a used gun can make it seem almost non existant, but the design is there. It's nothing more than a shallow notch in the back of the action slide where the slide latch engages. Pulling the action slide forward a touch allows the slide latch to drop free. Very simple.


Most other pump designs do not have that feature. The slide latch just blocks the rearward movement of the action slide.
(the action slide is the part directly under the bolt and controls the bolts back and forth movement as well as it's cam action into and out of the bolt locking seat).
The slide latch is simply spring tensioned to snap up in back of the bolt slide if the hammer is at full cock. This keeps the action shut when cocked and (usually) chamber loaded.
The bolt is locked in it's locking recess be it in the recv'r or sometimes the bbl extension.

The slide latch then releases either as the trigger is pulled all the way to the rear,,or in some designs when the hammer falls all the way forward. Depends on which gun design, but the result is the same. The slide latch is disengaged just as the round is fired.

The gun is still locked up as the bolt is still in it's locking recess.
Only the manipulation of the pump action will open the action by moving the action slide inside which cams the bolt out of it's locking recess. That is possible as the slide latch has been unlocked by the trigger or hammer motion of firing the gun.

If the action were to be partially open and unlocked, the disconnector in the action engages and though the hammer may fall, it can't hit the firing pin or the firing pin is locked from hitting the shell depending on the design. Even the Win97 has a disconnector in the action for such an event.
All this in a properly maintained gun of course!

Some pumps mostly the earlier pre WW2 had a 'hang fire safety'. Some Stevens 520, all the MArlin hammerless prewar,,,. In those with a dry fire or dud round (hang fire), you have to use the slide latch to open the action. Unlike a M12 where you can just pump the action on a dry fire or dud round and crank another in.
I guess ammo was a bit iffy then!
It's not a bad feature if you shoot a lot of reloads and shoot fast. Might save a second shot over a stuck wad sometime. Makes you slow down and think!

 

[Boogsawaste]

2152hq, so you're saying that even though my release is probably worn and is releasing early, the gun should still be safe since the bolt is locked up into the recess?

i want to get this taken care of either way, but it seems like it's not very secure even when working properly with just a little tension keeping it up after the trigger released it.

 

[Buford57]

I learned to wingshoot with one of these my dad won on a ten cent chance in a raffle sometime during the Kennedy administration. It came with a vinyl case, a wooden Marbles cleaning rod and 3 boxes of ammo (2 Super-X, 1 Remington Express all high brass #6s). He made me buy my own ammo for hunting and only used the gun to shoot skunks and other vermin he considered out of his .22 rifle's league. I put untold boxes of everything from K-Mart and Woolworth's bulk garbage to high brass duck and goose loads (pre-steel) through it before graduating to something "better". 6 months before he died he asked me to clean it for him. We shot the last 5 or 6 shells from the original 3 boxes (40 years after the raffle!) at a coffee can to make sure I got it back together right and he sent it home with me.

It's a solid shotgun. I'm not sure I'd shoot steel through your modified choke and definitely wouldn't through my full choke, but any other modern ammo should be fine. I had another like it once that unlatched as your does. I think it is a symptom of a weak action release lever spring. I never bothered to replace it, but Numrich lists the front and rear springs at $3.40 and $3.30 or the whole release assembly at $16.25. More than I care to spend on a ten cent shotgun.

 

[2152hq]

2152hq, so you're saying that even though my release is probably worn and is releasing early, the gun should still be safe since the bolt is locked up into the recess?

i want to get this taken care of either way, but it seems like it's not very secure even when working properly with just a little tension keeping it up after the trigger released it.

Just to be clear,,we're talking about the JCHiggins still,,
The Winchester M12 & M42 have the design feature in them that makes for the slight forward movement of the forend to drop the slide latch out of engagement. When these get some wear and use, that feature can seem so slight that it's un-noticed and and can even be overcome by simple finger manipulation of the slide latch itself.

Any other pump design I can think of including the H/Standards (the JCHiggins) don't have that feature. The slide lock latch is pushed out of contact from the action slide by the full pull of the trigger. (Some designs use the hammer fall to unlock the slide latch like the Stevens 520)
Once it's out of contact, the bolt slide is free to be pushed to the rear by the pump action of the shooter. The action slide then cams the bolt itself out of it's locking recess.

Many of these pumps (and some of the well used Winchesters) will drop open if held verticle and you push the slide latch in (with the gun cocked).

 

[Boogsawaste]

Ok so this whole time I was thinking that the Jc Higgins/high standard guns operated the same way as the Winchester 12. There is definitely no notch on the back of the slide or on the slide release to lock together. I was told that this is supposed to lock up from tension alone (by the spring under the pump stock like the 12 has as mine has one there too). I thought tension alone on 2 flat surfaces holding it up kind of weird to begin with as the release really gets pressed down hard.

I guess this whole time my gun was functioning properly. Thanks for the insight. I was worrying over nothing.

 

[ruger 22]

My brother got one for Xmas in 1952. I believe they were made for Sears by High Standard. If it is in good condition you should be able to use any modern 2 3/4,(lead shot), shell in it. A shotgun made in 1952 is not considered old. This is a very fine hunting gun and it cost my father the high price of $49.95--or as he then complained--'damn near a week's pay.' As with any used gun you acquire, you should always have it checked out by a competent gunsmith. I do and also hasten to admit I am anal.

 

[DWalt]

I remember something about the original J. C. Higgins. He was a real person, some executive at Sears, Roebuck. He was not known to be a shooter or hunter. Someone at the Sears advertising department just liked the sound of his name as a sporting goods product line. Sears also used Ted Williams as a sporting goods product name, being one of the all-time greatest baseball players (also a fighter pilot), who was indeed an avid hunter and outdoor sportsman, in addition to being a world-famous baseball player.

 

[Boogsawaste]

You guys are all great. I love hearing history along with personal stories about said firearms besides actual "tech" info. This is why I love this place.