Here’s a short introduction to one of my firearms – the New England Firearms / H&R Pardner Pump Protector 12 gauge shotgun:

The NEF/H&R Pardner Pump Protector 12ga

The Pardner is basically a Chinese Remington 870 knockoff. It’s been around for around 10 years, and has gained a very solid reputation as a cheap, reliable, no-frills ‘home defense’ gun. I am clearly very

Sling made of 'paracord'

worried about home invasions, hence the Pardner (not). The main reason I bought the Pardner is for use while camping. It’s short (hence the ‘home-defense/tactical’ label) so it can be tucked away in the Jeep amid a ton of other gear. It’s pretty bulletproof (no pun intended), so I don’t have to worry toooo much if a little dirt gets on it, and it’s a 12 gauge, so it can perform some pretty heavy duty behavior modification on such bad guys as coyotes, bears and zombies. Again, because campgrounds are just infestedwith zombies…

The shotgun came with quick disconnect sling studs, so my first project on the gun was a sling! It is made of ‘paracord’, and woven

Sling attachment with wire. Click to enlarge.

such that, if you untie/cut one knot, the whole sling unravels into about 50 feet of cordage. I say it is made of ‘paracord’ with quotes, because it’s not ‘real’ mil-spec 550 lb test parachute cord. When I order some, you can bet that I will remake the sling with it. For now, this is 300 lb test OD green rope (not for climbing), but it’s better than nothing.

If you’re interested in making your own, this videoteaches you how to make the weave.

Fiber optic' front sight. Click to enlarge.

The sling is attached to the sling studs with Uncle Mike’s 1″ quick-disconnect hardware and thin green garden wire. The main reason for this is that the ‘paracord’ is very difficult to tie into a small knot, and I couldn’t figure out how to weave the cord into the swivel. Real 550-paracord may be easier to knot and/or weave.

The Pardner came with a brass bead front sight, and no rear sight. I didn’t really like the brass ball, so I replaced it with a small ‘fiber optic’ (I’m not sure if it really uses fiber optic technology; I doubt it) sight that screws into the same hole as the brass bead. I honestly am not that impressed with the fiber optic sight. I haven’t had it out at the range, but from just looking at it and sighting in objects around the house (I do observe all firearm safety rules), there doesn’t seem to be much, if any, improvement over the brass bead, UNTIL……….

Shot shell sock

I modified a small (2 AAA) MagLite to fit on the Pardner. I’ll probably dedicate a whole post to the MagLite, but basically, I switched the incandescent bulb out for a super bright red LED, machined a clamp out of aluminum, and mounted it using an old scope mount to the Pardner’s magazine tube.

Before anyone starts screaming tacticool, I added the flashlight for two reasons. First, this shotgun is meant to be something of a (wilderness – this may need to be a separate post) survival gun – I wanted as much survival gear packed into/onto it as possible, and a flashlight definitely counts as survival gear! Second, it would be used mainly as a wildlife deterrent, and a large portion of wildlife-related emergencies will happen at night.

Why red? Not because I’m trying to be tacticool, but because the military (and I) use red lights for good reason – red light doesn’t destroy humans’ night vision. The physiological explanation of this will probably make it into yet another blog post in the near future……and in the meantime, it turns out that that almost-worthless green fiber optic sight really glows when it’s lit from the side by the flashlight!

The stock hides a few survival items.

One of my first additions to the gun – along with the sling – was a 5-round shot shell sock that fits over the butt. I had to poke a hole in it for the sling stud to work, but that minor modification doesn’t seem to have caused any problems. The sock allows me to keep 5 assorted rounds on the firearm at all times.

I put a Weaver sight rail on the receiver as well, but I’m not sure if/when/how I’ll ever use it. It may just come off again. We’ll see.

My last modification actually required no modification to do! If you remove the butt pad from the back of the stock, there is a small cavity in the stock which is perfect for storing a couple of small items. Right now, I have my hacksaw blade knife, a small compass/thermometer, a few sinkers and hooks, and some fishing line, a small BIC cigarette lighter, a large nail (for punching out the trigger assembly pins), and a facial tissue (for blowing, wiping, padding, tinder, you-name-it).

My future plans for the Pardner include an ATI stock with pistol grip, a 6-shell side saddle, a shortened forend (the 6-shell saddle won’t work with the ‘stock’ H&R forend), and possibly more ‘permanent’ shell storage on the new stock.

Here’s an image gallery of my firearms: