A friend of mine has a 12 gauge that he hasn't shot yet, previous owner told him that it takes high brass only otherwise it jams. H&R 1871 pump action. Anyone know anything about this gun and why it would jam with low brass? This fellow might become a member of my weekly shooting posse.
I'm pretty sure it's a Chinese made Remington 870 Express clone. So it'll have any issues the 870 has and then some. When my 870 was new (as well as all my friends) it liked to be PUMPED. I mean, if you slowly pump it it might jam, so it needs a fast pump to eject the shells. Even then they tend to not like the cheaper aluminum hulled shells which expand in the chamber and hang up. Depending on how much it's been used, breaking it should help because mine is a lot better now than it was 15 years ago when I got it new. A buddy of mine took a file to his 870 and fixed his jamming issue. I'm not sure exactly what he did but I'm sure there's youtube video's instructing what should be done. Either way, I wouldn't use high brass for anything except hunting tough animals. It's too expensive (and kicks too much) to practice with. If your buddy finds out that it jams with cheap game loads, tell him to try Winchester AA's. They're one of the best shells out there.
Think it may be something someone made up. I only use high brass on ducks(been like once) deer or turkey.
High brass vs low brass - really is not the point it is the load in side that counts as the same loading can be placed in either. As far as a unit that takes high brass only- never ever found one- including autos which in theory would be much more prone to a jamming issue than a pump. Chambers are the same for either. Only thing that really changes is the chamber length. 2 most common 2.75" and 3", all 2.75" can be used in 3" with no ill affects. same goes for 3.5" 12ga in which any 2.75 or 3" can be used also ( just a note there are target loads in 2.5" hulls as well in 12 ga). similar in 20 ga. and 16 ga ( step child state side). Construct of the hull internally has more to do with load than external amenities. Eons ago in the era of paper hulls, low or high brass was an issue depending on the loading. Plastic hulls have negated this in fact there are target loads that only have a metal disk in the base to hold the primer cup the rest of the hull is entirely molded of plastic and yes they are/ were re-loadable as well. precieved difference in recoil is a function of load and the construction parameters of the stock + weight of unit+ how well it fits your shape. 870's are notorious for poor recoil management stock wise. particularly those with the Alloy action.
