NEF Pardner Turkey, Predator and Tactical Shotgun

Many years ago I became addicted to predator calling. As a youngster I used to go hang out at Burnham Brothers Sporting Goods Store in Marble Falls every time I went to visit my grandparents. I never got tired of listening to Murray or Winston tell a hunting story or checking on the rattlesnakes in the window. When I was about 16 my dad bought me an H&R single shot shotgun that I had been begging for as a night predator hunting gun. I then took the gun to the local gunsmith and had the long full choke barrel cut off to 22 inches and sling swivels installed. That old single shot and 3 inch magnums stoked with BB or #4 buckshot was deadly on varmints called into my red lens spotlight at night. The only shortcoming was it was cylinder bore and the shot spread out at long range. My red lens spotlight in those days was just a regular spotlight with the lens colored with red magic marker but it did the job. That old single shot and red lens light was used for many years and took a lot of fur.

That old gun is long ago history of some trade I wish I had never made but I finally replaced it, this time with a new pump from New England Firearms. Somebody with sense put a 22 inch barrel on a pump but with a choke system so you can put whatever choke you need for the job at hand. This gun is assembled in the USA by New England Firearms but the parts are made in China. Say what you want but the way the powers that be have done our trade in this country we now get many things from China. I looked at the usual made in the USA pumps but felt the fit and finish did not match this gun. I am also impressed with the camo job and the all steel construction. The gun comes with removable high visibility sights and swivel studs installed. This shotgun is marketed as a turkey gun and should make a good one but I plan to use it mostly for predators and as a tactical home defense gun. It is heavy and solid but short and quick. It has enough weight to absorb recoil and a nice recoil pad. I have a feeling this may be a shotgun that gets passed on to my kids to make memories with in the future.

The NEF Pardner is rapidly becoming one of my favorite firearms for banging around at the ranch or predator hunting at night. While testing patterns I found that the gun patterned about 12 inches low at 40 yards. That was an easy fix by raising the adjustable rear sight which would be fine if I was a turkey hunter and had time to line up the sights but would not work for instinctive shooting or night-time predator calling as I would not be able to see the open sights. I removed the adjustable sights and the high front bead and replaced them with a fiber optic lime green light gathering tube for the front bead. It now patterns dead on at 40 yards and shoots where I look in the dark. It has yet to have a failure to feed or fire and is as dependable a shotgun as I have seen. If you are in the market for a shotgun to hunt predators this gun may be just what you are looking far. It is very handy in the truck because of the 22 inch barrel. By the way this shotgun sells for about a $100.00 less than you will pay for one of the other brands similarly outfitted in camo.

Good shooting, Wild Ed

Model Pardner® Pump Turkey Gun
Ammo 12 Gauge
Stock Synthetic with Realtree® APG-HDTM full camo dip, ventilated recoil pad.
Barrel 22" with ventilated rib
Chamber Up to 3"
Sights Fiber optic front and rear; drilled & tappped for scope base.
Choke Screw-in Turkey, Extra Full
Length 42 1/8"
Length of Pull 14 1/4"
Drop at Comb 1 1/2"
Drop at Heel 2 1/2"
Weight 7 1/2 lbs.