High Standard Flight King

[richhodg66]

Actually, the Sears flavor of it. Found one cheap ($99.95, but might could get it for less). I'd always heard the Flight Kings were great shotguns and am considering picking this one up for cutting short for a house/truck gun.

Are there any reliability issues? I know I could probably buy a Mossberg or similar for a little more, but I kind of like older style shotguns with steel receivers.

[nekshot]

I never heard anything negative other than a little on the heavy side. Mine always goes bang and is as nice a gun to look at on boring days as a shotgun can be.

[richhodg66]

Some I have seen were very pretty indeed. This one is a base model, J.C. Higgins, I think.

Are the barrels of these easily removed and replaced like most pumps or are they more or less permanently fixed? Seems I'd heard that about High Standards at some point.

[nekshot]

rich, I never really worked on mine much. I always assumed it would be a bear to seperate the barrel from the action so I never pursued it. Mine has beautiful wood and nice scenes on the metal. I am preparing to cast and shoot slugs in mine in the near future and I will take a good look at it.

[Ragnarok]

I had owned one in 20ga...really a decent old shotgun. Well made and wearing nice wood. Mine had a sprung shell-stop when I got it...probably got torqued by a previous owner's reassembly...and required a bit of work to get it bent back to shape and working..but no big deal

[TRG3]

Back in the last 1960s I used one for six years for hunting waterfowl on the sandy saltwater flats in SE Alaska. It was a 12 gauge with a 2 3/4" chamber. On returning to the house, I'd just invert the shotgun, spray it good with WD-40, and sit it in the corner. The shotgun never had any rust or functioning problems.

[richhodg66]

The finish on this one is real rough, but for what I want it for, I don't care. It was very smooth, ugly, but smooth.

We're snowed in at the moment and it's quite a ways from here, but I may just pick that one up this weekend and set it somewhere til I get around to it. Many irons in the fire right now, but a good pump 12 gauge is one of those things a guy really can't have too many of.

[Ziptar]

I love High Standard Flight Kings. Best action on a pump shotgun ever, so smooth. I've got two 18-7's one with the standard stocks and another with the really pretty stocks. If the Sears one is like mine that barrels don't change out, they are threaded into the receiver.