JC Higgins 538

Sam06

I was looking at LF's auctions and I saw one of these.  I have one and have shot it it a bunch of times.  It used to be my barn gun for varmints and nuisance animals and has accounted for a bunch.

Awhile back I posted about the gun and several people told me they were dangerous to shoot.  Well I looked it up and I found a lot of conflicting stories.  Then a guy on here who said he had studied them and written an article about them said they were unsafe.

What do ya'l think?

I still have mine and I shoot it occasionally with 7 1/2 low brass shot.

Is it safe??

kimi

Sam, is this the model you posted about?:
https://www.firearmstalk.com/threads/j-c-higgins-bolt-action-shotgun-recall-picture.99617/

Here's another good read about the 583 series shotguns:
https://www.thefirearmsforum.com/threads/jc-higgins-model-583-bolt-shotgun.135018/

Sam06

Thanks Kimi I just went and looked at mine and its a 538.16 so I think it is in the recall range.

kimi

Wish I could help you, man, but I don't know much about them at all.  Good luck!

Ricci.Wright

We somehow ended up with two of these at the store and a few years back Sears still had a recall and would pay $50.00 for each bolt you sent them. If you want to shoot it I would test it somehow. OHHH!! What about sending it to Ken with a case of Goose loads and see how it goes. 

Ricci.Wright

Free shotgun bullets!! You can shoot a whole bunch of leaves. 

John J Stimson

The Sears identifier for the vendor is 583.
The recall was limited to the early BA-2  12 gauge Model 10 bolt action shotguns.  The later 583 vendor code Model 11 and Model 14 had forged receivers and were not recalled.
I do not find a Lotus Fork auction for a Model 10.  Can you give an auction number?
The failures were real and the receiver failed.  There are a lot of "STORIES" on the internet discussing this problem  and those dismissing the need for a recall have no basis in fact - just a "STORY" repeated and repeated  in the internet and sometimes embellished.  
If yours is a 12 gauge Model 10 on the recall list, it is dangerous.

Sam06

John, mine is a 538.16 in 12ga.

LFs 538.26 & 538.4 so they are outside the recall numbers if I am reading the stuff correctly.  Mine being a 538.16 is in the range(538.13-22) from what I have read.

My question is; is the gun dangerous and why?

John J Stimson

By the time Sears initiated the recall, High Standard had been out of business for about 5 years. So Sears had no one sharing the liability.  However Sears recall is conflicted as they give a range of Sears identification numbers that  include all three gauges, 12, 16, and 20.  But they state that the recall  only applies to the 12 Gauge.  This the recall was for the 583.13, 583.16, 583.17, 583.20.  They do not list the 583.17A which is the 583.17 with an adjustable choke but obviously they should have.

The actual failure is a fatigue crack of the receiver. The section of the receiver that takes the load of the bolt when fired shears off allowing the bolt to blow back out of the receiver.  This section of the receiver is the primary recoil lug.  Without the primary recoil lug, the secondary recoil lug also fails as does the bolt retention screw  and the bolt exits to the rear.

I have a data on a couple of court cases and a list of a few more such failures.  These were included in papers that I bought to research the High Standard products  and include photos of the failed parts that were used as exhibits in the trials.

chme

This has been argued to a fare-the-well, but John Stimson nailed it.  Some folks have claimed the bolt retaining screw failed on one shotgun, and shooter struck himself in face when operating bolt.  That is NOT true.  Base of bolt handle was primary lockup- if the lug it rested on sheared, bolt was gonna come back, shearing the bolt retaining screw, catching you right in the face.  Sears would not have paid out several million $$$ to resolve this if it was fixable.  It is a design issue.  Yes, somewhere, someone is going to tell me I'm a nervous Nelly, and they have shot their Sears bolt action umpty thousand times.  My response is "That's nice- have a good life".  Me- it is not much of a nose, nut I like having it in the middle of my face, and not slewed 60 degrees to starboard.      

John J Stimson

This may not only be a design issue but perhaps a material issue as well.  I recently found a document that suggested that at some point in time they were not able to get the material for the receiver that they wanted and were using a  substitute material.  I need to do more research but not now.

hillbille

I surely don't know one way or the other or claim to, but why the different model numbers??  one says 583 then the other says 538 are they interchangeable or just a typo???

John J Stimson

583 is the Sears vendor identification number for High Standard Manufacturing Corporation.  I suspect the 538 is a typo.
The  bolt action shotguns recalled by Sears were manufactured by High Standard.  These are the guns in question.
Most if not all post war guns made for Sears had a Sears identification number that broke down into two parts.  The digits to the left of the decimal was the vendor code and the digits after identified the model and the variation of that model.   Sears used this kind of numbering system to identify many different products not just guns.
Numrich and others offer a cross reference table for helping to identify who made the various guns.  Unfortunately they really screwed up some of the High Standard manufactured guns in that they listed other manufacturers and in some case J. C. Higgins as the manufacturer.  J. C. Higgins was just a trade name and not a manufacturer.

kannoneer

Having the bolt blow back does seem to be an issue which merits attention.