[ShotgunPro]

Hey guys,
I have a Remington 870 Express (12gauge)that I have had for a couple years now. When I first got the gun I took it to the range and it jammed on every round that I fired. When the round fires and the shell expands, it locks up and will not eject. I have to play with it until it finally releases and ejects the shell. I sent it back to Remington and they assured me the problem was solved (I'm not sure what they did to it). It seemed to work fine for about 100 rounds. Now all of a sudden I am having the same problem only it happens every 8-10 rounds instead of every round. Does anyone have any idea what this may be? I've asked many people that know a lot more about guns than I do, and they all seem to think it's strange I am having a problem with the 870 like this... Any help is appreciated.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Hey guys,
I have a Remington 870 Express (12gauge)that I have had for a couple years now. When I first got the gun I took it to the range and it jammed on every round that I fired. When the round fires and the shell expands, it locks up and will not eject. I have to play with it until it finally releases and ejects the shell. I sent it back to Remington and they assured me the problem was solved (I'm not sure what they did to it). It seemed to work fine for about 100 rounds. Now all of a sudden I am having the same problem only it happens every 8-10 rounds instead of every round. Does anyone have any idea what this may be? I've asked many people that know a lot more about guns than I do, and they all seem to think it's strange I am having a problem with the 870 like this... Any help is appreciated.

I forgot to mention that I have tried both 2 3/4" and 3" shells. the 2 3/4" work A LOT better. I typically use bird shot, but i've tried buck shot and had the same problems. Also, it seems that Winchester ammo jams every 15-20 rounds and the Remington ammo jams every 8-10 (I bought a box of 100 shells of both Remington and Winchester just to test it out).

 

[ShotgunPro]

Try polishing the chamber with 4X steel wool and also check the shell etractor claw to make sure it doesn't have dirt under it.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Sounds like a tight chamber if the round is sticking and it could also just be a rough chamber. I would send it back to Remington again with a letter describing the issues. That way the guy workign on it will have more info directly from you instead of whoever takes your complaint.

 

[ShotgunPro]

I found the short brass/aluminum rounds hung...the ones with the longer 3/4" long brass at the base of the rounds feed fine. I would bet that is the problem..the short 1/2" stuff sticks really bad!

 

[ShotgunPro]

Sounds like a tight chamber if the round is sticking and it could also just be a rough chamber. I would send it back to Remington again with a letter describing the issues. That way the guy workign on it will have more info directly from you instead of whoever takes your complaint.

I will be sending it back to Remington, I was just hoping to get a little bit of information so I could understand what was going on rather than just get the gun back and have the same problem... If it were just a tight/rough chamber, why would the Winchester shells work better than the Remington? They are both the 2 3/4" shells (bird shot) so I just don't understand it. My guess is that they replaced the extractor and sent it back to me so would the chamber be the only other problem?

 

[ShotgunPro]

If its truly as simple as a round sticking in the chamber and not something mechanicaly blocking the action, yes, it has to be chamber issues.

 

[ShotgunPro]

So youre saying that when you go to pump the action it is difficult to work? Requires a lot of force to pump?

Or you can cycle the action but the shell wont extract?

 

[ShotgunPro]

So youre saying that when you go to pump the action it is difficult to work? Requires a lot of force to pump? <--- This one.

Or you can cycle the action but the shell wont extract?

When I go to pump and eject the shell, its locked up and will not budge until I play with it a little bit. Usually have to hit the but of the gun on something, then force the pump back. after 3 or 4 times the pump comes back and ejects the round.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Not the extractor then. Either the chamber or some issue with the pump slide and surfaces. Still think you need to polish the chamber. I do this on all of my shotguns and then keep them clean by paying as much attention to them as I do the bore when cleaning.

I got a nice buy on a Rem. 20 ga. Lt. 1100 a few years back because of a dirty chamber and improper lubrication and lubrication build up.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Not the extractor then. Either the chamber or some issue with the pump slide and surfaces. Still think you need to polish the chamber. I do this on all of my shotguns and then keep them clean by paying as much attention to them as I do the bore when cleaning.

I got a nice buy on a Rem. 20 ga. Lt. 1100 a few years back because of a dirty chamber and improper lubrication and lubrication build up.

I've never done this before, are there any things I should be aware of before attempting to polish the chamber? I think I will give that a shot before sending it to Remington, but I want to do a lot more research on how to properly polish the chamber before I attempt it. any pointers...?

 

[ShotgunPro]

You may want to take the gun to a gunsmith so they can check the headspace in the chamber. If the headspace is off it could cause the same malfuction. I would expect Remington checked it when you sent it to them, but you never know.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Take the barrel off and use an old bronse brush wrapped with 4-0 or 0000 stell wool installed on your cleaning rod. You can do this with some take down rods on the short scetion with handle. Insert in the chamber end and use short strokes and check your progress. If you feel comfortable with the process and have a drill that will accept the rod you can use a hand drill to do this also. For mor aggressive polishing use JB bore compound or Flitz. There are more agressive procedures, but these will are safe and will polish and not remove excessive material from the chamber.

 

[ShotgunPro]

it could be a tight chamber, but since you're saying it's different with various ammos try a different ammo. in our 870 we only use 2 3/4 federal and there has never been a stuck shell in it with it. also clean the hell out of the gun. the majority of stuck shells that i've seen have been because the gun has gunk in it. winchester ammo i've always found to be crappy and causes a LOT of stuck shells.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Regardless of what it is, you shouldn't have to do anything to fix it. Remington should be the one to fix your gun. I'd be demanding a replacement gun. If I had to keep sending it back for whatever they are doing to it, even if it's fixed I'd always feel like I got a Friday afternoon special.

 

[ShotgunPro]

I borrowed a friends 870 last winter that had the same issue. We were using Winchester 2 3/4" shells and every other shot seemed to lock the breech. Required massive strength to work the action. Swapped over to Federal and it was gone. We have since gone back and put more Winchester rounds through the gun and it has been fine. Fluke occurrence for me.

 

[ShotgunPro]

I found the short brass/aluminum rounds hung...the ones with the longer 3/4" long brass at the base of the rounds feed fine. I would bet that is the problem..the short 1/2" stuff sticks really bad!

this is exactly how mine is. I will be polishing with some steel wool tomorrow then going to the range Saturday and will let u know the results. I dont have any issues with brass only the cheap aluminum shells.

 

[ShotgunPro]

I've cycled rusty shells through mine. I've never had any type of jam in my 870.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Ocean82 - I definetly agree with you, I should not be having this problem and it should be something that remington takes care of. The first time I called they made the process simple and easy so I was hoping once I got the gun back that would be the end of it. That was not the case... I should be able to use any brand of ammo I want in my shotgun regardless of it being cheap or not. I mean I can understand a FTF or FTE every now and then, but only because of the cheap ammo, not because of the rifle. I spoke with a friend of mine who has polished his shotgun in the past, he agreed to help me with mine. Once i'm done i'll take it to the range and see how that works. If I still have the same problem, I will be on the phone with Remington... I'll let you guys know how it turns out. Thanks for all the help!

 

[ShotgunPro]

I borrowed a friends 870 last winter that had the same issue. We were using Winchester 2 3/4" shells and every other shot seemed to lock the breech. Required massive strength to work the action. Swapped over to Federal and it was gone. We have since gone back and put more Winchester rounds through the gun and it has been fine. Fluke occurrence for me.

That's funny, because the Winchester ammo works better than the Remington ammo in my 870... Haven't tried Federal but i'll give it a shot after polishing the chamber.