Shotgun shells jamming - The Firearms Forum

mn1500 · 12-18-2011, 10:50 AM

I have a simple Winchester Ranger 20 Ga. pump shotgun that I have owned for the past 20 years. I hunt dove, quail, and chuckar and when I hunt chuckar I use 3" 1 1/4 oz No. 6 shot shells. I usually use Winchester Super X Super Pheasant shell but they are pretty expensive. I recently purchased some Fiocchi Optima Specific High Velocity shells for half the price with the same specs as the Winchester shells listed above. The problem is the Fiocchi shells jam in my shotgun and some dont eject. I have to get a cleaning kit to push the shell back out of the chamber. The ones I have to push out have a ding in the brass lip of the shell. The shell is actually damaged, see the attached photo. Has anyone had issue with these shells or is something the matter with my shotgun. Or are the shells bad? Any advice would be great.
Thanks, Mike

Little Rooster · 12-18-2011, 11:01 AM

Mic your Winchester hulls and one of the Fiocchi's. I think you will find the Fiocchi's a slight bit larger. Try mic'ing them right after you shoot one of each and measure them after they cool off once again. I had simular problems with Fiocchi's in a double barrel. and they won't even chamber in my 97win I ended up giving them away.

Charles Christensen · 12-18-2011, 11:07 AM

If I had to guess based on your pictures I would say that the extractor on your gun is just ripping the brass. The probable cause is that the brass used on those shells is a bit on the thin side. Brass is soft and the pressure of the round firing as squeezing the brass firmly against the chamber wall but the brass is just too thin and weak to take the extractor pull. Upgrade your ammo.

TRAP55 · 12-18-2011, 12:05 PM

The Ranger was made as an economy model, and my bet is a rough finished chamber, in combination with the lack of quality control on shotshell ammo these days.
The "bulk pack" ammo you find at WalMart and such, is some of the worse excuse for ammo you can find, especially the ones with aluminum bases.
Assuming you are shooting 3" shells in a 3" chambered barrel, and not 3" in a 2.75" chambered barrel, burnishing the chamber will most likely cure the problem. Lengthening the forcing cone reduces extraction problems as well as pattern improvement.

12-18-2011, 10:50 AM	#1
mn1500 Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 1	Shotgun shells jamming I have a simple Winchester Ranger 20 Ga. pump shotgun that I have owned for the past 20 years. I hunt dove, quail, and chuckar and when I hunt chuckar I use 3" 1 1/4 oz No. 6 shot shells. I usually use Winchester Super X Super Pheasant shell but they are pretty expensive. I recently purchased some Fiocchi Optima Specific High Velocity shells for half the price with the same specs as the Winchester shells listed above. The problem is the Fiocchi shells jam in my shotgun and some dont eject. I have to get a cleaning kit to push the shell back out of the chamber. The ones I have to push out have a ding in the brass lip of the shell. The shell is actually damaged, see the attached photo. Has anyone had issue with these shells or is something the matter with my shotgun. Or are the shells bad? Any advice would be great. Thanks, Mike Attached Images -->

12-18-2011, 11:01 AM	#2
Little Rooster Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Old Dominion Posts: 564	Re: Shotgun shells jamming Mic your Winchester hulls and one of the Fiocchi's. I think you will find the Fiocchi's a slight bit larger. Try mic'ing them right after you shoot one of each and measure them after they cool off once again. I had simular problems with Fiocchi's in a double barrel. and they won't even chamber in my 97win I ended up giving them away. __________________ "Far better it is to dare mighty things, than to take rank with those poor, timid spirits who know Victory Nor Defeat" Teddy Roosevelt

12-18-2011, 11:07 AM	#3
Charles Christensen V.I.P. Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 208	Re: Shotgun shells jamming If I had to guess based on your pictures I would say that the extractor on your gun is just ripping the brass. The probable cause is that the brass used on those shells is a bit on the thin side. Brass is soft and the pressure of the round firing as squeezing the brass firmly against the chamber wall but the brass is just too thin and weak to take the extractor pull. Upgrade your ammo.

12-18-2011, 12:05 PM	#4
TRAP55 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Occupied Territory Of Kalifornia Posts: 1,834	Re: Shotgun shells jamming The Ranger was made as an economy model, and my bet is a rough finished chamber, in combination with the lack of quality control on shotshell ammo these days. The "bulk pack" ammo you find at WalMart and such, is some of the worse excuse for ammo you can find, especially the ones with aluminum bases. Assuming you are shooting 3" shells in a 3" chambered barrel, and not 3" in a 2.75" chambered barrel, burnishing the chamber will most likely cure the problem. Lengthening the forcing cone reduces extraction problems as well as pattern improvement. __________________ Aim small...Miss small www.mausercentral.com/forum