870 problem - The Firearms Forum

fredee12 · 12-31-2012, 12:36 AM

hi, me and my buddy were out shooting today and i had a problem that i have never had before. i shot my 870 and when went to pump it to load another shell, it did not grab the fired shell and tried to load a shell with the empty one still in the chamber. it did this twice and my buddy thought it was cause the gun was dirty but this was the first time i used it since i cleaned it last. i clean it pretty regularly. anybody know what may be causing this.

goofy · 12-31-2012, 04:56 AM

You need to check the extractor.
Does it do it every time?
Are you familiar enough to do this if not you should take it to a gunsmith.
If it is the extractor it is not a expensive job.
Mike

Snakedriver · 12-31-2012, 08:12 AM

Tight chambers in the new 870's is something that has been occurring more frequently these days. The fix seems to be fairly easy.

Remove the barrel ( see Youtube for instructional video if not familiar, it's real easy). Then chuck-up a shotgun cleaning brush of the appropriate gauge in your hand-drill and wrap a little medium steel wool around the brush. Insert it into the chamber end of the shotgun barrel and run the drill for a while until the chamber is bright and beautiful. This seems to work well and just speeds up the process you'd get by shooting a couple of hundred rounds through it breaking it in.

Jim K · 12-31-2012, 11:20 AM

We kept at least a dozen Remington extractors in the parts box at all times. Breakage is common.

Jim

fredee12 · 12-31-2012, 11:58 AM

i dont think the extractor is the problem, the peice that pulls it out of the chamber on the bolt is not grabing the empty shell. thanks for the replies
its a brand new gun bought about 4 months ago if that means anything.

goofy · 12-31-2012, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredee12

the peice that pulls it out of the chamber on the bolt is not grabing the empty shell.
.

That is the extractor!
You need to take it to a gunsmith.I do not mean to be rude but from your posts I can tell you are not that experienced with doing gun repair so again I say.
Take it to a gunsmith!!.
Do not try to fix it yourself!!!.
Mike

fredee12 · 12-31-2012, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goofy

That is the extractor!
You need to take it to a gunsmith.I do not mean to be rude but from your posts I can tell you are not that experienced with doing gun repair so again I say.
Take it to a gunsmith!!.
Do not try to fix it yourself!!!.
Mike

oh, i was thinking about the ejector for some reason sorry. i agree im not that experianced with gun repairs, but i like to learn and i wont learn by letting other people do it.

jim summers · 12-31-2012, 01:06 PM

You might want to think about sending it back to Remington if it is that new they shouldmake good on any repairs it may need, I guess the newer 870 ain't as solid as the old ones. I have an 870 that i bought new back in 1971 or 72 and have never had one problem with it, and i have put a bunch of shells thru it.

fredee12 · 12-31-2012, 01:41 PM

i took the extractor out and cleaned out the spring and the plunger, put it back together and it seems to be a little smoother, what causes the extractor to go bad and how can you tell if it is bad.

Snakedriver · 12-31-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredee12

i took the extractor out and cleaned out the spring and the plunger, put it back together and it seems to be a little smoother, what causes the extractor to go bad and how can you tell if it is bad.

The new 870's use a MIM extractor that isn't solid steel. Some say they're just as strong, but many folks don't think it's good to have so they replace it with the all steel model that comes with the 870 Police. Brownells has them for $14.99/each:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-par...ku=767-161-760

Extractor Spring $4.99:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-par...prod10774.aspx

Extractor Plunger $4.99:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-par...prod10773.aspx

I replaced mine with the stainless steel versions of the above that is made for the Remington Marine Magnum since I live in humid Florida.

It only takes 5-minutes to change out the extractor on the 870 bolt once you have it out of the gun.

fredee12 · 12-31-2012, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakedriver

The new 870's use a MIM extractor that isn't solid steel. Some say they're just as strong, but many folks don't think it's good to have so they replace it with the all steel model that comes with the 870 Police. Brownells has them for $14.99/each:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-par...ku=767-161-760

Extractor Spring $4.99:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-par...prod10774.aspx

Extractor Plunger $4.99:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-par...prod10773.aspx

I replaced mine with the stainless steel versions of the above that is made for the Remington Marine Magnum since I live in humid Florida.

It only takes 5-minutes to change out the extractor on the 870 bolt once you have it out of the gun.

thanks, ill look into getting a new one, but how can i tell if the one i have is bad, and what causes it to go bad.

Snakedriver · 12-31-2012, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredee12

thanks, ill look into getting a new one, but how can i tell if the one i have is bad, and what causes it to go bad.

I've never seen an 870 extractor that has failed, but I imagine there would be a problem with hook on the end.

I also still think there may be an issue with the chamber being a little tight or have some metal burrs in it because that has been widely reported to be an issue with the newer 870 Express models. Once the chamber is polished a little, extraction problems seem to go away. Cheap ammo has also been reported to be a problem in some cases.

fredee12 · 12-31-2012, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakedriver

I've never seen an 870 extractor that has failed, but I imagine there would be a problem with hook on the end.

I also still think there may be an issue with the chamber being a little tight or have some metal burrs in it because that has been widely reported to be an issue with the newer 870 Express models. Once the chamber is polished a little, extraction problems seem to go away. Cheap ammo has also been reported to be a problem in some cases.

iv heard alot about that too, iv only had 1 shell get stuck so far, we shoot cheap ammo alot cause when we shoot, we use alot of it. i may go ahead and polish it just so i wont have to worry about it. thanks for all the help.

68c15 · 01-03-2013, 01:05 PM

I experienced this during a summer shoot. we tried a different ammo and that's what did it. federal bulk pack with the low steel base. I noticed the ones that didn't eject had swollen steel

mjsnook · 01-05-2013, 01:01 PM

I have an old 870 Wingmaster and have never had any problems. It has only had about a thousand or more shells through it though.

12-31-2012, 12:36 AM	#1
fredee12 Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 17	870 problem hi, me and my buddy were out shooting today and i had a problem that i have never had before. i shot my 870 and when went to pump it to load another shell, it did not grab the fired shell and tried to load a shell with the empty one still in the chamber. it did this twice and my buddy thought it was cause the gun was dirty but this was the first time i used it since i cleaned it last. i clean it pretty regularly. anybody know what may be causing this. --> Last edited by fredee12; 12-31-2012 at 12:38 AM..

12-31-2012, 04:56 AM	#2
goofy Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Contributor Posts: 2,022	Re: 870 problem You need to check the extractor. Does it do it every time? Are you familiar enough to do this if not you should take it to a gunsmith. If it is the extractor it is not a expensive job. Mike

12-31-2012, 08:12 AM	#3
Snakedriver Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: SW. Florida Posts: 1,219	Re: 870 problem Tight chambers in the new 870's is something that has been occurring more frequently these days. The fix seems to be fairly easy. Remove the barrel ( see Youtube for instructional video if not familiar, it's real easy). Then chuck-up a shotgun cleaning brush of the appropriate gauge in your hand-drill and wrap a little medium steel wool around the brush. Insert it into the chamber end of the shotgun barrel and run the drill for a while until the chamber is bright and beautiful. This seems to work well and just speeds up the process you'd get by shooting a couple of hundred rounds through it breaking it in. __________________ Fear is a reaction..........Courage is a decision Last edited by Snakedriver; 12-31-2012 at 08:14 AM..

12-31-2012, 11:20 AM	#4
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: 870 problem We kept at least a dozen Remington extractors in the parts box at all times. Breakage is common. Jim

12-31-2012, 11:58 AM	#5
fredee12 Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 17	Re: 870 problem i dont think the extractor is the problem, the peice that pulls it out of the chamber on the bolt is not grabing the empty shell. thanks for the replies its a brand new gun bought about 4 months ago if that means anything.

12-31-2012, 01:06 PM	#8
jim summers Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: I reside in southern Indiana, you can almost step out of my back door and be setting on Patoka Lake Posts: 1,056	Re: 870 problem You might want to think about sending it back to Remington if it is that new they shouldmake good on any repairs it may need, I guess the newer 870 ain't as solid as the old ones. I have an 870 that i bought new back in 1971 or 72 and have never had one problem with it, and i have put a bunch of shells thru it. __________________ To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required.

12-31-2012, 01:41 PM	#9
fredee12 Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 17	Re: 870 problem i took the extractor out and cleaned out the spring and the plunger, put it back together and it seems to be a little smoother, what causes the extractor to go bad and how can you tell if it is bad. Last edited by fredee12; 12-31-2012 at 02:07 PM..

01-03-2013, 01:05 PM	#14
68c15 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 2,061	Re: 870 problem I experienced this during a summer shoot. we tried a different ammo and that's what did it. federal bulk pack with the low steel base. I noticed the ones that didn't eject had swollen steel __________________ I'll go defenseless when our leaders do the same

01-05-2013, 01:01 PM	#15
mjsnook Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 11	Re: 870 problem I have an old 870 Wingmaster and have never had any problems. It has only had about a thousand or more shells through it though.