Old semi-auto shotgun problems

daveg01

daveg01

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A buddy of mine has a Remington Mohawk 48 semi-auto that is acting up.
Every few shells it does not fire (click... but no boom). It would appear that the pin is not hitting the primer as there are no marks on it at all. We tried several brands of shells, and ones that would not fire were tried again and they seem to fire fine. The shells in question also fire fine out of a couple of other shotguns, so I'm pretty sure its not the ammo.

I'm thinking that maybe the firing pin needs to be cleaned and lubed perhaps? Or maybe a lazy spring or something?

Also, when it recycles, occasionally the spent shell gets lodged in the action, and does not eject properly. Spent shells have marks on the bottom of the case that appear to be made from the extractor and a slightly dented ring from the bolt face. I suspect that this is a different issue, but I am no expert.

Is this something that we can take apart ourselves and attempt to fix, or would this be better if he just took it into a smith to have it worked on?

Thanks,

Dave
 
The Remington 48 or 11-48 is a shotgun that works on the long recoil system similar to the Browning A-5, not gas operated. It sounds to me like the shotgun is not recoiling fully and that the bolt is not locking correctly, preventing the firing pin from moving fully forward once the hammer hits it. Start with a disassembly and cleaning, you will be amazed what comes out. Put it back together and try it again. Use no oil on the friction piece between the barrel and the mag tube. Check the friction piece, make sure there are no chips or cracks, these are almost impossible to locate.
Let us know how you make out.
 
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Usually a failure to cycle with recoiling barrels as this and the Auto 5 have, is because the tube is dry and dirty... cleaning, having the friction piece set correctly and a little lubrication solves that...

The gun has been discontinued for about 50 years... have a gunsmith clean and inspect it...
 
Thanks! We took it apart and it was clean, but very dry. We oiled the parts you mentioned and it now seems to be working good. We only put 6 rounds through it so a longer test is needed. Now if those geese would just co-operate, we'll give it a good test :)

Again, thanks for the assistance.
 
daveg01 said:
Thanks! We took it apart and it was clean, but very dry. We oiled the parts you mentioned and it now seems to be working good. We only put 6 rounds through it so a longer test is needed. Now if those geese would just co-operate, we'll give it a good test :)

Again, thanks for the assistance.
Click to expand...

I doubt you should shoot steel loads in that old gun.
 
If you are going to shoot steel shot in in, open the choke up to Skeet II or Improved Cylinder.. it will pattern the best with either of those two chokes and the barrel will not split open or bulge. Tighter chokes may damage the barrel and will also pattern poorly.
 
Interesting... I never thought about steel shot in a full choke on an old shottie like this one.

I'll mention it to him, but I'm pretty sure he is going to still use it for steel shot. He has had this shotgun for a long time and has put 100s if not 1000s of steel shot through it without issue. Last year he took it to someone who stripped it down, cleaned it and repainted it. This guy said that the shotgun still had lots of life in it. I'm not sure if this guy was a gunsmith or not, but he definitely works on lots of firearms.

Given all that, I doubt he will stop using it for steel, or get the choke opened up.

Thanks for the advise though, I will pass it along.

Another question - is this true for all shotguns? Should you be using a more open choke for steel shot? Or does this only apply to older full choke shotties?

Oh - also if he was to get the choke opened - what would something like that cost? Unless it is relatively inexpensive, the money would likely be better spent on upgrading the entire gun...

Thanks,

Dave
 
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SHOTGUN BARREL ALTERATIONS FOR STEEL SHOT

Forcing Cone Alteration:

Factory shotgun barrels usually have a fairly short and abrupt forcing cone. The forcing cone is the tapered area just ahead of the chamber where the shell is contained. Altering the forcing cone, so it is one and one half or two inches in length, reduces recoil and improves the pattern density. Trap shooters and skeet shooters have been doing this for many years. It is a good benefit to the steel shot user as well.

Choke Alteration:
Choke designation from the tightest to the most open are:
Extra Full, Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Skeet II, Improved Cylinder, Skeet I, and Cylinder Bore.

Steel shot does not require the constriction that lead shot needs, to produce good patterns. In fact too much constriction, causes poor, erratic patterns, and in some cases, permanently damages the barrel. I have seen barrels bulged at the choke, I have seen barrels where the choke split right open, from using steel shot.

For steel shot, with thin barrels, chokes should be altered to at least Skeet II. Often, over & under, and side-by-side shotguns, are best altered to Skeet I and Skeet II chokes. Heavier barrels can be left at Modified choke but may see an improvement in the pattern if opened slightly.

I do this alteration only on barrels that are not chrome lined. It usually costs $80 per barrel.
 
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