Help with Remington 870

mike h

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I need some advice with a problem I have encountered with my Remington 870 Express. I have about 500 rounds through this gun and never had a problem until recently.

The problem occurs when I fire a round. The fore stock will not move backwards. The action release button is partly depressed. Things are locked tight. I have to remove the barrel to clear the action. When I remove the barrel, the empty shell drops out easily.

The problem does not occur every time.

I have removed the barrel and trigger group and cleaned everything. The problem still occurs.

My gunsmith says he has never heard of this occurring. He agrees that I cannot bring the gun to him if there are live shells in the magazine.

Could I be causing this problem by pulling the fore end towards me with excessive force? Any other explanations?

Thanks for any help.
 

Well, I cant help with your issue ..... sorry ... but ...

"He agrees that I cannot bring the gun to him if there are live shells in the magazine."

Are you saying you are not able to unload the gun because you cannot rack it?
There are several ways one can still unload an 870 .....

h ttps://www.rem870.com/2012/02/01/how-to-unload-a-pump-action-shotgun/
 
"Could I be causing this problem by pulling the fore end towards me with excessive force?"

Yes that could be causing your issue. Good shotgun mounting/holding technique means you pull the gun into your shoulder with your trigger hand rather that the one holding the fore end, which supports and guides the gun. Try a few shots with only light backward pressure on the fore end and see if that cures the problem. When a shot is fired the gun recoils but the inertia of the forend reults in it trying to move forward relative to the rest of the gun and thereby releases the breech block latch.

Question: when this issue occurs, can you open the breech by simply depressing the release button and pulling back on the fore end? Alternatively, if you first put some light forward pressure on the fore end while depressing the release button, will the breech open easily?
 
It’s a pump action you fire the gun the inertia releseas the breech bolt you pull back on the slide and eject the spent case . Not sure what the above rambling is about . Your case is stiking in the chamber . Worst case scenario your breech block is broken have a look at it . Yes you can unload the rounds from the mag tube by simply pushing on the cartridge stop .
 
You can also remove the live rounds from the front of mag tube. But you might have to clean up the detent mark inside the tube if the rounds doesn't drop out of the tube. You can use a Dremel or any mini rotary tool to grind out the detent. Here is a link (installing a magazine extension tube) so you can see the detent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-ztzICm5lg

It’s a pump action you fire the gun the inertia releseas the breech bolt you pull back on the slide and eject the spent case . Not sure what the above rambling is about . Your case is stiking in the chamber . Worst case scenario your breech block is broken have a look at it . Yes you can unload the rounds from the mag tube by simply pushing on the cartridge stop .
 
"Could I be causing this problem by pulling the fore end towards me with excessive force?"

Yes that could be causing your issue. Good shotgun mounting/holding technique means you pull the gun into your shoulder with your trigger hand rather that the one holding the fore end, which supports and guides the gun. Try a few shots with only light backward pressure on the fore end and see if that cures the problem. When a shot is fired the gun recoils but the inertia of the forend reults in it trying to move forward relative to the rest of the gun and thereby releases the breech block latch.

Question: when this issue occurs, can you open the breech by simply depressing the release button and pulling back on the fore end? Alternatively, if you first put some light forward pressure on the fore end while depressing the release button, will the breech open easily?

When the problem occurs the release button is partly depressed and jammed in that position. The fore end seems jammed just slightly short of full extension. I haven't been able to get out to the range to shoot since I talked to the gunsmith. I think I didn't give him a full description which was the reason he thought that there would be live rounds in the magazine. He did not say he could diagnose the problem if I brought it in.

Thanks for the other suggestions. However, the case does not seem to be stuck. It falls out of the chamber by gravity alone once the barrel is removed. The problem is that the slide will not move. If the breech block were broken, I don't see how the gun would fire. Although I am no expert, when I had the breech block and trigger group out of the gun, everything looked clean and normal.

Again, thanks for the suggestions. I will have to try shooting the gun with a different hold as described. Maybe I'm causing the problem just by pulling hard on the fore end.

Appreciate the help.
 
Well - your post is imprecise. If the bolt is locked in battery, with a shell in the chamber, how can you remove the barrel? I would suggest that you have sticking shells, a very common problem on 870's using cheap ammo - particularly the Winchester promo loads. Try different ammo, and if it happens again, take the gun a slam the buttstock against the ground - this usually frees up spent shells.
On the long term, polishing the chamber is a common fix for this problem...
Finally, did this issue exist before you had the breech block and trigger group out of the gun?
 
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