My old 11-48 is pissing me off

[Mr. Spectacular]

So my old Remington 28" Remington 11-48 is pissing me off as of late.

It's developed a FTE problem recently that I can't solve and need some help.

The gun loads from the tube fine, but refuses to extract anything. I'm using 2-3/4" shells of different manufacturers and types and the extractor just refuses to pull a fired shell out of the chamber.

I thought maybe the extractor was pooched, so I bought a new (used) one and put it in with the same result.

The round jams itself into the chamber so hard that it's even tough to extract it by using the bolt handle most times, but 99% of the time it will come out if you pull hard enough.

The gun is clean and well lubricated and I can rule out the extractor and extractor spring as the cause of the problem.

Would "polishing" the chamber help at all?

 

[madtrapper143]

Yes the chamber has a long time build up of wax, powder residue etc. What's happening is the gun recoils back and the extractor cannot pull the fired round free. These old guns are on the Browning long recoil system and this same issue is somewhat common in other long recoil designs.

Darryl

 

[.22LRGUY]

I have 2 of these guns (a 12ga and a 28ga) and it sounds like either the chamber is fouled, or, the gun really needs a tear-down/clean. Check the inside of the receiver for build-up too, since the barrel travels into it a short distance with each shot. I rarely tear mine right down (they don't get shot much) but EVERY time I shoot, the barrel...foregrip...main recoil spring, friction ring, all come off for a clean/lube.

A note on their function~my nephew was firing my 28ga a few years ago and it had a few FTE, which was a first. I shot it, no problem. Turns-out (in this case) he was a little recoil sensitive and wasn't holding the stock tightly into his shoulder. Not saying that's your issue, just throwing it out there.

EDIT~with no ammo in the gun at all, does the bolt travel freely when you pull the charging handle back?

 

[Mr. Spectacular]

I have 2 of these guns (a 12ga and a 28ga) and it sounds like either the chamber is fouled, or, the gun really needs a tear-down/clean. Check the inside of the receiver for build-up too, since the barrel travels into it a short distance with each shot. I rarely tear mine right down (they don't get shot much) but EVERY time I shoot, the barrel...foregrip...main recoil spring, friction ring, all come off for a clean/lube.

A note on their function~my nephew was firing my 28ga a few years ago and it had a few FTE, which was a first. I shot it, no problem. Turns-out (in this case) he was a little recoil sensitive and wasn't holding the stock tightly into his shoulder. Not saying that's your issue, just throwing it out there.

EDIT~with no ammo in the gun at all, does the bolt travel freely when you pull the charging handle back?

Yes, it's not a problem at all.

I can load rounds from the tube and extract them all day long. It's only fired shells that the gun has a problem with.

I took my dremel and a fine sanding cone disk and went to work on the chamber as much as I reasonable could. The tool wasn't quite long enough to reach the entire depth of the chamber, but I'm only shooting 2-3/4" shells, and I definitly "cleaned" that much. Then I took a dremel polishing disk and some green polishing compound that I have and did my best of the chamber. It's not shiney-shiney (as in mirror finish), but it has to be better than it was.

I'll take it out either this weekend or the upcoming weekend and see if that helps at all.

My line of thinking is that when the gun fires, the plastic hull expands a touch and somehow was sticking to the inside of the chamber.

Ironically, I've been complaining about Frog Lube for awhile and how it tends to gum if it sits for a long time, and that's the last lube I used on this gun, so I'm hoping that by entirely removing it from the chamber area that that helps out.

 

[.22LRGUY]

Interested in hearing how you make-out. The Frog Lube I use gets hard when it's cold, and depending on how much you have (had) in there and how cold it is~could be a factor. I don't use FL on my shotguns though, somehow...the old technology and older lube options just make sense to me. With respect to chamber polishing, there are some good videos on YouTube that detail how to do that with steel wool and an electric drill. Worth a look maybe if you're still in any doubt about the polishing.

Does the barrel spring fit well/slide freely on the magazine tube when you take the front grip off? Does the barrel still have it's friction ring? Did a little Googling at lunch time and read some reports of damaged friction rings causing problems.

 

[Lodi]

Check the rim recess in the barrel. Sometimes after lots of use the bolt impacting the barrel will raise a ridge of metal allowing the case rim will be trapped. Removing this ridge may be a solution.

Upon firing, the bolt should lock to the rear while the barrel moves forward. When the barrel is out of the way the case can be ejected. If the bolt does not lock to the rear, then ejection cannot occur.

 

[guntech]

Is your chamber and bore that dirty? They chamber should be shiny clean...

With a dummy shell in the chamber, stand the butt on the floor and grab the barrel by the muzzle and push it as far towards the floor as you can, make sure it is fully back in the action as far as it can go... then suddenly release the barrel allowing it to snap forward... if the shell doesn't eject quickly and cleanly, the area under the recoil spring usually needs lubrication or lighter lube...