First time shotgun owner

[Modern Day Spartan]

I just picked up a Mossberg 930 SPX last week and took it to the range yesterday to start the break-in period. I had to use range ammo, so I had to buy birdshot. I grabbed a pack of 20 and went on my way.

During my course of fire, I had 4 failure to feed and one misfire. I thouroughly cleaned, and generously applied CLP to the gun before going to the range. Everything was properly reassembled (except that I put the follower in backwards ).

I put the shotgun down for a while and worked with the Glock and 1911. After some time, I checked the primer of the misfired shot, it looked like it was partially struck. I popped it back in and it fired like normal. Is this normal for a shotgun break in or could it be the ammo or backwards follower that caused the FTF? What would explain the misfire?

[ysr_racer]

Too early to tell. Take it to an outdoor range and put a couple hundred of the hottest rounds you can find thru it, then report back.

My buddy bought an Escort shotgun that we literally had to take the barrel off 15 times in the first hundred rounds to get the spent shell out if it. Now it works fine.

If you're buying a gun for home defense or hunting, I wouldn't consider it useable until you've put a thousand rounds thru it, and all of them fired fine.

[Modern Day Spartan]

I'm planning on heading out to public land to do some rapid fire and put the gun through its paces. I've read about the older batches of the 930 SPX having problems, but I believe this is a newer batch.

A lot of other owners online say that using 1200fps Whitebox is good to put through the gun for a break-in.

[ysr_racer]

Use the hottest stuff you can find, and shoot the piss out it.

[trapperjohn]

Shot speed is just slightly more important than shot load when breaking in a new semi-auto that is being temperamental for some reason. Shot size makes no difference at all, so 7/8oz. of #7.5 shot will have the same utility as 7/8oz. of buckshot (or slug, etc.).

Since birdshot is relatively cheap, and the goal is to get 100+ rounds through the gun to settle any high/tight spots, use some birdshot shells with speed closer to (or above) 1300fps.

Some semi-autos shoot fine out of the box, some don't. Just the way it is. Run the higher speed shells through the gun to settle the action, and you should be fine after that. Barring some other, more fundamental issue with the 930.

Good luck and safe shooting.

[powderedtoastman]

I helped my close friend break in his Stoeger M3500. Different system altogether, but they recommend you fire I think 200 hot high base shells through it as a break-in. He didn't at first, and shot bird shot and had several stove pipes. Him and I ran about 300 3" shells through it over the course of a few weekends of shooting, and now it'll cycle anything he feeds it, whether he cleans it or not.

[balmo]

I'll chaulk up the FTF to bad ammo. Every once in a while, I get a FTF on target grade birshot, maybe 1 in 500 or so.

I would grab some high brass birdshot, shot 4 rounds for trap or skeet and see if the FTE goes away.

[Modern Day Spartan]

I'll have to pick up some clean bulk shot shells that'll really get the action going with the gun. It probably really is just that the range ammo is bad. I have a friend that works there; I'll ask him what's up with the shotgun ammo they sell in-house. Thanks for all the replies guys.

[WartHog]

I think breaking in with hot rounds is not always needed. Bought a JM Pro 24 in November last year, stripped it down and just thoroughly cleaned and lubed it according to Jerry Miculek's video on YT. Started out shooting clays with cheap Herters field loads from Cabela's and to date, with over 500 rounds shot with one cleaning in between, have had no issues whatsoever. Have shot 20-30 hi-base slugs/buckshot but it was mixed in with all the field loads.





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[BigPimping]

I'll have to pick up some clean bulk shot shells that'll really get the action going with the gun. It probably really is just that the range ammo is bad. I have a friend that works there; I'll ask him what's up with the shotgun ammo they sell in-house. Thanks for all the replies guys.

Range ammo sucks. Cheapest stuff there is. Maybe that's why.

[Modern Day Spartan]

Range ammo sucks. Cheapest stuff there is. Maybe that's why.

And that sucks because this is the closest range to me, and they don't allow outside shotgun ammo.

[ysr_racer]

Drive up to Triple B, they do.

[Modern Day Spartan]

Ahh yes. My old boss and old coworker keep wanting to go with me. They make it sound like a golf course with clays.