Need help diagnosing this problem

[CALI SHOT DOC]

So i inherited a ward's western field 12g pump action shotgun which is the same as the stevens 520. I fully field stripped it and thought cleaning and lubing everything would fix my problem but it didn't. When i put a shell in the mag tube it comes too forward causing the lift to not go down. This results in me not being able to open the action at all without having to get a punch and push the shell forward or add another shell. What could be causing this?



Other than this problem the gun is in great condition. Blueing is 100% and i have dated it back to the mid 1930s. The stock is a little beat up by getting hit in the closet but other than that she is a beauty. Can't wait to shoot her tomorrow!

[ojisan]

Most mag tubes have a catch of some kind that holds the shell forward in the tube until the lifter comes down and trips the catch, allowing a shell to move back onto the carrier.
Your catch is most likely sticking/ stuck, broken or worn out.

[mrkam]

Yeah, my friend's older Winchester Model 12 doesn't actually have that shell catch, the shells are stopped by the edge of the feed ramp/lift. If you move the ramp, then all the shells come shooting out. Maybe the edge of the feed ramp had a lip that stopped the shells and it wore or broke off, allowing the shell to be pushed onto it?

[appagohm]

it's the mag catch most likely. Just a piece of metal thin and about five inchs in length. It's curved like a crecent, and it rocks while racking the slide to let a shell slide into the chamber. I had a similar issue with a old mossberg, i just took out the mag catch and bent it to it's orginal cresent shape and it fixed the problem. Good luck