New 870 old shells ejecting problems

[jerhyn]

Did you clean & lube prior to shooting the gun? Seem's a number of people do not, then have issues. Any gun that I buy (new or used) get's a thorough cleaning & lube before being fired. I also like to run the new guns a little on the wet side for the first couple range trips. I have bought a couple of new 870 express guns recently and neither have an issue. I did check the chambers prior to doing any paper work and they were both pretty smooth.

Tray a good cleaning and a little extra lube on on the rails next time out.

+1

I always clean new guns before use. My Rem 870 express tactical was FILTHY right out of the box. Some Hoppes # 9, a bore snake and some oil fixed that real quick.

[rysin]

How old is considered a new 870

less then a month, first chance I had to take it out. I even pull it apart and clean the heck out of it and lube it well. I going to check out the chamber and give it a good look. But I pretty sure it was smooth. But really wasnt looking for roughness more on the brown crap that covered everything.

[XVIga_Rob]

I've taken a photo of the chamber in the 870.



It's not shiny and polished but with the pad of my finger it feels smooth and my nail didn't experience any resistance from texture.

I've read that it might be the extractor. So that piece can be the cause of the pump slide being jammed and hard to slide back?

This is the upgrade extractor I read was the right one
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/138...00-12-20-gauge

That's the correct replacement extractor. As for the rough chamber. Use the edge of your fingernail, to check for roughness. You want to check the area right where the chamber meets the edge of the barrel.

[darksands]

Polished my chamber on my express using 000 steel wool and a wire brush on a drill. No more stuck shells. Took about 10 minutes.

[jeffrice6]

Polished with 00 wool and my chamber was better. Then hit it with finer paper over the 00 wool dowel & then she was much smoother.
I was lucky enough to purchase my 870 used/new for a healthy discount, so I don't mind doing Remington's finish work for them. But if I was to purchase new, at new pricing with this horse $h1t, Remington would be getting an ear full.

[Joseph Lee]

Unless I missed it somewhere, OP didn't mention what ammo he was using, only that it was bird shot. On the Internet I've read of many different possible causes and solutions but out in the physical world, every single time I've seen (or experienced) a failure to eject, it was cheap low brass. I've seen super clean high end guns with some poor slob hammering a wooden dowel to get a ruptured casing out. I've never experienced a problem with quality ammo but every jam up has been with that cheap no-name stuff.

Your mileage may vary.

[GunnerMichael]

BTW there are low recoil 00 buckshots, they recoil just like birdshots. I use them as both my wife and I shoot shotguns and use them for HD as well. If you let new shooters try full powered 00 buckshots, before they have correct gun mount and cheek weld, they'll not like it because they'll get beaten up by the recoil.

The first shells I ever shot were the Winchester Super X slugs, 1600 Fps. I didn't mind the recoil at all, I even went back for more. I have some of the Fiocchi low recoil slugs also (that's what I load for HD), I shoot both of them regularly. Both are excellent shells although I tend to group better with the Fiocchi But if a person is timid to shooting in general I would recommend the low recoil shells for sure.

[Xscmurcielago]

One thing I'm not seeing suggestions on is the old racking your shotgun 500 time break in period. I bought my latest one a few years ago and had a few problems similar to yours and more. So I wiped all the extra oil from the internals and literally racked the thing for the better part of a half hour straight, followed by a good clean and lube. Now she runs like a friggan top. The 870's are super over engineered. After you break them in theyll run forever, but don't be gentle while you do.
Also I was told from day 1 that I could never hurt the gun no matter how hard I racked it, all it would do is work better, and its been very true. So pump that bastard like you got a pair!

[aippi]

Reading his post I understood him to say the problem was only with the 20 year old ammo and it worked fine with the new ammo. Kind of explains the issue in his own post. No way an extractor is going make any difference in an 870. So changing that is not a fix when the ammo is the issue or a dirty chamber. The solid steel extractor works exactly the same as the MIM one.

[aippi]

One thing I'm not seeing suggestions on is the old racking your shotgun 500 time break in period. I bought my latest one a few years ago and had a few problems similar to yours and more. So I wiped all the extra oil from the internals and literally racked the thing for the better part of a half hour straight, followed by a good clean and lube. Now she runs like a friggan top. The 870's are super over engineered. After you break them in theyll run forever, but don't be gentle while you do.
Also I was told from day 1 that I could never hurt the gun no matter how hard I racked it, all it would do is work better, and its been very true. So pump that bastard like you got a pair!

Perfect. If more people would simply follow the above there would be no post about extraction issues with an 870. "Rack it like you got a pair", wonder where I heard that before?

[kentactic]

Assuming this is a failure to extract issue, The problem is rarely the actual chamber. Do not start jamming a drill with steel wool in there yet. First inspect BEHIND the chamber. The tab that has a notch for the locking lug on the bolt. You will notice that a shell that has been fired rubs tightly against this area. It drops in easily if not fired. Thats because the rim of the hull expands when its fired. Often times there is a tiny burr behind the chamber. The extractor is on the opposite side. As you pull back on the action it wants to turn the shell. Any friction on that locking lug tab will snag the shells rim and it will seize the action. A shorter base shell does make it worse because it can bend sideways in the chamber easier. Grind with a mild grit on a dremel, any protrusion in this area. Polish if you like after.

If this is an ejection issue then believe it or not an upgraded extractor will likely solve the problem. A standard express comes with an "MIM" extractor. You want to order a "Non-MIM" Extractor. It is a better machined part with more accurate tolerances. The MIM extractor tends to leave more slop between the bolt face and the shell. This results in a lack of positive impact with the ejector upon working the action.

[yobless]

Unless I missed it somewhere, OP didn't mention what ammo he was using, only that it was bird shot. On the Internet I've read of many different possible causes and solutions but out in the physical world, every single time I've seen (or experienced) a failure to eject, it was cheap low brass...

QFT

My newish 870 express tactical was having issues extracting Winchester Super X with low brass...I swapped out to some Remington buckshot and it fixed the failure to extract. The Remington brass was more noticeable than the Winchester brand ammunition.

[jeffrice6]

"Non-MIM" Extractor. It is a better machined part with more accurate tolerances.

Not always the case. My steel extractor needed an edged to be broke so it wouldn't gouge the inside of the receiver. This has been a problem for many that have "dropped in" a new steel extractor. It's nothing hard, a few minutes with a file, but it should be noted for those looking to swap out extractors.

[KeepItCal]

Okay that's super helpful. Going to address this issue in the near future.

[jeffrice6]

kentactic was correct. Although I had read about the "steel wool & dowel drilling" the chamber I had never done it since it felt silky smooth to me as is. However, I never checked closely the area behind the chamber. Visually one is fine, the other has obvious tool marks. And, just trying to remove a shell by hand while pressing lightly on the shell's side gives no resistance with one shotgun, but significant resistance with the other with the tool mark ridges. Now I know what I must do.

870 with smooth finish:


870 with tool marks:

Damn! What a huge difference in QC