870 Problems (2 Gun's)

[missed mallards]

As the title says, I have problems.

870 (1), when fired, will have a 'frozen' action. the only way to get it to eject the shell is by slamming the stock to the ground. any remedies?

870 (2), When fired, it ejects just fine, but will not reload the shell from the tube? A buddy borrowed it this morning and informed me he could not get it to reload, any thoughts?

[Redhead]

Rem oil and some old rags and some elbow grease?

Might be them old bullets in the first gun?

[duckter]

Make sure barrel is seated securely to the receiver - and make sure magazine cap is TIGHT!

[quack_a_tack]

1 sounds like the shell brass is splitting, or the hull is swelling. could also just need a good scrubbin, powder buildup in the chamber can cause this.

2 Sounds like it could use a cleaning or a new mag spring.

[Deagle]

Aluminum casings = no good in the 870.

[Cappy_TX]

Pretty typical problem for the 870 Express models. Remove the barrel and look carefully with a bright light from the chamber end. Chances are you will see a lot of small pits and dirt build up in and just ahead of the chamber. The expanded plastic hulls are hanging up right there. Have a gunsmith hone that area and your problems will disappear.

If you want to try it on your own, and assuming that you have a 12 gauge, buy a pair of quality 10 gauge brass brushes and attach them to the end section of your cleaning rod, and then put that into your variable drill. Wrap the barrel with a towel and clamp it in a vise. Run the brushes in and out, starting off slowly and increasing the speed, while applying Hoppes 69 bore cleaner. 5-10 minutes worth and the barrel should be spotless and problem resolved.

[Wingman]

Clean it.

[dukluk]

Clean it.

DITTO....only reason an 870 quits working is it is REAL REAL dirty....heck, in emergencies, they make good boat paddles, shovels, and hammers....they're rugged guns !!!

[missed mallards]

Clean it.

DITTO....only reason an 870 quits working is it is REAL REAL dirty....heck, in emergencies, they make good boat paddles, shovels, and hammers....they're rugged guns !!!

Gun #1 will be undergoing a chamber cleaning.

Gun #2, after cleaning the pisss out of it, I found my problem, the shell stop. It does have about 10K round's through it though so I can't really complain.

[brandon327]

Gun#1 is mostly cheap shells or needs a good cleaning. I had a 870 doing the same thing and it was cheap aluminium brass on the shells. I bought some shells with real brass and it worked fine.

[Wingman]

870 (1), when fired, will have a 'frozen' action. the only way to get it to eject the shell is by slamming the stock to the ground. any remedies?

I had this happen one year while duck hunting. Broke a little piece in the gun by slamming it down. Took it to the gunsmith (George that used to work at Scott, now Slater's) and he said I needed to keep cleaned a little better. He showed me the little half-moon piece in the end of the barrel and the recessed part of the breech where the shell sits. He said keep that stuff clean. I think what happens is the brass expands a little after being fired and if those areas aren't clean and smooth, it wedges in there.

[model12shooter]

Invest in a good used model 12 winchester-problem solved!!

[RNT]

yeah mine was doin the same as the 2nd it is the shell stop probably mine had been through a lot and from my doin probably got bent sometime through the years. not a pricey fix i dont think i just took mine to swanns and he fixed it no problem