870 action opens with recoil

T

T.A.Sharps

New member
I shoot the 2000fps sabot loads in my 870, the recoil from them will fling the pump back enough to open the action a little if I don't have the best grip on it, or if I have it on a rest.

I wouldn't mind it so much but it messes up my cycling of the action for a fallow up shot.

The action doesn't seem like its abnormally loose, and it only happens if I don't have a grip on it.

Is there anything I can do to help it hold forward tighter/stronger?
 
That might be a problem with sabot loads but that's exactly what you want from a good bird gun. Just means you have a well broken in pump gun.:D
 
Once the round is fired, the action is no longer locked. So because of the amount of recoil and slide inertia (and probably because your hand is holding it), the slide or action gets pulled open as you stop the reward motion of the shotgun during recoil.

As you noted, it happens with higher energy loads. I get the same thing with magnum loads.

More skilled or practiced shooters actually use this as a mechanical advantage to cycle the action quicker. I think that if you will just be ready to cycle the action when the gun fires, you can make use of the mechanical advantage as well.
 
There was a similar question about a Mossberg 500 doing the same in the Shotgun forum.

This is normal action for a pump shotgun; the action is not locked after the hammer falls.

Try this....load a very light target/skeet shell, and shoot {Very Cautiously} with no grip on the forend. You will most likely find that the action opens just a bit; more opening with stiffer loads.
 
If the action ain't locked when the hammer falls, why doesn't it act like a blowback semiauto and blow the bolt wide open? Something not quite clear. I think you maybe mean the slide is not locked and on a loose gun the recoil moves the slide back enough to unlock the bolt? That being a little over a half inch on my 870.
 
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