problem or ok?

old fart

New member
i got a new maverick 88 field 28" barrel, i loaded it up and when i tried to unload i noticed the action lock lever wasn't down as much as it should have been and i almost didn't get the action open. it finally opened but the elevator wouldn't go all the way down unless i came back on the forearm with a good tug. i noticed the gun was extremely tight in pumping. i got in the house and started pumping it back and forth at least 30 or more times. it loosed up some and the action lever seems ok now if i use good force to unload and load as does the elevator. it still tho has a small glitch, when i bring the bolt all the way back and stop, then try to bring it forward it seems to catch and i have to really push it forward for it to go. if i just do it fast back and forth without stopping it works good. do i have a problem?, shouldn't it be smoother? why do i have to use moderate force to just cycle it. i am not a newbie to guns. owned them for over 35yrs, owned a maverick 88 just over a year ago, hunted last year with it. it was much looser and smoother and i bought it new. thanks for any help you can give me.
 
There are a number of ways to speed up the wear in process. You can use tooth paste to coat the parts that wear together and work the action. Rinse off the tooth paste and lub it to see when it stops dragging. Cycling it and shooting it will wear it in, it just takes time.
 
ok, i have finally done a complete clean out, there were some brown stuff and metalic looking thick stuff in it. i cycled it and it is better but still a little stiff, i noticed however that if i cycle it fast its fine or slow with good force it works fine, just when i go slow and easy that it sticks a little. of all the cheap shotguns i have owned this is the first one that is this tight, i guess that could be good but i don't shoot much and it may take a while to break in. i hope i have fixed it, time will tell. thanks
 
I haven't shot my Maverick for a little bit, but if I remember correctly, I must work the action with authority. Also, it's a pretty simple shotgun to disassemble. It doesn't have too many parts. The teardown is covered in the manual with pictures.
 
Just grabbed my 88 to subdue my curiosity. The action is a little stiff if I try to cycle it gently. It seems trivial though. Cycling it softly just doesn't seem natural.
 
thanks everyone, yes it just needed worked some. i put several slugs through it as i bought an extended ic choke for deer season. the gun smoothed up great, i'm sure it will just get better over time. i saw a you tube video where a guy had a mossy 500 that he replaced several internal parts afterwards you could see it was stiff to work with the new parts. my maverick with 28" barrel shoots slugs great, i bagged a 5 point on the third day of season. thanks again.
 
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