Remind 870 Locked Slide/Shell Extractor...help

S

stonewall50

New member
So I am hoping someone will have some information. I won an 870 shotgun back in 2006 or so. I rarely shot this gun, and only at turkeys. Never had any issues. But I took it to the range a few days ago and shot it. The slide locked after each shot. I would literally have to smack the stock on my knee or a hard surface to get it to unlock.

I checked this out and apparently this is common. I just have no idea what part is broken that causes this. I'd like to know what part it is at least. Or at least if anyone has had experience with this and how they solved the problem.

I have some photos from the other day where it tore the shell and when it was locked:

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And

f5e65bc4e6246925ade506973f6d42d5.jpg



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When a fired casing stays in the chamber and efforts to extract it result in the extractor ripping through the rim is almost always caused by debris (unburned powder granules, etc.) or roughness (rust, pitting) in the chamber. Knock the spent casing out with a rod and shine a light in there to see what is going on. Florida = humidity = rust = pitting. Report back here after you get the shell casing out and tell us what you see in the chamber.
 
I see you're shooting steel based shotgun shells in the pictured barrel. Some shotguns with rough/rusty chambers will not release these shells. The steel is quite different from brass in what happens to it after being shot. Steel will not "rebound" to a smaller diameter after being shot. Brass will go back a lot closer to where it started out size wise. I've seen some shotguns with no rust or pitting simply not let go of steel based shells. Get some actual brass based shells and see what happens with them. I'm 99% positive they'll extract like they're supposed to. I've seen this a number of times in the past, I'm not guessing here.
 
Common problem with "some" Expresses

I checked this out and apparently this is common. I just have no idea what part is broken that causes this
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stonewall50

If you checked this out, you should have read what folks found as well as the fix. If you do a historical search in this forum, you will find plenty of posts and replies. I'm assuming you have the "Express" model ...... ;)

My first pass on this problem, was to smooth out the chamber surface. Did not take much but it resolves the problem. The Expresses are not finished as well as the Wingmasters. ..... ;)

At this point, I'm saying that it's not an ammo problem and no broken parts; just needs a little chamber burnishing. Be sure and keep us posted, on what you found. ........ :)

Be Safe !!!
 
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Everyone here is guessing here. Google this problem and there's hundreds of reports and videos on this subject and they all point to, or actually show, Win steel based shells jamming guns. Mostly cheap Remington pumps with rough chambers, but other brands have problems as well. IT'S THE STEEL BASED SHELLS. Some guns can be corrected with a dowel, a wad of steel wool, and some polishing. Before you waste any time or money on this try changing shells to a brass based shell. NOTE: some companies actually use a brass plated steel base to make it look like a brass base. Spend a couple of bucks on something like a box of Win AA or Remington Premium shells and try them. They won't do this. I've shot hundreds of thousands of rounds of shotgun at Sporting Clays and Skeet and I've seen this before. It's always the same cause.......steel based shells and a rough chambered shotgun. You can solve it with changing shells at a higher cost per shot, or try polishing it as stated and see if that takes care of the problem. Sometimes it does, but not always. Good luck.
 
Everyone here is guessing here. Google this problem and there's hundreds of reports and videos on this subject and they all point to, or actually show, Win steel based shells jamming guns. Mostly cheap Remington pumps with rough chambers, but other brands have problems as well. IT'S THE STEEL BASED SHELLS. Some guns can be corrected with a dowel, a wad of steel wool, and some polishing. Before you waste any time or money on this try changing shells to a brass based shell. NOTE: some companies actually use a brass plated steel base to make it look like a brass base. Spend a couple of bucks on something like a box of Win AA or Remington Premium shells and try them. They won't do this. I've shot hundreds of thousands of rounds of shotgun at Sporting Clays and Skeet and I've seen this before. It's always the same cause.......steel based shells and a rough chambered shotgun. You can solve it with changing shells at a higher cost per shot, or try polishing it as stated and see if that takes care of the problem. Sometimes it does, but not always. Good luck.
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Steel headed shot shells have been around a long time (generally that is all that is sold in places like Walmart), and if a gun locks-up while shooting them, there is a problem with the gun. The original poster stated that he successfully shot the gun at some previous time, so something logically has happened (rust?) since then. The very first step should be to look into the chamber end of the barrel and see what is there. Just switching to brass-headed shotgun shells will not fix whatever is causing the problem...fixing the problem is what will fix the problems.
 
Steel headed shot shells have been around a long time (generally that is all that is sold in places like Walmart), and if a gun locks-up while shooting them, there is a problem with the gun. The original poster stated that he successfully shot the gun at some previous time, so something logically has happened (rust?) since then. The very first step should be to look into the chamber end of the barrel and see what is there. Just switching to brass-headed shotgun shells will not fix whatever is causing the problem...fixing the problem is what will fix the problems.
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Another "guess". The OP said he shot it very little. He never said he was using the same shells today he used in 2006. WalMart sells/sold a variety of promo ammo over the years at low prices. Some of the promo ammo was pretty good stuff (Federal) and some wasn't. It's changed over the years. I'm not guessing here and you to can Google this and learn something. Yes, the chamber may be contributing to the problem....read what I wrote. However, using steel based ammo is what is causing the problem in this chamber.....read what I wrote. Look in to this problem yourself before you determine that you have the answer. It's a common problem that's been around for a very long time. Cheap gun, cheap shells = stuck cases. Either change the shells or polish the chamber, and polishing doesn't always fix the problem. It depends on how bad the chamber is.
 
You ripped the rim, so the extractor works well. Your problem is two-fold: a rough chamber and steel or aluminum case heads on the shells. Stop shooting cheap ammo and get the chamber polished.
 
Wow, some guessers are getting their britches in a bunch over other guessers. :eek:

I'll have to go with Scorch's answer as the best guesser. :)

You ripped the rim, so the extractor works well. Your problem is two-fold: a rough chamber and steel or aluminum case heads on the shells. Stop shooting cheap ammo and get the chamber polished.
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mehavey nailed it -------- nearly 6 years ago! Shot shell steel and shot shell brass both expand when the shells are fired, but the brass then contracts enough to slip a fired shell into the chamber. The steel does not contract enough after the shot to slip back into the chamber. And, as shown in the photo, steel may not contract enough to be extracted from the chamber by the shotgun's extractor. Steel may work fine in shotguns with chambers that are slightly larger than normal specifications. Steel shot shells may work much better in doubles or O&Us because they have much larger extractors with much more contact with the rim of the shell (but if you own such guns you can afford brass shot shells.) ;)
 
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dahermit said:
When a fired casing stays in the chamber and efforts to extract it result in the extractor ripping through the rim is almost always caused by debris (unburned powder granules, etc.) or roughness (rust, pitting) in the chamber. Knock the spent casing out with a rod and shine a light in there to see what is going on. Florida = humidity = rust = pitting. Report back here after you get the shell casing out and tell us what you see in the chamber.
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Sorry. I know it has been a while. I have had a crazy busy work schedule because of the holidays. I got the shell out, I polished the chamber. Used a magnifying glass and light to look at the chamber. Nothing seems TOO unusual. It isn't rusty (which was a concern for me as well). I used a wire brush. Then ran the felt polishing brush in there. Nothing was solved. I also used some powder solvents to breakdown any residue.

I couldn't find any outstanding burs. No roughness. My honest to God opinion is that the chamber is just TOO tight. It makes sense logically. Remington has had quality control issues. It also makes sense that I'm still having problems after working on the barrel/chamber.

I'm going to swap out the barrel with another 870 that my dad has. If it works...problem is at least identified. Sadly I gotta wait till Christmas lol.


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Scorch said:
You ripped the rim, so the extractor works well. Your problem is two-fold: a rough chamber and steel or aluminum case heads on the shells. Stop shooting cheap ammo and get the chamber polished.
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Wish I could afford something better lol. It is an 870. Not some princess Olympic skeet gun. I shouldn't have to use expensive ammo. But that is me crying that my beloved 870 is not what it used to be.

But I can dig what you are burying. That is my conclusion as well.


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Thanks for the help guys. I'm no expert, but I'm guessing the problem is what most have diagnosed. Makes me feel better anyway. I'm really hoping I can solve this problem. Just gotta wait till I can shoot again to see if my additional polishing will work.


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I have seen similar problems with the newer Rem pumps and not just with steel head ammo. One was bad enough I figured I had nothing to lose so I did a DIY chamber polish using items I had on the workbench. Pretty much solved the problem and no longer need a ramrod to knock fired cases out of the chamber.

Just FYI, I'd stop forcing the action to the point of ripping through those case rims or you're soon going to need to replace the extractor.
 
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