Stevens 320 Misfiring

H

higgscharger

New member
I've got a stevens 320 security that I need some advice on.

I know the 320s are low level, no frills shotguns, but had read good reviews about their reliability.

However, this one has an issue.

Shell chambers fine and bolt locks, but there is a little bit of play in the bolt, probably about 1/8-1/4 of an inch. I can push the bolt forward or pull it back with the forend once the bolt is locked in.

When I push forward on the forend, the gun shoots great.
When I pull back on the forend (pulling it into my shoulder), the gun light-strikes or no-strikes the primer and does not go bang.

I read somewhere that this gun is MEANT to be fired with a PUSH/PULL technique, but it seems like it should go bang regardless.

So, is my gun:
Intentionally designed to only fire when forend pushed forward?
In need of a simple fix? or....
A lemon to be banished to the depths of your preferred underworld?

Investigating warranty at the moment, but thought some input from more knowledgeable folks than myself couldn't hurt.

Thanks!
 
You have something wrong. The 320 is a knock-off of the
Winchester 1200/1300, made in China.

When the bolt is in battery, you should not be able to
move the bolt sleeve with the fore-end without pressing
the action release on by the trigger. When the gun fires, it
unlocks the bolt sleeve, letting it come back about 1/2".
Then further movement of the pump rotates the bolt head and
operates the action. They are probably the fastest pump gun
ever made. I've shot them in 3 gun against Remington 1100's,
and matched them shot for shot.
 
So, it sounds like the bolt sleeve is not fully locking?

Is this an adjustment, or a faulty part?
Click to expand...

No idea. I sold the last 1200 I had about 6 months ago, so
I can't take a look at one and figure it out.

Maybe someone will come along that knows the system better
than I and they can tell you exactly what's wrong.

Options are knock out two pins, drop the trigger group and figure
it out, or take it to a gunsmith.
 
I have a Win SXP which is basically an update of the 1300. When the bolt is locked, I can still move the forend and bolt carrier back and forth about 1/16th of an inch. But that's it. Just a bit of wiggle and it seems to fire fine regardless if I'm pushing the forend forward or pulling back. I Use Federal 1 1/8oz #8 target loads.

Maybe the shells you're using have the primers set a bit too deep that pulling the bolt back creates just enough of a gap to not hit it enough. Though really you shouldn't be able to move your bolt that much anyway. A 16th inch wiggle is no big deal an 8th to a quarter like you describe sounds like somethings wrong.
Either way the actual bolt itself (the rotating piece) is always pressing into the chamber under spring pressure, so even if the forend and carrier are held back a bit, the bolt itself will keep the shell inside the chamber.

Is this gun new or used? I'd say you got something screwed up inside your bolt or possibly trigger group. Send it to Savage if they'll take it and let them sort it out. If you can pinpoint the problem and it's just a matter of swapping a new part in. The 320 is an exact clone of the Winchester 1300 so any parts from that will fit. Numrichs usually has various 1300 parts.

Edit: By bolt sleeve do you mean the bolt carrier? If the problem is the carrier not locking up securely then you have one of 2 issues. Either the locking lever, (the part you push behind the trigger guard to unlock the action) is damaged, worn or out of spec. Or the bolt carrier itself is. Perhaps check pictures online of how those parts and the inside of the gun in general is supposed to be and compare to yours. That's generally a good place to start when looking for problems.
 
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Savages Stevens line is a lot like Hi-point. You have about a 50-50 chance of getting a lemon and if you do just send it back and hopefully you get one that works. Call Savage and they'll probably just replace the gun for you. My first 320 had feeding problems and I sent it back and they sent me a brand-new gun with different serial number and it works flawlessly
 
Welp, i think i found the problem. Noticed that the barrel had some play at the reciever as well.

Turns out, there is a gap between the magazine cap and the barrel bracket.

Stuck a shim in and the barrel seems to fit better.

temporary fix, but enough to test it out and devise a permanent shim if it fixes the issue.
 
You might be right nickel plated, it does seem like it is binding on the threads before it gets all the way on.

Good news is, that is definitely the problem. I made a rubber washer with a 1 inch hole, put that between the barrel bracket and the magazine cap and now it runs just fine. Pushed forward, pulled back, didn't matter what I did today at the range, it went bang.

I'll keep investigating the threads, obviously I would rather it be factory correct, but I think my fix will work permanently.

Thanks for the help everyone.
 
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