[gearbox]

Have you noticed if steel base loads jam (extraction hangup in my case) more often than brass base? I'm still trying to narrow down the problem with my 870E and I think it might have to do with low-base steel-base cartridges. I'd like to find out if high brass helps, but that's difficult around here.

[HSMITH]

The base height means NOTHING !! It is not even necessary. It is only there on plastic shotshells as a marketing ploy and that is a fact.

Steel base vs brass, I have never noticed a difference in cycling, not in the last 100K rounds anyway. I shoot mostly steel caseheads since the AA hulls went to crap with this new fangled garbage hull they try to pass off as a AA. I figure if I am going to shoot crappy hulls I might as well pay crappy hull prices instead of premium.

If you have tried several brands and are still having trouble I would be willing to bet that if you take the extractor out it will still hang up when you try to open it. My bet is that the bolt lock is what is hanging it.


Take it back where you bought it and have them ship it back.

[gearbox]

"Take it back where you bought it and have them ship it back."

Me Papa bought for me when I was a lad of 16. 7 years ago.
Where I now live there are no intelligent/knowledgeable gunsmiths or gunstore employees.

[Dave McCracken]

I've noted no difference.Sometimes a shotgun and SOME ammo will show incompatibility, best thing is to use different ammo.

Suggestion:

Go shoot the thing with a variety of shells, and note which ones give trouble. Eschew them until you can get the shotgun to a decent smith, oft a Rara Avis in much of the US now.

HTH...

[sm]

The base height means NOTHING !! It is not even necessary. It is only there on plastic shotshells as a marketing ploy and that is a fact.

HSMITH , I'm glad you re-stated that fact ...anyone remember Active brand shotshell...totally all plastic save for primer? (if you do we now know your not as young as you led us to believe ;) )

Dave is correct, these shotguns can be quite fickle. I'm sure the chamber is clean, and kept so, include the recess where the case head rests...solvent and a wooden or brass pic.

H...gotta agree, what a crappy base head that is now being used...

[Poodleshooter]

HSMITH , I'm glad you re-stated that fact ...anyone remember Active brand shotshell...totally all plastic save for primer? (if you do we now know your not as young as you led us to believe )
Not all plastic. They had a steel base ring under the plastic, which was what backed up the rim when the extractor grabbed it.
I still have 10 3" ACTIV hulls. Unfortunately the wads that they used for their massive capacity loads are rarer than hens teeth.