[ssbn731g]

I have to admit, I am very disappointed in this gun after today. I purchased a new one, went out today and 4 rounds into it, it jammed hard so as not to eject a spent shell. had to break it down, figured maybe its a new gun thing, ended up breaking it down over a dozen times trying to shoot 50 clay pigeons....did I just end up with a lemon?

[jmr40]

Maybe, but more information is needed. Have someone local look at it. It may need a good cleaning or it could be something simple that you have overlooked.

[ssbn731g]

I doubt if it needed a cleaning as it was "just out of the box" new and assembled by my dealer, it actually looks like some tooling marks inside are not letting it eject the shell each time, I did drop it back off at the same shop, the neat part is the gun shop dealer is on our trap team, he was there. He is not impressed by the guns actions either. I may end up just getting a Mossburg instead

[Yo Mama]

Shouldn't happen that often, even for an Express. I have one that did the same untill I put through 200 rounds to start her.

If it jams that often, I'd send back to the factory. Beg them for the shipping to be covered.

[Leaky Waders]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=424646

recent post...

[Sir Aardvark]

Did you at least lubricate it first before using it?

I make it a point to completely clean and lubricated my new firearms before using them just to get all of the junk out of them that they pick up at the factory.
I find that most new guns are pretty filthy right out of the box and that they come kinda "dry" from the factory - S&W revolvers especially!

I'm not sure what the issue is with your new express, but, hopefully a good shot of Breakfree might be what it needs.

Please keep us posted on what the problem turns out to be.

[blutarsky]

I doubt if it needed a cleaning as it was "just out of the box" new and assembled by my dealer
so i take it you basically took it brand new to the range, without cleaning it at all, and are surprised you had issues? you didn't even do a basic, minimal cleaning (else you wouldn't have posted your doubt about needing such a cleaning)? you do know that most (all?) new guns require a good cleaning, right?

i don't think i've ever taken a new gun (just like your "just out of the box new") to shoot without a good first cleaning. don't most (again, all?) manuals tell you to do just that?

[MAX100]

Some 870s have rough and tight chambers and have problems with some shells sticking in the chamber. I don't know why Remington doesn't address this problem. If your gun has this problem and if the chamber isn't too bad you can correct the problem yourself by polishing the chamber.


GC

[jmr40]

^
Which is why it should be cleaned before firing. There is a good chance the chamber area is gummed up with oil or grease used in manufacturing or shipping. He does not say what type of ammo he was using but I have read reports of the cheaper Winchester ammo causing this problem in 870's in the past.

[chas08]

It sounds like a good chamber polishing and thorough cleaning is in order. Since steel has replaced the "brass" heads on shotshells it has magnified the need of smooth chambers immensly because of it's lack of shrinkage after firing. Brass would expand and retract enough for this to not be much of a problem. Any imperfection in the chamber, and a steel head are going to lock up. This is not conjecture on my part but rather the opinion of a respected gunsmith I deal with from time to time. He also said he sees it in the lower end Remington 870's the most. Maybe it's time for 'Big Green" to get their Q/C dept on the ball.

[ssbn731g]

I spent probably a good hour cleaning it before we put anything through it, yes it was rather filthy. More so than I expected. It appears that the hammer, instead of being smooth, had a very sharp edge that would get caught up. it would always cycle fine unless you fired the weapon, when it jammed the shell was always stuck in the end of the barrel, enough so that I had to you a cleaning rod to pop it out. It did not take much effort, but it is rather annoying. This is a replacement 870 for one that I had for 20 years that some punk decided he wanted more than me. I hope I find that kid....

[chas08]

Polish the chamber by wrapping some steel wool around a bore brush and spinning it with a drill motor, preferably cordless. Use lots of lubricant (WD-40 works good) keep the brush moving in and out without letting it set in one place too long until the desired smoothness is achieved. It's practically impossible to oversize the bore of the chamber enough to matter with this method. In worse cases a small brake cylinder hone purchased at the local auto parts can be used. But this must be done more carefully as it can remove more metal faster. The rough hammer, while not good, shouldnt be having much effect on a failure to extract problem unless the bolt cant re-cock it on the backstroke. There's not much to get in the way of the hammer and it wouldn't make the spent shell tight in the chamber. Good luck and let us know what fixes it. Also try different brands of ammo if you haven't already, even before you do the polishing.

[Fred Fuller]

Were you shooting Winchester bulk pack ammo, perhaps? It's notorious for causing that sort of problem...

lpl

[ssbn731g]

I used Winchester, Remington and another brand. It didn't care what it was, wanted to hold onto all

[Handgunner]

Make sure you wipe it down weekly. Mine starts to rust at even a hint of humidity. My 870 is my first, only and last remington product.

[Almond27]

Handgunner ya wanna know why it does that your parkerizing is dry as a bone and needs to be properly taken care of. I see so many people who say I'll never own an 870 again because it rusts but they don't ever treat their parkerizing properly.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Spray some Remoil on the finish and really work it in---no rust then.

[chas08]

ya wanna know why it does that your parkerizing is dry

The newer ones aren't parkerized. They are bead blasted and blued. A liberal soaking of Rem-Oil and let air dry will go a long way toward stopping the rust bug.

[mljdeckard]

I don't even know how to jam an 870 express. I say call the factory.

[inSight-NEO]

Mossberg anyone?

Seriously though, upon my first outing with my new Mossberg 590 I experienced a double feed and a few misfeeds. Needless to say I was quite upset and ready to dismiss the 590 as crapola. But, when I tore it down, I discovered that the mag tube spring was all bent to h*ll. Plus, I noticed the elevator needed a bit of polishing. So, I replaced the spring (per various recommendations given to me) and polished the elevator a bit and things have improved so far.

Keep in mind, this gun you have is man made and thus, prone to malfunction. Through trial and error (as frustrating as this can be) you will discover the cause for your various issues. After that, its entirely up to you as to whether or not you consider it worth fixing. Personally, in addition to my previously mentioned "fixes," I have spent several hundred dollars upgrading my standard 590 to 590A1 status. Sure, I lost a bit of ground, financially speaking, but felt that the weapon was inherently worth the trouble vs trying to sell it.

You need to keep in mind that the 870 Express, along with guns such as the Mossberg 500/590, are "budget" weapons vs the likes of the Remington 870 Police models or 590 A1 models. Hence, QC will probably be somewhat lacking and unfortunately, make the buyer responsible for dealing with any missing and/or lack of details. So, dont write off the gun just yet.

I doubt if it needed a cleaning as it was "just out of the box" new and assembled by my dealer

This means nothing as far as Im concerned. Being "assembled by your dealer" could mean anything. If he just attached the barrel, this could hardly be construed as a noteworthy assembly. Plus, most new weapons contain all sorts of junk, both externally and internally. I would not make any assumptions, but rather would break down the weapon (as far as you feel comfortable with) and thoroughly clean/lube it. After that, see what you end up with and go from there. Just be sure that, when cleaning the mag tube or any part contained within, that you leave it clean and dry...no lube necessarily needed. With all other parts, get them as clean as you can but do not over apply the lube, particularly when dealing with the trigger assembly mechanism.

[blutarsky]

Spray some Remoil on the finish and really work it in---no rust then.
agreed -- when i got my 870, i was very concerned about the "rusting" ... just touching the barrel turned your hand a nice rust color. but a thorough cleaning plus soaking and rub-down of the exterior with CLP and that problem has never returned, and this is in the relatively high humidity of houston. all ya gotta do is take care of it with the least of reasonable efforts, and you should be good to go.

[hometheaterman]

Have the chamber polished on it. Or do it yourself. There was a link on another forum of how to do it. I had one for a couple years and couldn't figure out what the deal with it was. Mine only did it on 2 3/4 shells and not on Federals. Well, I only shot buckshot in 3" or 3 1/2" so not sure how it would do with regular shot in those. I took mine back to the gun shop it came from and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I finally found online that it's that the chamber isn't perfectly smooth so when you shoot it the shell swells up and it wont let the pump come back to eject it.

I never had mine do that again after I had the chamber of the barrel polished. Then again I only shot a box of Winchester shells through it. Those did it ever 3 shots or so before though. It had jamming issues with 3" and 3 1/2" buckshot too but it was just random stuff like stove piping or not catching the old shell to put it out. Random stuff.

I'd try polishing the chamber or have a shop do it though as this is a very common problem with these guns apparently. I don't think Remington has very good quality control. If they did these things would not leave the factory like this. IMO it's crazy to have to have a brand new gun worked on even if it's something as small as having the chamber polished.

I know a lot of guys love these guns but these are what made me not like Remington very much.

[hometheaterman]

http://refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?s=&threadid=175266

There you go a link to polishing it if you want to try it yourself. If it's new you may want to have the shop do it though just incase something goes wrong.

[Virginian]

QUOTE:
"You need to keep in mind that the 870 Express, along with guns such as the Mossberg 500/590, are "budget" weapons vs the likes of the Remington 870 Police models or 590 A1 models. Hence, QC will probably be somewhat lacking and unfortunately, make the buyer responsible for dealing with any missing and/or lack of details."
Here's to a man that understands reality in 2009. If you want to get the absolute least expensive gun you can find, be prepared for the very real possibility you may have to do without it while you send it back to the factory for them to address any issues, or spend $15 on materials and an hour more and do it yourself.
What kills me is, I run across people on forums complaining (not this - this is a new gun), and at the range, who have had a problem for a while, and all they want to do is bit*h about it, like that is going to solve anything.
I am not faulting anyone for wanting to get the least expensive gun. Don't feel bad, because based on what I see and hear you have tons of company. And the gun companies have figured out that if they can shave here or there to cut the retail price to get a hair lower than the competition, they will sell a boatload more guns. And I have no numbers, but the bet is that they never hear a peep about 99.99% of all of them, whether they have a problem or not. I wonder how many guns bought for "home defense" ever even get fired to make sure they work.
Accountants and lawyers are running the world. I am not saying I like the way it is; I am only saying that is the way it is.

P.S. - And as long as Winchester can make shotgun shells cheaper, and sell them for a profit, even though they have tinfoil heads that rip when you shoot them in an autoloader, and stick in any chamber that isn't very smooth, people are going to keep buying them by the bucketload. And you can count me in this bunch too, because all my guns apparently have chambers better than the minimum required. Man that LT20 almost decapitates those shells, but it do get them out of the gun.

[Deadheadted37]

Walmart bulk ammo?

My 870 only has problems with Winchester bulk stuff from Walmart, 1 out ever 20-30 rounds. Otherwise I have shot 3500+ rounds of various brands and types of ammo through mine and have not had any problems except for the bulk Winchesters from Walmart.

[hometheaterman]

As far as the Winchester shells ripping in autoloaders the shot fine in a buddies Remington 1100 but not in my 870 until I had the chamber polished.

When I got the 870 I had it was 350 dollars. That was several years ago. It was a little extra being from a gunshop other than Wal-Mart but still.I've seen several recently for way more than that. While that may not be super expensive it's not cheap either.

There is 0 reason why any 350 dollar gun should have any kind of problem at all right out of the box. It's not like it's a 50 dollar gun. There are plenty of other companies out there that make plenty of guns for around this price range that are great and don't have all of these problems.

[Handgunner]

Handgunner ya wanna know why it does that your parkerizing is dry as a bone and needs to be properly taken care of. I see so many people who say I'll never own an 870 again because it rusts but they don't ever treat their parkerizing properly.

I have wiped it down with an oily rag on a monthly basis. So you are saying I need to soak it with oil and then wipe it down? I'll give it a try. Thanks.

When I got the 870 I had it was 350 dollars. That was several years ago. It was a little extra being from a gunshop other than Wal-Mart but still.I've seen several recently for way more than that. While that may not be super expensive it's not cheap either.

There is 0 reason why any 350 dollar gun should have any kind of problem at all right out of the box. It's not like it's a 50 dollar gun. There are plenty of other companies out there that make plenty of guns for around this price range that are great and don't have all of these problems.


My thinking exactly. The Mossberg 500 I had before the 870 gave me 0 problems the whole time I owned it and it cost half as much as my 870. But if soaking it in oil will stop the rusting problem then I'll try it. :)

[ssbn731g]

Good News!!! I was able to polish out the chamber enuf and was able to rid it of tooling marks/issues...I just got back from the trap club. I took 2 boxes of each brand I could locate. I ended up with 200 rounds. Blasted through them with no jams. I believe it is a done deal. BTW I hit 184. I guess I must be tuned up for the start of the league at the end of the month.

Thanks for evryones input!!

[MAX100]

Glad it worked out for you.

I have said it before, it's the chamber not the shells. I have had other shotguns with the same problem. My Mossberg 930 SPX had the same problem with Fiocchi Buckshot. After the chamber was polished several times it doesn't have problems with shells sticking in the chamber.



GC

[RangerHAAF]

You guys have got me concerned now. I just bought one today and I'm buying a new aftermarket stock to put on it and to place it in my truck's gun rack as my riding around gun. I haven't fired it yet but I'm hopeful that I won't have any such experiences that you all have just described.

[ssbn731g]

You will probably be fine. Since polishing the chamber I have now put 400through betsy and no mishaps. last 200 were bulk winchester from walmart

[kis2]

yep, got my 870 from the factory, did a basic wipe down to get it to my uber clean standards, and no jams since. enjoy, and if you ever end up not wanting it let me know;)

[Malachor]

You could use an 870 as a boat paddle if you needed to, that's how durable they are. My Express was filthy as can be when I brought her home and after a long, thorough cleaning, she was ready to go. It took about 100 rounds of trap shooting to get her to cycle smoothly. I had a few hang ups at first if I didn't work the action fast enough, but like I said now she's pretty smooth for being a inexpensive scattergun. Fun to shoot too.

[Sunray]

"...doubt if it needed a cleaning..." All new firearms need to be cleaned right out of the box. There are preservatives on the steel. I can petty much gaurantee your dealer didn't do it.

[ssbn731g]

"I can petty much gaurantee your dealer didn't do it. "

Do you know him? or were you standing there while he was cleaning it prior to assembling it, which is standard for him. We do things quite a bit different here in SD

[inSight-NEO]

You guys have got me concerned now. I just bought one today and I'm buying a new aftermarket stock to put on it and to place it in my truck's gun rack as my riding around gun. I haven't fired it yet but I'm hopeful that I won't have any such experiences that you all have just described.

In terms of the chamber...just clean it well and then lightly lube it. Ive never had any shotgun that required more than minimal lube. Now, some items (for me, it was the bottom "tongue" of the elevator on my 590) may need a bit of polishing using very fine sandpaper. If this is the case, take your time, pay attention and test often. I have had several weapons of mine that needed a bit of similar attention.

In terms of the mag tube, IMHO probably one of the most neglected areas of a shotgun (similar to semi-auto pistol magazines), just clean it very well and leave it at that. No lube should be needed here, particularly if you plan on storing ammo within the gun for an extended period.

[Rshooter]

There is 0 reason why any 350 dollar gun should have any kind of problem at all right out of the box. It's not like it's a 50 dollar gun. There are plenty of other companies out there that make plenty of guns for around this price range that are great and don't have all of these problems.

You can gripe about a $350 new gun all day.

If you really want an outstanding weapon go to Gunbroker and buy a forty year old WingMaster for that money. They only fire 2 3/4 inch shells but they have most of the bugs worked out. :p

[Rshooter]

King, I was making a joke and a statement.

How many other mass produced forty year old brand guns do you see selling on Gunbroker?

I do not own a Pardner by the way and if I cannot do it with one of my Remingtons I do not guess I need to be doing it. :neener:

[frontgate1]

Ammo of any brand, caliber, gauge, etc., bought at wmt is no different than ammo bought any where else.

[Snarlingiron]

Ammo of any brand, caliber, gauge, etc., bought at wmt is no different than ammo bought any where else.

Absolutely right. However, there is a very long ongoing dialog regarding the lowest price Winchester promo ammunition jamming in new 870's.

Regardless of where you buy it. Just do a bit of searching right here on THR, and you will see that it has been reported enough times to make it worthy of consideration.

I have personally experienced it. El Cheapo Winchester, jam every single time. Changed to El Cheapo Remington and no jams. Nothing else was done to the gun other than change of ammo.

This seems to only be the 870. I have shot thousands of rounds of the Winchester stuff through my Beretta A390 with never any issues at all.

[fwm]

"Do you know him? or were you standing there while he was cleaning it prior to assembling it, which is standard for him. We do things quite a bit different here in SD"

If your dealer really assembled and cleaned the 870, you should sate so in the OP. In most places, NIB means just that, the dealer opens it for the serial number and hands it to you. The manual states in big bold letters that the shotgun must be cleaned before firing. I have bought from many, many dealers, and the only time I have received a clean one was the one time I bought an 'on the shelf' gun. All my NIB have been just that, NIB with heavy grease in the bore and chamber.

[fwm]

"Absolutely right. However, there is a very long ongoing dialog regarding the lowest price Winchester promo ammunition jamming in new 870's."

Price doesn't mater when they have had none in this are since November. Once I was able to get 1 box of five 12GA Federal 00 buck since then.

[Handgunner]

King, how old is your 870?

Mine is only 3 years old and it does have rust problems.

[hometheaterman]

I've not seen one rust but it doesn't surprise me. The finish on them is crap and I have seen it look very very warned after a little use. I will say anything can rust if you don't take care of it though.

[peetee32]

my 870 has this problem, im going to try to polish the chamber this weekend with some 000 steel wool wrapped around a cleaning brush on a power drill and coated with rem oil. i'll follow it up with 0000 steel wool then give the whole thing a good cleaning and report back to see if it helps or not.

[ssbn731g]

thats what I used..works great now!

[peetee32]

well, i had my 870 out...but forgot the power drill...so i never got a chance to run it through the chamber with steel wool to try to smooth it out.

i did however test my 26in barrel AGAIN with all kinds of ammo...slugs, 00buck #7, #8 shot from federal, winchester and remington.

with a full mag and one in the tube, never emptied the gun without at least one fail to eject. most often it was two or three. once was only one and once was all 5!. took a good hard tug or two to get the shell out.

when i switched to my 18in barrel...not a single problem with any ammo.

im considering sending the barrel back to remington to have them make it right. i know i could try to do it myself faster and for cheaper, but i feel like THEY should deal with it. shipping would probably be $20 to get the barrel to them...what else would it cost me?

i bought this gun used, so i am not the original owner...would that be a problem when i contact remington?

[jlynch34]

Over the years I've taken two rifles back to Remington one I bought used the other was new. They fixed both of them, one for free it was a 700 BDL the other a Mountain Rifle which they charged me to fix. But I heard stories of bad service by Remington in recent years so I guess you'll just have to take your chances.

Back on subject, I own three 870's and never had any problems with them.

[beechnut]

I really dont want to hear this now.I just bought a used remington 870 12gauge express today.At least I have a one year warranty thru the shop I bought it from

[fuelie777]

This is what I did. I had measured the chamber diameter an earlier 870 Wingmaster which ran any ammo through it. The chamber was .001" larger in diameter then the 870 Express I just bought. Ran a brake hone and then steel wool and the problem went away.

[Strahley]

I bought a newer 870 Express earlier this year. Took it home and gave it a nice cleansing/lubing. I didn't do a heavy polishing in the chamber either, just a basic spraying of cleaner/lube

It has yet to fail on me with anything. Bulk Federal/Winchester birdshot, various shot/brands of buckshot, rifled slugs, whatever I throw down it. I can't understand why someone would shoot a gun before cleaning out the gunk first!

[Gato Montés]

I had the same problem as many with jamming. Just as the others my problem came with the cheap Winchester ammo purchased at Walmart. I went ahead and polished the barrels as prescribed by members here. Took all of twenty minutes to do both.

One jam out of 30 cheapo Winchesters. One jam out of 75 cheapo Federals. Fiochi (sp?) and Remington were perfect. I might go back and polish the barrels one more time, but I don't know if it's worth it. The two jams themselves were not as bad as before, requiring more force to eject but not the stock slamming force like before.

All in all, I love my 870, but feel ticked off all the same. Now I needed the gun to be up and running for a hunting trip, but if I had more time it would have gone right back to Remington. If everyone who has this problem sent it right back, you know it wouldn't be long before the problem was fixed at the factory proper.