[rbernie]

Comments in this thread (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=456339) go me wondering - who's actually had a broken tube-magazine follower, and what were the actual effects?

Anyone?

[rcmodel]

I've never seen one break.

Seems pretty unlikely too me.

They have no real stress put on them, and have a built-in shock absorber due to the mag spring taking all the recoil beating.

I have seen steel ones rust in place, and seen mag springs rust in two, and that will put a real damper on things.

rc

[Youngster]

Stock plastic ones can chewed up where they scrub the mag walls and eventually split, it's never happened on my guns but i've seen it with other's guns that were shot a lot and not cleaned well.

[RatDrall]

I've seen a cracked follower on an old Wingmaster 870, but the gun was still functional. My buddy found it when cleaning his gun.

[Old Guard Dog]

Brownells has replacement followers in aluminum and stainless. Should be "bulletproof", no pun intended.

[earlthegoat2]

Aftermarket magazine followers: A solution to a problem that never existed??

Maybe, but I suppose the plastic ones are better than the metal ones generally speaking.

If something makes a firearm more "tactical" than I guess it has a place in this market of Gecko45s.

[greyeyezz]

I never broke one but my stock follower would get hung up on the junction of my +2 extension. Wilson Combat follower= no more problems.

[Badger Arms]

In a previous life, I'd buy beat-up and broken-down shotguns and convert them for home/bear defense. Did this for years. Had a handful of cracked followers... the plastic ones. Best I could figure, they had been loaded for a while and the plastic had split from being under constant pressure. Who knows the temperature extremes or what abuse they'd had. Didn't need aftermarket parts as I had a handful of followers laying around from guns I'd added mag extensions to. Oh, all were the black plastic cup Remington 870 types.

How'd I know? I saw it when I took the gun apart. Never loaded or did a function check on one with a broke follower, they just got tossed in the trash.

So, NO, it's not a solution in search of a problem. I particularly like the positive FEEL of the aftermarket aluminum followers.

[RandKL]

Best I could figure, they had been loaded for a while and the plastic had split from being under constant pressure.

Loaded....they would have the shell pressing on one side and the spring perfectly countering the pressure on the other side. There would be zero force exerting on the follower. Chances are, they would have cracked from being *unloaded* for years. The spring would be pushing on the back while the front was unsupported except for the rim. In that case, simply inserting something like a dime into the back of the follower would solve the prob.

I can see *how* one could break given the right circumstances....I just don't see it as being a real problem.

richard

[Snarlingiron]

I personally have never had a problem with them. I have seen them pretty scuffed up. This brings up another question. I think most folks focus on the barrel and receiver when cleaning their shotguns, but many pay little attention to the magazine. It needs to be cleaned too.

[FEG63ISFINE]

Best way to go, I've had one in mine for years. It also keeps you from over compressing the spring when loading to meaning shells.
Choate high impact followers
http://www.intlmidway.com/intl/eproductpage.exe/ShowProduct?saleitemid=497602

[Badger Arms]

Loaded....they would have the shell pressing on one side and the spring perfectly countering the pressure on the other side. There would be zero force exerting on the follower. Chances are, they would have cracked from being *unloaded* for years. The spring would be pushing on the back while the front was unsupported except for the rim. In that case, simply inserting something like a dime into the back of the follower would solve the prob.

No, the spring is not perfectly centered on a cup-shaped follower. It is canted to the side and under significant pressure. Center of the follower is also being pressed in as the rim of the follower bears against the raised portion of the crimp. Once again, Wrong.

[RandKL]

No, the spring is not perfectly centered on a cup-shaped follower

Ummm...."centered" makes no diff. The last coil of the spring is perfectly circular so it puts the exact same pressure all the way around the circle. That's why springs are shaped that way. Did no one ever explain that basic concept to you, bud?

As to the crimp etc....ANY part of the shell that serves to support the follower by touching it in any way other than the rim does when the gun is empty is reinforcing the follower. It's the same as placing one hand under a sagging grocery bag. You don't have to support the entire thing to relieve stress, you only have to relieve part of it.

Remington believes the part works. If you know better than the designers and makers of the gun than that would be a pretty damned good reason to advise folks to not buy the gun. After all, if the company is making a weapon that's intentionally designed to fail....

Once again, you're wrong....but thanks for "straightening us out" again. lol

richard

[Badger Arms]

My factory spring, factory follower. Black plastic cup type follower, factory spring end.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=100058&stc=1&d=1245138006

[RandKL]

Never seen a spring like that that wasn't cut, bud. Mine, from a 20 year old Wingmaster has a perfectly finished coil end. Just pulled one from a Police Magnum on the shelf. It's round. Weird.

I'd say if you got a crap, hacked off spring, that alone would be a reason to replace it with a new one.

You know, the more you say about that gun of yours, the more it makes me sure to never buy another one. lol

Sell it and buy a Mossberg. ;)

richard

[Bix]

I've observed a cracked factory follower in an 870 in the "used" rack in a gunstore. No idea how it would affect functioning.

[Ben Shepherd]

Ive seen 1 that looked like Badger Arms example stick through the cup and get hung up in the shell crimp.

[Mal H]

First - a little moderating:

RandKL, please stop with the antagonistic posts to Badger Arms such as "Did no one ever explain that basic concept to you, bud?" That is completely uncalled for.

Badger Arms, same to you. "I'll just prove you wrong, AGAIN." That was uncalled for on your part.

Maybe both of you should investigate the use of the ignore feature.

**************************

Now, I checked my 870 and the follower spring has finished ends as I would expect, and not the clipped off version Badger Arms has. If it came from the factory that way, then they use two different styles of springs. It is unusual for any professionally made spring to have a clipped end because RandKL is right, it will not make for an even distribution of force. In fact, it could possibly cause the follower to hang up in the tube as it would tend to be canted to the side.

If one end is "finished" and the other end is clipped (presumably for tension adjustment), then the clipped end should always go into the stationary spring stop and the finished end should go in the follower. If both ends are clipped, well, that's just a bad production procedure on Remington's part. Badger Arms, you didn't show the other end of the spring. What is it like?

Just a theory: if the follower does get hung up and all the shells were fired (assuming they will fall to the loading ramp by gravity), then the follower lets go and slams into the end of the tube, that could conceivably crack the follower.

[41022collector]

Hey all.... Most field repair manuals I have, state that all follower springs should be finished off round or "Tucked," as some call it as part of the repair and servicing. I checked Rem, Browningand Winchester field and smithy manuals and all of them had the note on "tucking" or "Turning In" springs made from bulk stock or repaired "clipped" springs The Book and series of books called Gun Smith Kinks from Brownells also states most magazine springs (pistol, rifle and shotgun) should be finished off in some fashion.

You can download for free and/or print a Browning A5 Field (smithy) Manual and read what it says about springs of all types in that firearm. I am sure some of the other models have service manuals there as well under their parts, then specific model or model number.

http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/ctgy/browning-auto-5-field-service-manual

Hope this helps...... so we can get on to more important things like who is gonna have Johnsonville Brats for the 4th ? :neener:

Regards,
Mike

[Badger Arms]

Maybe both of you should investigate the use of the ignore feature.

Done.

[ScareyH22A]

I once had my follower stick deep inside the magazine because I had my Mesa Tactical Barrel and Magazine Clamp a bit too tight. Lucky I found out while tinkering with the shotgun before needing it for an emergency. But I thought it was a stuck follower until I loosened the allen screws on the clamp to remove the magazine and I heard the spring shoot the follower to the receiver. I measured the mag tube with a caliper and the slightest amount of torque on the clamp screws would ovalize the magazine tube. Are there followers that are a bit looser in tolerance maybe?

[RandKL]

RandKL, please stop with the antagonistic posts.

Yes, sir. Apologies to all. Won't happen again. I won't ignore him, though. He has a lot of experience I can learn from.

richard

[SpamHandler]

I've seen one in a used shotgun. It appears to have been weakened by a solvent, so after an aftermarket replacement (hi-vis) polymer, all is well in the world.