Barrel nut for the Remington 870

[Springfield03A4]

Yesterday I acquired a Remington 870, with a slug barrel and a smooth barrel. I wanted to switch the slug off so I could use it for some HD, but I can't get the damned barrel nut to come off. I went on the forums and saw that people reccomended a Strap wrench, so I picked one up and it wouldn't do the job. Is there a way to get it off? I'd rather not have to take it to a shop to do something this simple, but I also don't want to damage it.

FTR; I did try pliers + cloth and a vice grip, also didn't work.

 

[GrizzlyH]

Strange. I have a 870 and never had a problem. Did the gun get wet at some time and maybe rusted the threads? Try some JB 80 around the nut and let it soak for awhile.
Only other thing I can think of is if some dope used loctite on the threads. If thats the case, you could carefully try a heat gun to heat the nut a bit to melt the loctite (being careful not to burn the stock) and loosen while still hot. Heat may loosen it also if the threads are rusted.

 

[Springfield03A4]

I just got this shotgun yesterday. It's specifically a Remington 870 Express Magnum, I think. Half tacticool plastic, but it's very reliable. I've heard that the barrel nut is about 1/8-1/4 of a turn to being "Too damned tight". I wondered the same about the Loctite. I will try to soak it, but last I checked it didn't have any rust on it. Heck, it's only had forty shells through it.
Thank you!

 

[GrizzlyH]

When you do get it lose, you might wanna clean the threads and put a very lite coat of Never Sieze on them.

 

[rcmodel]

Get a plastic mallet / hammer and give it a few good whacks, then try the strap-wrench again.

What has probably happened is, someone tightened it real tight when the relative humidity was very low, or the A/C was running full blast during the summer.
That = dryed out & shrunk up forearm.

Then during wetter cooler weather, the forearm gained mosture again & swelled up, making it too tight to come off.


BTW: 870 Wingmaster mag tube caps used to have a cross-slot for a honk'n big screwdriver.
You could use a 1/2" socket wrench screw-driver blade, a break-over bar, and a 4' pipe cheater if you had too.

rc

 

[twofifty]

detent ball

There's a small detent ball bearing set into the 870's barrel lug ring.

The mag tube cap has a bunch of small holes on the underside, into which the detent ball fits. Once the cap is tightened, the ball detent prevents it from loosening.

In your case, maybe the detent ball is seized by rust.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Wrap a t-shirt around it and use a pair of channel locks-------no need to put a death grip on it ---just tight enough so you can loosen the cap.

 

[throdgrain]

My 1100, which has the same nut, does this in hot weather, after maybe 150 rounds.

I have to use a huge plumbers wrench to get the thing off!

 

[Onmilo]

Get a pair of these from Brownells, Midway USA, or E-Bay.
If you own a shotgun with a seperate magazine cap you will thank me sooner or later.
Nothing else works better for getting a stuck or frozen cap off without damaging it.

 

[6x6pinz]

Not wanting to be a smart a$$ but sometimes "righty-tighty, lefty-loosy" can help. All the other options have been covered. For God sake don't tighten that tight when you get it off. You can always check it while out shooting but the detent should keep it from unscrewing. My 870 is 31 years old with far too many rounds down the pipe to count and the detent ball still keeps the cap retained.

 

[Rshooter]

I do not know how many times I have tightened a nut while trying to get it off. :banghead:

 

[greyeyezz]

A rag and channel locks + some strength.

 

[Black Knight]

With the 870 unloaded you may want to try this. Put the butt stock on a solid surface (the floor will work), grip the barrel in one hand and push down toward the floor. Now the pressure on the cap from the barrel may be released enough to turn it. I hope this helps.