870 barrell lose????

I'm sure you have...but must ask just in case....

Have you tightened the screw cap that holds that barrel to the action? I find that they loosen with use on any Remington I 've ever used.

I've never had a barrel move a bit once in the receiver with the cap screwed tight. Is the barrel completely seated in the receiver? (and is the mag cap screwed down tight?)

Yup- should lock up rock solid. Crack the action about halfway open, unscrew the magazine cap and take the barrel off. Make sure there is nothing in the way in the barrel tang recess in the receiver or on the barrel tang, make sure the magazine spring retainer is not protruding from the magazine tube (if it's an older gun with the steel mag spring retainer). Put the barrel back on with the action about half open, seat the barrel carefully then screw the magazine cap on tight. That should do it-

lpl/nc

870 barrel loose

Hi all, Yes I had the same problem with a new 870 express 20 gauge. I was sighting in with rifled slugs, and the hits were all over the place. The barrel cap was tight. I called Remington service #, they told me that some are loose, and does not appear to be a safety issue. Well, it may not be a safety issue, but it is a definite accuracy issue. I only use the thing for waterfowl hunting. If this were my only hunting gun I would have complained more. Try calling them yourself. Good luck.

Mothernatureson

Using padded pliers, tighten the cap one click past handtight if it's an older model or 1/8 turn if new.

HTH....

The barrel is held from rotating by the lug at the front of the ejector which slides into the slot at the rear of the barrel extension. (left side)

If tolerances between these two parts are loose either from wear, or from the factory, it is harder to keep the barrel tight. Carefully peening the slot in the barrel extension or the front of the ejector can close the difference between the two and help eliminate the looseness.

Besides making sure the magazine cap is tight, also check to make sure the rear of the barrel is seated tightly on the inner ridge of the receiver. If there is a gap there is some other problem going on.

I had the same problem with my Win. 1300 today- the mag cap was loose and the barrel was slightly forward- preventing a good primer strike. At first, I thought I had bad ammo, but then I noted the looseness and tightnened it up. I had to do this several times. When I broke the gun down to clean it after I was done shooting, I wiped all lube from the cap and threads. I will see if it holds. The bad thing is that if I had needed the shotgun for HD, it probably would have malfunctioned! Lucky I discovered the problem, and hopefully I have solved it.