870 Express Barrel 20''

[dak0ta]

Hi,

So I was wondering if you guys could help me trouble shoot a 20'' smoothbore slug barrel with rifle sights.

I put it onto my Wingmaster, and just for kicks I tried to dry fire some empty hulls ranging from 2 3/4'' and 3'' magnums, just to see the feeding and reliability.

Remington Gun Club, Federal Steel Shok 3'', Federal Tru-Ball Slug 2 3/4'', Remington Steel 3'', cycled fine.

Winchester Steel 3'' and Kent Steel 2 3/4'' had problems chambering, almost as if the brass rim was too thick preventing the action locking into battery, extraction required slamming the butt onto the ground.

Does this mean that the barrel chamber needs honing with steel wool or are the other shells out of spec?

All these shells were previously fired in my Mossberg 500, and they fed and extracted with no problems.

 

[LeonCarr]

I am not a gunsmith, but I think it means the barrel chamber needs honing/polishing. On very rare occasions your chamber or forcing cone may be too short for those particular shells. A competent shotgun gunsmith with chamber gauges can tell you if it is that or an issue with an out of spec rim recess. Also if you have the forcing cone lengthened it usually takes care of slightly too short chambers at the same time.

I prefer 3M Scotchbrite around an old bore brush instead of steel wool to polish chambers because it won't leave whiskers of steel in the chamber that can rust.

If you think it might be out of spec shells (has happened) MEC (The guys that make the shotshell reloading machines) makes a Shotshell Gauge that is a piece of aluminum with shotshell sized holes drilled in it and you just drop the loaded shotshell in the appropriate gauge hole and if it drops all the way in it passes, it not, it is out of spec. The last time I checked they were like 8 bucks.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Fred Fuller]

Were these reloads, or empty hulls??

 

[dak0ta]

Factory hulls that were once fired. No reloads, crimp still open. I inserted them into the chamber by hand and tried to close the action and extract.

 

[PAULREVERE]

If they were not re-sized once fired hulls, then yeah, they would stick. The brass expands my friend when fired.....

 

[Fred Fuller]

Yep. Trying to cycle fired hulls doesn't really prove anything.

GO SHOOT THE THING...

 

[dak0ta]

Okay hehe, yes I will. My previous thread was about the O-ring fix hehe.

Going to sight in some slugs this week, my shoulder is going to love me.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Shoot from a standing rest, not sitting. You'll get beaten up less that way. And pad the rest, by keeping a hand or whatever between the gun and the rest, or it will 'shoot away' from the rest.

 

[dak0ta]

I did some reading and one method was to put your support hand on top of the barrel to keep it down. I wonder if I can still aim with my irons though.

Should I expect a 5-6'' group at 50 yards to be good?

 

[Dr.Rob]

Running fired shells through ANY shotgun will likely result in a stuck shell casing.

WHY would you do this?

At 50 yards? You should get 3 inch or better groups. I often get 3 shots TOUCHING at 50 yards with Winchester maximum 1oz 2&3/4" (not sabot) slugs.

Also DITTO on shootinga slug gun off a bench like a rifle ... it can be punishing.

 

[dak0ta]

Why? Cause I don't own snap caps. I usually cut the crimp off and run the shells through the gun to check for function. No problems in my Mossberg. That's why.

 

[X-Rap]

No problem in the Mossberg because that's where the shells came from. Shoot some in your 870 and they will fit that.
The chambers are not identical.