870 Extractor plunger jammed.

[porterdog]

Today when removing the extractor from my 870 bolt I got the plunger jammed in the hole. It wasn't flush to start with, so I tried to free it with small needle nose pliers and a hemostat but couldn't get a grip. Figured I'd have a go at drilling it out so I drove it in as deep as I could to use the hole in the bolt as a drill guide. That didn't work so pretty neat either; the plunger appears to be hardened...

Sure seems like I'm screwed; would a machinist with a cobalt drill be able to clear the hole?

Any other suggestions?

TIA,
Robert

 

[Jim K]

I won't ask why you felt it necessary to remove the extractor, but it is not a good idea to take things apart that don't need to be taken apart.

Assuming the spring is still under the plunger, maybe you can get a punch a bit under the size of the hole, and bounce it up and down, hoping that the spring will rebound a bit and force the plunger out. A little oil might help.

If that doesn't work, call Remington and see if they can help. They might be willing to have you send them the bolt rather than the whole gun, which would save a lot of money and trouble. Otherwise, buy a new bolt. The stripped bolts run around $40, the whole assembly about $70.

Jim

 

[mnrivrat]

It's sort of the path of least resistance that will be a problem if you try to drill it out. The bit will just always want to walk into the softer metal of the bolt rather than take on the harder plunger.

If the spring is still behind the plunger than doing what Jim suggests is the best thing to try - clear the path in front of the plunger as good as possible and by lightly tapping on the plunger see if you can't get that spring to work with/for you.

If all else fails, you can also try ebay for complete bolts to replace yours. Sometimes they can be had there for a lot less than new replacements.

 

[brickeyee]

Removing a hardened item from a soft hole is a real PITA. If the soft part is valuable EDM is the best bet. It would prpbably cost more than a new bolt.

 

[JNewell]

If you need a new bolt, check CDNN. They had some like new bolts for very, very cheap not too long ago (as in under $10, IIRC).

 

[zahc]

I had the same thing happen! You shouldn't have drilled.

I don't know if it's too late or not, but what we did is soak the end of the bolt in WD40/Blaster preferably. Then just took the bolt, and slammed the face into a concrete floor repeatedly, and the momentum of the plunger walked it out.

 

[porterdog]

Thanks for the input; I know I can replace it (and may well end up there) but I'm attracted to the challenge of salvaging a bad situation of my own making.

I'll speak to some local machinists tomorrow and see what they say.

 

[porterdog]

Victory!

Pretty sure my guy chucked a cobalt or carbide drill bit into a mill and just bored the plunger out. I'll smooth the bore and replace the spring and plunger and be back in biz, hurrah!