Any Winchester 1400 Experts?

[cuervo]

I bought a repair kit for my Winchester 1400 and noticed a couple of parts don't match what's on the gun, but do match the description from a take-down guide I purchased a while back.

I was looking to replace the carrier latch (bolt release). What's described in the take down guide and included in the kit is a long piece with a hole for a drift pin, a spring, and a retainer. One would slide the lever back far enough that the pin is exposed and drifted out. What is on the gun is a shorter piece (by about 1/4") which I can't tell how it is being held in place. It does not slide back far enough to reveal a pin.

And, assuming I could get this off, how would I remove the magazine throat afterwards? The new one appears to be screwed into the magazine tube but it looks like the tube has to be removed for this to happen.

And, of smaller issue, mine does not have a screw to keep the cocking handle attached to the bolt, but the kit does.

Any other ideas on how to improve the 1400's reliability? It's not the MkII model as far as I can tell.

thanks

 

[tube_ee]

I bought a repair kit for my Winchester 1400 and noticed a couple of parts don't match what's on the gun, but do match the description from a take-down guide I purchased a while back.

I was looking to replace the carrier latch (bolt release). What's described in the take down guide and included in the kit is a long piece with a hole for a drift pin, a spring, and a retainer. One would slide the lever back far enough that the pin is exposed and drifted out. What is on the gun is a shorter piece (by about 1/4") which I can't tell how it is being held in place. It does not slide back far enough to reveal a pin.

And, assuming I could get this off, how would I remove the magazine throat afterwards? The new one appears to be screwed into the magazine tube but it looks like the tube has to be removed for this to happen.

And, of smaller issue, mine does not have a screw to keep the cocking handle attached to the bolt, but the kit does.

Any other ideas on how to improve the 1400's reliability? It's not the MkII model as far as I can tell.

thanks

Can't help you with the parts, as I'm lost without pictures, but I can say that, for mine at least, there's only one thing I have to do to keep it running reliably...

Clean it!!!

Take all the way down, scrub everything with solvent. I even run a bore brush through the magazine tube. Lots and lots of gunk builds up in the piston, tube, everywhere gas goes. A quick wipe with a lightly oiled patch on all the interfaces between moving parts, and it works like new again.

You know, these guns have a terrible reputation, but mine's been rock-solid. I even let it get so dirty once that I could see the bolt cycling, and it still worked. Kept clean, it's never let me down. My Dad had it for years before it became mine, and he never had problems either.

--Shannon

 

[berettashotgun]

I passed on a used one because the mag latch was broken. That said, I have only taken mine apart a few times and did notice that no matter what powder I used- it got filthy and percievably slower to cycle.

 

[Onmilo]

Any Model 1400 made after 1968-69 is a Mark 2 version except the 1500 series guns which are exactly the same only spiffier in appearance.
All the guns use the same basic action,the improvements were to the gas system and the overall cosmetics.

You have to remove the trigger group to access the bolt release.
Hopefully you did that.
You also have the remove the magazine innards to release tension on the bolt release before you attempt to diassemble the bolt release.
Hopefully you did that.
I can't figure out what your "take down guide" is unless they have a helpful tool included in the kit that keeps tension on the spring and retainer while you keep control of the bolt release.
When the drift pin comes out the spring and retainer are going to want to sail off in one direction and the bolt release is going to want to sail off in the other direction. Have fun.
Be careful when you replace the new bolt release, the tension on the release and the retainer are pretty strong and if you don't keep everything restrained and oriented you can have the spring and retainer go flying one way while the bolt release snaps against the receiver edge and this will break the front edges of the bolt release, use lots and lots of caution while you do this.

You should not need to remove the bolt assembly to repair the bolt release but if you do, the bridge screw is located at the bottom of the bolt assembly.
You will need to remove the action/bolt slide bar and the ejector assembly before you can unscrew the bridge plate screw and remove it through the ejection port.
You may have to wiggle the bolt a little bit back and forth before it comes free.
The operating handle is attached to the bridge plate and they will come out in one piece.
Make sure that the two small holes in the gas piston are facing upward when you replace the piston in the magazine.
Have fun when you go to put the gas system back together, it is a pain getting the magazine spring compressed while trying to keep the gas piston in proper orientation and settin the piston pin in place on the gas piston.
A second pair of hands will be appreciated. HTH

 

[cuervo]

No problem on the trigger group or bolt. My bridge plate is held in place by its fit to the bolt and the trigger group. As I recall, either the plate or the bolt doesn't even have a hole for a screw as the schematic shows.

I had assumed that it was the bolt release and magazine throat that are holding the magazine follower and spring in place. How do I remove the follower and spring since the mag tube has a crimp and a plate to separate the magazine spring from the recoil spring?

As I mentioned above, my bolt release is shorter than the replacement part. Looking at the replacement, it is easy to see that you could push it far enough back to access the pin. On the one that's in the shotgun now, there is no visible pin holding it in place. That may be a little easier to see once I get the magazine follower and spring out, if I can figure out how.

I had meant to post the links earlier:
Parts kit from: midwestgunworks.com

Take down guide: Takedownguides.com

 

[cuervo]

I gave up on the magazine and started reassembling.

I discovered another parts change. My shotgun has a piston pin with a short head, maybe 3/16" tall. The parts kit's pin has a head just over 1/4" tall, causing it to rub the barrel and the action wouldn't cycle.

To all those with 1400s, you may want to verify some of your parts before purchasing replacements.

 

[flash5]

1400 mk 2

dont knock the 1400 ive had one for years shot dove with it in texas for a long time now my daughter shoots trap and clays with it just keep it clean i use a chamber brush for the gas piston tube light oil but when i use it i wipe the oil out of it the only thing that happend was the throat broke once . i found out about 200-250 rds it starts acting up but other than that no problems any way what do you expect out of a short money shot gun i payed $78 for it in 72 at the px my gold acts up too after a lot of rds