Best way to regularly unload shotgun

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Thanks to all for the tips.
I was going to ask basically the same question myself.
I never had shotguns but have a 870 now that I picked up for home defense.
So I wanted to keep it loaded but none in the chamber.
Seems to work fine if I cock it empty then load 4 shells into the mag. Then store with safety on.
For me this feels right as there is nothing in the chamber & seems safer. In a emergency I just grab it & unlock the action pumping one into the chamber. Safety off & good to go. Takes just a second.

but I tried the unloading techniques mentioned here in lieu of pumping each shell through the chamber.
It worked for releasing the one in the chamber then I reach under & push the shell latch & another flew out of the mag which was great but thats it. No more seem to want to come out that way? What am I doing wrong?

Thanks again for the help & Merry Christmas to all
 
You need to move the slide back part way, and there are two shell latches. One is on the left side of the receiver and the other is on the right side. First release the one, then the other.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
You're welcome. When you open the slide, and eject a loaded round, you just move it to the rear enough for the loaded round to clear the ejection port and stop there. Remove the loaded round as it starts to move out the port and hold the slide so it doesn't move back any further. Then you push the carrier up and out of the way and release the shell latches one at a time.

Once you get the knack of it, you can do it in a matter of seconds. I did it for 26 years and didn't even think about it during that time. Now that I'm retired, and haven't done it in awhile, I had to think about the process again so I could describe it for you.........

The proper sequence is push the latch on the right side of the frame first and then the left. If you turn the shotgun so the loading port is facing you, then it is reversed. As the latches are facing you through the loading port, looking into the port from what would be the bottom of the frame, you would first release the latch that's on your left, then the right, which is reverse of what it would be if the shotgun were held upright, in the shooting position.

And just to be clear, I'm describing the Remington Model 870 shotgun. Other brands may work differently.

Hope this helps.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Fred
 
Jeff Cooper on springs “Taking A Set”

"From Johnny Shoemaker we hear of a 1911 pistol which had resided in Condition 1 since its owner’s death in 1929 – all springs compressed. It functions perfectly today, together with all of its ammunition. This does not surprise me since I had a similar experience with my old Super .38, though not over so long a time period." – from Guns and Ammo, December 2001

Source: http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/spring_set.htm

Jeff Cooper was a guru of the .45 and is considered a seminal figure in civilian combat shooting.

There are also many owners of Parkers and other old shotguns that have been around since the 1920's that undoubtedly did not have the hammers de-cocked for years.

I think the idea of springs "taking a set" springs (pun) from a false analogy that aging gun magazine writers draw from sitting too long at a desk and feeling their bodies have "taken a set" when they get up. Whether the analogy is correct or not, it gives the gun magazine writers something to talk about and make themselves look wise.

But even if springs do take a set, don't you think that the engineers at Remington and Mossberg would know about it and specify springs that have sufficient reserve capacity that it doesn't matter?

De-cocking the hammer by pulling the trigger is an inherently dangerous act that can be safely performed. Why inherently dangerous? Because any time you pull the trigger on a firearm, you should consider it inherently dangerous and should be conscious of performing the action in a way that would cause no injury.

In the case of shotguns, de-cocking the hammer by pulling the trigger is frequently associated with putting in a snap cap to protect the firing pin. Gee, now you're not only pulling the trigger but also putting something into the chamber before you do it. Just a few months ago, there was a news item about a guy at a range who had just finished shooting and he was in the parking lot talking to his buddy and put a snap cap so he could pull the trigger and not leave his hammer cocked. He unwittingly put in a live round and shot his buddy in the chest, killing him.

Freak accident? Yes. Bad gun safety? Yes. But like many freak gun accidents, it would not have happened without a chain of events, the failure of any one of them would have prevented the accident.

The safer way to de-cock the hammer is to take the barrel off and then hold the snap cap up to the breech face and pull the trigger.

The safest way of all is not to worry about de-cocking the hammer and to let your great grandchildren replace the springs after they have worn out from use.
 
Hey Reloader Fred thanks again that worked great!
Finally got around to trying it & it is simple once I realized there was a left & right release tab in there.
This seems like a safe way to unload. I never felt that comfy racking each round into the chamber in the house (even with caution)
Also ejecting each unfired round just makes marks on the edge of the shell from the ejector.
This way is clean & feels safe
Not that I will unload often but nice to know a way to do so.
Thanks again
 
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flying,

You're very welcome. As far as I know, that's the best way to unload the Model 870 safely. It's easy on the rounds, as you noted, and there's no danger of perforating anything that shouldn't have holes in it, such as children, spouses, pets, walls, etc.

Fred
 
Thanks Fred & Happy New Year
With a name like Reloader Fred I should ask you a few more Q's but wrong forum :)
Thanks again!
 
Happy New Year. I'm mostly over on the Handloading and Reloading Forum, plus moderate on a couple of other forums. I currently load for 29 calibers, plus 12 gauge shotgun.

Fred
 
Good Night 29 calibers? Wow + 12ga. !
Good on you.
I will see you over there on the other forum I'm sure
Thanks
 
MCgunner,

The SASS shooters are always having that discussion. Those of us who shoot Model 97's say the double barrel is broken, since it's obviously not straight when open.

The double barrel shooters say us Model 97 shooters don't have enough barrels and our guns must be broken because the forearm keeps slipping back after firing.

But it's all good natured ribbing..

Fred
 
Well, I just thought I'd razz a little. I have an auto and a pump. I hunt, though, and love my doubles, so simple and rugged and never a problem in the field. Haven't gotten into SASS, likely won't, not really my thing. I've shot some IDPA and even did some IHMSA for a while.

If you hunt enough with a pump, I don't care if it's a Browning or a Remington or a Mossberg or whatever, you will have a problem, jam, something with it in the field. Makes you wonder about using 'em for self defense. LOL Currently, my 500 has had extraction problems with Winchester Xpert. Just miffs ya off in the field, have to knock out the spent round. The stuff works fine in my Winchester auto and I like the patterns and power of the 1550 fps number 3 steel shot on ducks. But, now, I notice that Remington is making 1550 fps stuff, so I may have to switch to Remington ammo next season.

Always some crap going on with pumps. My 870 had some problems over the years, too. I don't know, I guess self defense isn't as demanding as hunting in the salt marsh, but I wouldn't want one of those jams I used to get on the 870 or an extraction failure like I've been getting on the Mossy to occur in the middle of a fight. I don't need more'n 2 shots in my shotgun, anyway, for safe room defense.
 
i keep my shotgun's tube loaded, but no round in the chamber, and the safety off( i believe that the operator is the safety in this situation, your trigger finger and your mass between your ears,) so if i need it or the wife while i am away it is easy enough for her to get it up and running. rack the action one time and you are good to go.

I do not unload my shotgun unless i am going to the range, or want to inspect/ clean it. if i do unload it i use the method that the op spoke of, i put the safety on, then i rack the action until every round is out of the tube and out of the chamber, then i ensure that there is nothing in the chamber and that i see the orageish follower and then i know i am good to go and clear.
 
Agree with all above with methods of unloading w/o rapidly cycling live ammo in and out of the chamber. Manipulating the retainer at the tube opening is of course safest & results in less wear & tear overall.
 
The way I have always unloaded my 870 was just by pushing up on the feed ramp and shucking the action; this allows the shell to be stopped by your thumb. That is until I found out that all you had to do was open the action fully and dump the shell out. LOL no more sore thumbs haha.
 
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Afaik, springs do not fatigue by simply remaining compressed. What wears em out is repeated compression and expansion.

It shouldn't harm anything to simply leave your gun's mag loaded.

Of course, to unload my favored scatter-gun, (S-12), I simply remove the magazine from the receiver. ;)
 
I have my grandfathers remington wingmaster 870, it was built back in the 60's from what I understand, it spent most of it's life with the hammer cocked, and it still works great!
 
psyprofessor said:
I plan on keeping SG loaded (none in the chamber but 8 in the ammo tube). The safety is on at all times...until ready to fire.

But during the time that I am not at home, I want to unload the SG (Mossberg 500). My normal procedure is to pump the action and keep on repeating this process until all the shells are expended.

What troubles me is that in the process, the chamber is loaded 8 times...daily...just to "unload" the gun. Yes, the safety is on....I follow the 4 rules religiously...but that's a lot of times that SG is loaded in the chamber and AD is a possibility.

Is there another safer way to unload that would run a lower risk of AD?
Click to expand...

The OP clearly stated he has a Mossberg 500. Why people insist on clouding the issue with unloading drills for other shotguns escapes me.

You can't unload a Mossberg by removing the end cap, the magazine tube is sealed at the end.

You can unload it by pushing in the shell stop. It's a little metal tab that contacts the base of the first shell in the magazine. Once you get the hang of it, you can unload it very quickly this way.
 
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