Got my Mossberg 590 Mariner, went shooting, small problem...

[Userzero]

Hello all,

I received my Mossberg 590 Mariner last thursday. Nice marinekote finish, feels very light, looks very sexy. I went shooting this morning with my two nephews in an abandoned sandpit. We shot about 100 shells from 3 manufacturers (Kent, Rem and Win) including 00 buck, BB birdshot steel and lead, #2 birdshot steel and lead, and rifled slugs, all in 2 3/4". Just wanted to get aquainted with it and do some patterning. We thoroughly destroyed a VCR, a 19" TV and two dozen paper targets.

We encountered a problem 3 or 4 times, the action was jammed after one of my nephews fired a shot. I had to kind of jiggle the forend to make it move again. I had oiled the shotgun carefully before going to the sandpit. Other than that, it worked well.

I had noticed that my nephew was afraid of it and flinching, and I told him to make sure that the shotgun was tight against his shoulder before pulling the trigger and it wouldn't kick too hard that way. But I think he was pulling on the forend as he was shooting, and I wonder if that could be the cause of the action jamming.

It happened only when he was shooting, and it was in the beginning of the session. Maybe the shotgun was tight because it was new?

Any ideas or suggestion?

Regards
George

 

[Ditchtiger]

590

Take it apart and look for metal shavings from the factory, maybe gouges or nicks on a moving part. Then retry shooting it with various loads again.

 

[Black_Talon]

Were you using any of that cheap Walmart 100rd bulk pack ammo? The Winchester is especially prone to sticking in the chamber after it's fired.

 

[Userzero]

It happened at least once with Winchester Super-X but I can't remember if all the occurences happened while using that particular ammo. That's the only Winchester ammo we had. I didn't know that a spent shell could get stuck in the chamber but it makes sense.

I disassembled my shotgun and carefully inspected it. I found a few thin flakes from the plating process, but I could not really find spots that had lost the plating. I found one place where the receiver was scratched on the inside, presumably from one of the flakes.

Thanks for the tips,

George

 

[DWARREN123]

If it happened with only one person maybe they were the problem, if the shotgun was not held to the shoulder tightly it may be the same as limp wristing a semi-auto handgun. Just an idea.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

its because its a mossberg

 

[hksw]

Were the jams occuring while firing the buck shot?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Run a few cases of ammo through that. I've hunch it'll work out with a bit of work polishing....

 

[Thin Black Line]

Not only should it be held tightly against the shoulder, but the pump foreend
tightly locked by the supporting hand while actually shooting.

 

[guide1]

Hello. I'm new to the forum. I found this topic by accident, but I have spent hours on the net looking for other Mossberg owners that have had this very problem. I have observed it a 500 Mariner as well as my own 590SP. The first time it happened in the 500 was with a Winchester heavy game load. The gun had to be pounded on the ground via the buttstock to pull the empty shell loose from the chamber. The same thing happened repeatedly in the same gun with Remington 2 3/4" turkey magnums (olive drab hull with black coated brass base). My best guess was that the high-bases were expanding to the point of lodging in the chamber, noting that it only happened with high-base shells. It only happened with high-base Remington slug and buckshot rounds in my 590 as well. I don't think it's a common problem, but it causes me to shy away from any Remington high-base loads, especially those turkey magums.

 

[1KPerDay]

That's good info. Thanks!

 

[Userzero]

Thanks for the replies, people, it's appreciated.

Since I immediately assumed it was mechanical, I didn't pay attention to what shotshell had been fired.

I disassembled and cleaned my shotgun afterward, and I cycled about 100 dummy shotshells through it at home last night. Not a single malfunction and it is getting a lot smoother too.

So I will test it again next week at the sandpit, but you guys make a good case and I am almost convinced that some shotshells stick to the chamber.

 

[hksw]

Welcome guide1.

guide1's experiences is the reason why I asked. I've had the same experience with high brass ammo, which are usually of higher power, with my 590 (park) and 590 Mariner. It's also common, as I've seen, of the action opening up under recoil with more powerful rounds and is not limited to the Mossbergs. I've seen it happen with Rem, Win, and other pumps.

 

[Userzero]

Good to know it's normal anyway. (In the sense that poor ammunition quality is the cause, and not some mechanical defect in the gun)

Is there a way to distinguish ammo quality by looking at the info on the box? I guess the alloy and thickness of the brass is the key here but you can't know unless you try it, right?

<insert newbie question here :> Can the plastic shell melt a little and stick to the chamber also, (the barrel can get pretty hot) or is it just the base expanding and getting "stamped" into the chamber?

It's a little scary to know that your shotgun can jam anytime in a HD scenario because your ammo is of poor quality. We don't have a lot of choice in terms of ammo around here. (I'm in Northern Quebec) Of course there's mail order, but you have to buy in large quantities for it to be cost effective, and you may very well buy ammo with the same characteristics without knowing it.

George

 

[guide1]

Thanks for the welcome hksw! I rarely post on forums unless I feel I have something worthwhile to offer, I appreciate the appreciation. Your last post brings up another issue that I have noticed with my Mossberg. The action likes to open up and eject spent shells when shooting heavy loads from a benchrest. It's annoying more than anything else (doesn't seem to affect accuracy or reliability).

Userzero-

Quality does not seem to reflect on performance (in this instance) so much as design. Remington makes a quality product, my shotgun just doesn't seem to prefer it. It should be noted that I have never had failure to extract with low base rounds, even the cheap stuff. Also, I have yet to have a problem with
Winchester and Federal (slugs or buckshot), and therefore rely on them for HD. Carefully examine the ammo that causes problems, maybe you'll notice something I didn't.

The problems I have experienced with Mossbergs pale in comparison the ones I used to have with an 870. On 2 occasions, I failed to completley seat a shell in the magazine tube causing it to release prematurely and wedge itself between the bolt and elevator. Not an easy malfunction to clear (it required disassebly both times). The ejector design on the Remington always seemed a little on the weak side to me also. When held on its side, with the ejection port facing up, the empty shells would fall right back into the port, even when I really slammed the action open. Compared side by side with a 500, the Mossberg bolt could be moved almost fully rearward, and yet with only a slight tug on the forend, the shell would eject positively every time. I also liked the fact that the ejector itself was held in with a simple, easy-to-change, slotted screw, rather than being riveted in place like the 870.

Something else worth mentioning is a problem I sometimes see when letting inexperienced shooters use my shotgun. It is the tendency to "short stroke" when cycling the action. It results in the empty shell being left in the chamber, but with the hammer cocked and the action lock engaged-simulating a shell stuck in the chamber.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

My son has a Mariner 590 and has had cases stick in the chamber.
The shells were the bulk pack Walmart winchester shells with what
appear to be steel case heads. My S&W 916 handled them (relieved
chamber, blued steel barrel) so I swapped out a box of brass headed
shells for his last box and a half of steel headed shells.

I think the finish on the Mariner barrel leaves the chamber a mite
rough; plus, shells fired in my S&W do not fit his chamber.

 

[1KPerDay]

FWIW my 590 marinecote has never had trouble with anything I've fed it, and I typically shoot the bulk-pack stuff. Maybe I've just gotten lucky and purchased brass-wall by sheer coincidence.

 

[hqmhqm]

I had a problem with my Remington where the forend stuck closed, and I found it seemed to be due to me pulling on the forend when I fire, thus creating extra stress on the locking mechanism. I have trained myself to push forward on the forend now, and that seems to have solved that problem. Maybe the shooter was pulling the forend back towards him while firing?

 

[zorkd]

same problem on a 590 marinecote

i too am getting that sticky extraction problem on the marinecote 590 i just got NIB.

one person says maybe extractor is reversed, one on left should be on the right.

I think its probably the tight chamber from the plating and some tool marks, why such a gun would leave the factory is just unacceptable.

i'll strip it and show a gunsmith, hopefully just break in problems.

 

[Al LaVodka]

Wow -- seen this lockup fairly often on 870's but never on a Mossberg!
Al

 

[wyohome]

Wow -- seen this lockup fairly often on 870's but never on a Mossberg!

My friend went cheap and bought a Mossberg. It does that sometimes as well. I have been shooting an 870 for over 20 years without a problem!

 

[Bad Hammer]

My friend went cheap and bought a Mossberg.

I've been using Mossberg 500's with no complaints for the last 30 years or so.
The US Military made that mistake as well. Silly amateurs.

I have been shooting an 870 for over 20 years without a problem!

The Military has been shooting their Mossbergs for over 25 years as well.

So, I guess my question is..... "what's your point?"

 

[Carl N. Brown]

See my post of 25 Oct 2006. Last time I cleaned my son's Mossberg 590 Mariner, I polished the firing chamber with a mild abrasive lead removal patch. He has not complained since then. Of course he still avoids anything that looks like a steel-head shotshell.

As far as I'm concerned its a toss up between out-of-the-box Mossberg or Remington. Both have proven again and again to be great guns.

 

[Milkmaster]

As far as I'm concerned its a toss up between out-of-the-box Mossberg or Remington. Both have proven again and again to be great guns.

I agree. Mine shoot any ammo I choose to put in them without fail. That would also include my Winchester 1300 most of all.

To the original post....shot a few more boxes through it and see if it smooths out the gun. Then clean good. I bet you will be happy with it.

 

[SteveCase]

All I ever had were mossbergs. hand downs from dad, hes had them for years back. Ive done ammo dumps with them and shot as quickly as I could, the gun ate everything from win to rem to fiocchi, and wolf and even reloads from when my dad used to reload shotshell and that was a long time ago. Ive tried to get mine to jam but the efforts have been fruitless