Police trade-in Wingmaster 870: Bolt to Barrel Gap?

[uberdog]

Hi folks,

I picked up a police trade in 18" 870 Magnum, serial starts with W, so I assume Wingmaster. Seems to date from 1980's with H stamped on barrel and inside receiver.

Anyway, outside of some scratches to to the blue finish and wear on the action bars, the gun is great shape. Cycles smoothly and looked good internally when torn down for cleaning. I could use some advice on the few things I did notice:

When the gun is racked for dry fire, the bolt backs off the barrel a hair so that the bolt jumps when the trigger is pulled. Light forward pressure on the forearm when doing the same reduces the bolt movement when fired, but does not eliminate it. I have a Express Magnum and Police Magnum both purchased new and they show zero bolt movement when dry fired.

So my questions are:
- Is this a problem that requires parts replacement?
- What parts hold the bolt firmly forward when racked (actions bars or something inside the receiver)?

Thanks in advance for any help. I have searched the site for a while, but find precious little about 870 problems...

 

[dfariswheel]

The bolt's locking lug interlocks with the barrel extension, which is what holds it closed.

If you field strip the gun you'll see a lug that moves up and down in the bolt.
This lug locks into the notch in the barrel extension behind the chamber.

It's entirely normal to have some bolt movement when the chamber is empty with a used gun. Shotgun head space is not as critical as rifle head space, so most guns will have some movement.
MAKE SURE you have the barrel fully seated and the magazine cap or extension coupling screwed on finger tight plus one "click".

If you think the movement is excessive, you can buy an over-sized locking lug for the bolt.

The "W" does not mean the gun is a Wingmaster.

 

[Fred Fuller]

uberdog,

Congrats on giving a retirement home to a LE 870. It should serve you well. What dfariswheel is spot on as usual- you can have conficence in what he says.

As to your other question, take a look at the exploded drawing at http://www.urban-armory.com/diagrams/rem870.htm . Why they used a left handed 870 i dunno, but they did. Only a few parts are mirror imaged tho, and the rest are in the usual place.

Take a look at Part #1, the Action Bar Lock. That's what holds the forearm forward on the 870, the 'other end' is the bolt release tab that actuates the lock to release it when needed. Of course the action is released automatically when the hammer falls so the gun can be pumped.

The action bar lock doesn't really hold the bolt closed- the locking lug that goes nto the recess of the barrel extension does that. But the action bar lock keeps the forearm forward enough not to allow the bolt to unlock unless the hammer falls or the tab is pushed.

Hope this helps explain more about the operation of your new/old friend,

lpl/nc

 

[uberdog]

Thanks for the replies and the information. I gave the magazine cap an extra twist since it was on a little more than finger tight and that made a small improvement. This shotgun has some miles on it so it seems being a little loose is expected, but happy to hear this is normal.