Problem with Remington 870 Express

[Sharpie1]

I just bought a new Remington 870 Express shotgun a couple of weeks ago. I have had two 870 Wingmasters for some time, but I bought this one to be used for trap/skeet.

My wife and I shot a few rounds of skeet with it with Remington brand 7 1/2 shot size game loads the day after I bought it. We went through about a box of shells. It functioned perfectly.

A week later, we went to shoot it again - this time, with Winchester AA target loads (from Wal-mart). After about every other shot, the pump action seemed to not want to release - or move to the shell eject (open action) position. It was as if the action did not release after the round was fired. We pressed the release button but that did not make a difference. This happened when my wife fired the gun - and occurred with me as well.

I have never experienced this with any other shotgun previously - and I have never even heard of it happening. I called Remington - and after describing the problem, the individual I spoke to said it sounded as if there was a "burr" inside the chamber, which was preventing the shell to be removed from the chamber after firing. They are sending me a new barrel.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? Based on the problem I described, would you agree that the Remington technician's diagnosis seems to be accurate?

Any helpful comments would be appreciated. Thanks...

 

[Jeff F]

I had the same thing happen with some Winchester shells, only way I could get it to eject a spent hull half the time was to hold it by the slide and butt slam it on the ground. I think its the shells, but I have also herd some of the newer 870's had rough chambers. The one I had problems with is an older Wingmaster and I know theres nothing wrong with it.

 

[Virginian]

Thank God someone still has enough sense to contact Remington and see if they will address the issue (which it appears they still will) rather than just bleating all over the place about everything they have done to fix it, and how it didn't work, and after all that Remington won't still take the hit for them.
The issue can be fixed rather easily, but you did the right thing by contacting the manufacturer. I'd rather do a lot of things myself than have to ship anything, but that's just me. You done good.

 

[Joe Mamma]

It's actually a fairly common problem with recently manufactured (within the last 10 years or so) 870 Expresses.

There is probably something wrong with the chamber (like a rough chamber or burr that were previously mentioned) so the shells get stuck. The problem seems to be worse with cheap shells from Wal-Mart.

Joe Mamma

 

[GigaBuist]

Has anyone heard of this happening before?

Yeah. I read the thread title and knew Winchester ammo would be involved. It's usually the Winchester Universal hulls that we see mentioned though, not the brass-based AA hulls. You sure they were actually AA's?

I've seen it happen personally with Winchester Universal hulls and an 870 Express. The malfunctions stopped once we gave the guy a box of reloads using Remington Gun Club hulls.

 

[Sharpie1]

Actually no - I'm not sure they were AA loads. They were the cheap Walmart ones which are 4 boxes of 25 for around $23. The case on them appeared to be aluminum - not brass. Perhaps I should have went with Federal.

I just looked at the box which does in fact feature the word "Universal" as bold as Dallas on the front.

 

[auburnhunter]

I had three express 12ga. shotguns. One was bought the first year they came out by my father (around 1987? I think?) the other two were around 2005 and 2008. The 2005 and 2008 one developed the same problem exactly as you described it. I missed a lot of double on dove hunts because of it. I decided to switch out the parts one by one from the old one until I found the culprit. Well, I never did. But, one thing that astounded me was the fit and finish of the old express parts compared to the newer ones. They have gone downhill. I eventually traded the tow bad ones away and kept the old one.

 

[btg3]

I bought new express in 2006. While cleaning it before it was fired, I noticed snags and sharp edges that grabbed the cleaning cloth and nearly sliced open my fingers.

So... I disassembled the gun down the bare receiver and hit every edge with a Lansky stone until it there were no snags or sharp edges. Then I washed the receiver and oiled the contact surfaces.

The action seemed smoother and I've had no problems.

 

[GigaBuist]

They were the cheap Walmart ones which are 4 boxes of 25 for around $23. The case on them appeared to be aluminum - not brass.

FYI: It's steel, not aluminum, that they use in those bases.

I don't know why that combo causes so many problems but if you stick around the forum you'll see it once a month.

 

[rbernie]

The cheap Winchester (and Federal) shells bought in bulk pack from Walmart have very oversized bases that tend to stick in chambers. This happens with regularity with 870 Express models, but it also happens to many other shotguns.

There are several fixes - getting Remington to fix it (usually by sending a replacement barrel with a better finished/larger chamber), polishing the chamber, or by simply avoiding the cheap Win/fed bulk pack ammo.

 

[btg3]

I put an 18" Mossberg barrel on my 870. I haven't shot with the OEM barrel. Perhaps I should sell it.

 

[25cschaefer]

I had the same problem with Winchester shells out of my 870 supermag while quail hunting. Every so often they would stick, two of them, one loaded shell pulled the plastic from the brass. We chalked t up to old shells that had been rattling around in a truck's tool box since last season. I checked several loaded shells with a go no-go gauge and they all passes, some were close. It seemed to me maybe the plastic may have been expanding or even melting to the chamber after several quick shots.

 

[USCGKal]

I solved my problem with a brass punch wrapped in 00 steel wool doused in gun oil. just went back and forth inside the chamber to help polish it up a bit. I never use the winchester value packs any more, and really anything that is not brass. The federal value packs seem to work fine, but that gun will not eject a cheap Winchester shell to save its life. I will spend an extra .75 cents on a box of shells to get into the remington shells.

 

[rbernie]

I checked several loaded shells with a go no-go gauge and they all passes, some were close.

Interesting - my MEC base size checker thingee won't pass a single one.

 

[Mark8252]

870 problem

The only problem i have ever had with my 870 wingmaster is the spacer in the magazine catching on something and locking up the shotgun. Removed the spacer and its fixed. I would also like to mention i have shot Walmart shells exclusively for many years. $4.67 a box. Work flawlessly. My wingmaster is my favorite skeet gun.