slide very difficult to rack after firing

[sqroot3]

Hello everyone,

I have recently been having an issue with my JC Higgins Model 20. The slide racks front and back just fine without a shell in the chamber. It also racks and ejects without any issues if I load shells and don't discharge the gun. However, if I DO fire a round, the slide is almost locked in the forward position. It takes a hell of a lot of force to pull the slide back, and it requires holding the gun by the slide and smacking the butt against the ground several times in an attempt to get the slide to rack. Sometimes the shell is so stubbornly stuck in the chamber that the extractor cuts an extractor-shaped rectangle in the rim of the cartridge while the shell remains firmly wedged in the chamber.

Is this just a matter of a dirty gun? I haven't cleaned it since I bought it, and I have shot about 150 rounds through it. If the gun were easier to disassemble (i.e., if the barrel were actually easily detachable), I would certainly clean it regularly...

Thank you!

 

[Gord]

Given that it's an old Higgins I'd assume that yeah, it's probably in need of a good cleaning. What kind of shells are you using? The Winchester Universals from Walmart are known to cause this problem - usually in Remington 870s, but I had an H&R single that didn't like it either. Had to pry the empties out with a knife.

 

[sqroot3]

I was using mostly winchester universals indeed, but it happened with most of the few winchester super-x shells I tried, too. crap! I have so many winchester universals left!

obviously crud in the chamber would contribute to this problem, but i don't want to take this darn thing apart to clean the action! :O haha

 

[rbernie]

Aside from the 'yeah, you really need to clean the shotgun' comments, I will also suggest that you try Federal or Remington bulk-pack ammo - I'm pretty sure that the problem will go away with different ammo.

By the way - if you don't have a shotgun cleaning rod, then you should get one. You have to clean the chamber and bore occasionally and that can't readily be done without a rod and some bore brushes. If you do have one, you can use it from the muzzle end without having to remove the barrel.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=541108

 

[oneounceload]

After cleaning, treat yourself to a box of nice target loads, like Winchester AA or Remington STS - see if their brass heads have any issues versus the steel heads they use on the cheap stuff. That might be the issue.....

 

[Gord]

The issue is that Winchester Universal shells are, charitably, crap. Anything else including the Remington or Federal bulk loads (which are $1-2 more per 100-pack if even that) should work fine.

Er, uh, I mean, it's all Remington's fault! 870s are crap! Buy Mossberg!

Pictured: THOUGHTFUL, PRACTICAL-MINDED ENGINEERING.

 

[Ike R]

That was the SAME problem I had with my 870, clean the chamber extremely well and check it for flaws such as grooves (which cause expanding brass or cases to stick to them) and burrs on the extractor areas. If you see these your gun needs to go to a gunsmith for some work. There are ways you can fix this yourself if you are careful and don't mind working on your firearm and possess some emory cloth, a light hand, and a little time.

Also try pushing the pump forward before racking out the empty, its an issue that I have had here recently on my return to pump guns. With the bitten shells I don't think this is your issue however.

 

[sqroot3]

I ended up taking the action apart and cleaning it last night. it wasn't all that dirty, actually! but I'll go buy a bore brush tonight.

I wasn't even aware that winchester universals were cruddy ammo. The logo is pretty sleek, which is probably why I bought the shells in the first place. so much for marketing...

Ike, what do you mean by "pushing the pump forward before racking out the empty"?

 

[nathan]

I polished my 870 chamber area with that abrasive paste using shotgun brass in a handdrill motor. Problem solved. Chambers the shells smoothly like butter.

 

[Ike R]

What I mean is that I wasn't agressive enough when chambering my second shell, this causes your extractor to not get enough grasp on the rim of the shell, which because my bore was innitially tight from Remingtons poor QC, locked the gun much like what is happening to you on every shot until I buttstocked it on the ground, at which point the rim of the poor quality winchester brass would get bitten by the extractor and leave the empty chambered or it would partially eject, with the shell remaining half in/half out of the chamber.

After cleaning, fileing out some burs on my extractor (Poor QC again), and every so slightly reaming out the chamber the gun still fails to extract a shell and "lock up" only when I am not agressive enough with my forward stroke. When my gun locks up now its my fault, not Remingtons, but improveing my technique over the past 2 days its really a non issue for me now.

Try it and see. May be the issue, may not be, but next time the pump action locks up just push your support hand forward a slight bit to get the extractor seated better on the brass and then agressivly pull back again. This may end you haveing to bang it on the ground which while it looks cool in the movies, we all know is not the best way to work a pump =)

 

[Gord]

FWIW I won't use Winchester .22LR bulk packs either - horrendously dirty stuff. Though, it still goes bang more often than the Remington Golden Bullets, which I'm finally moving away from after conceding that they really have turned to utter crap. I've still got one around here somewhere with no less than six firing pin strikes around the rim, still unfired...

 

[sqroot3]

ok, i'll try chambering more aggressively with the universals i have left and see if it's any better.

so, goaded on by the replies in this thread, i finally got a bore brush and man, was the bore filthy! can't wait to shoot it now. hopefully the new combination of cleaner gun + better ammo will make for a more satisfying experience.

now would y'all mind helping out with another shotgun woe i've been having? (see new thread...)