Weak 870 ejection. Extractor or Ejector?

[BIG45-70]

I was shooting Winchester Super X slugs off a shooting bag and the recoil energy was racking the slide and throwing the empty hulls, I think this may have damaged something.

After shooting a few off the bags, I tried shooting some offhand and this is when the problems started. When I racked the slide I was getting some very weak ejection and some failures to eject. If I rack the slide pretty hard it will still throw shells, but if I rack it lightly they will stop about halfway out the ejection port. I've always had fine ejection even when racking slowly.

I got home and disassembled everything, the ejector spring looks fine. I pulled out the extractor and it looks fine also. I order a new extractor and extractor spring. Should this take care of the problem or is it my ejector spring?

 

[rodregier]

I don't have a lot of experience troubleshooting 870's, but I'll give it a spin.

If the hulls are coming out of the chamber it's probably not an extractor issue.
Is there anything flopping around on the ejector? My drawing indicates it's riveted in place. If one of those riivits was loose it could be a source of grief.

Is this a high usage unit? I could see the possibility of the ejector working loose after a lot of shooting...

 

[BIG45-70]

Thanks for the response. So far its very light use for a 870. I'm at around 400rnds or so down the pipe. The ejector rivet is in there tight and shows no sighs of visible damage. I'm thinking I could have damaged something shooting slugs off a sandbag. The slide was really coming back with a lot of energy.

 

[Fleet]

I don't know if you worded this poorly, but:

The slide was really coming back with a lot of energy.

If the slide moved at all before you pulled it back with your off hand, you have big problems with that shotgun!

 

[dfariswheel]

It's not at all unusual for a pump to open on it's own when shooting slugs or heavy buck loads.
Some, like the Winchester 1300 were actually designed to have an "assist" action that would open when fired.
Shooting heavy loads off the bench will make the gun open even more.

A usual problem with ejection in the 870 is a dirty extractor spring tunnel in the bolt.
Either impacted crud or rust will reduce tension on the extractor, and this allows the shell to slip from the extractor before the ejector gets a good bite.

I recommend disassembling the bolt and using solvent and pipe cleaners to give the bolt tunnel a good scrub.
Dry, then lube the spring, extractor and plunger well.

Test with different ammo, and remember that a pump gun ejects with more force when the action is open harder.
However, even opening the action slower should still at least drop the shell out of the ejector port.

 

[Drail]

Has the forearm been changed to an aftermarket unit? Some require a little trimming to get a full stroke coming back against the receiver.

 

[BIG45-70]

I guess I'll wait until my new extractor and spring come in from brownells and see if it throws hulls out of the ejection port a little better. I haven't changed my forearm or anything else yet. Until its up and running I've nominated my old chopped Ithaca M37 to HD duty.

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors// I doubt this is it but it is the only time I have seen this problem.

The fellow was using 3" shells in a 2 3/4" barrel, they fit and fired but stuck upon ejection.

Hope it is an easy fix for you.

 

[Gunsmoker]

did replacing the extractor and extractor spring fix the problem?

i've seen others have this problem. i've also have this problem.

 

[BBBBill]

...The fellow was using 3" shells in a 2 3/4" barrel, they fit and fired but stuck upon ejection...

More common than you'd think. My dear sister called me complaining about one of her shotguns (old single shot H&R she uses for a truck gun) kicking more than usual. When I next saw her couple months later, I looked it over. Found a worn hinge pin/loose breach and 3" mag shells. The gun was chambered for 2-3/4". Reamed the hinge, fit an oversized hing pin, reamed the chamber for 3" with a long forcing cone, gave it a thorough check up, and she's happy with her gun now.

 

[wsm]

I was shooting Winchester Super X slugs off a shooting bag and the recoil energy was racking the slide and throwing the empty hulls, I think this may have damaged something.

After shooting a few off the bags, I tried shooting some offhand and this is when the problems started. When I racked the slide I was getting some very weak ejection and some failures to eject. If I rack the slide pretty hard it will still throw shells, but if I rack it lightly they will stop about halfway out the ejection port. I've always had fine ejection even when racking slowly.

I got home and disassembled everything, the ejector spring looks fine. I pulled out the extractor and it looks fine also. I order a new extractor and extractor spring. Should this take care of the problem or is it my ejector spring?

I own 870's,SX2. 1100's and Bennelli's. I have never had one cycle on it's own, no matter what the load is. I think you probably have a lock-up issue. Needs to be checked before you shoot anymore slugs. Be safe. Good shooting.

 

[ontargetshooting]

Im with wsm on this. An 870 has a very good action. How old is the shotgun? or has it been shot alot (such as a law enforcement trade in). Are you using the preferred ammo imprinted on the barrel. As most are aware 870's come in all forms, standard 870, magnums, all the way up to 3 1/2" shells. If the breech is openning on its own, two things are more than likely happening, your breech lock and bolt are not locking up or your possibly using more high powered shells on a wore action. As for the shells getting stuck, thats more than likely they are to long for the action. But it doesn't hurt to replace the pasrts you've suggested.

*now if it is new, send it to Remington, they'll find and fix the problem or replace with a new shotgun*
*You can always vise that sucker down, tie a string to the trigger and shoot a standard field load in 2 3/4 and see if the action has openned any. If not done on the first try do two more. Besure an try to use a sighting in vise that secures the whole gun. And make the string looooong. An exploding breech face can be quite nasty. If you don't like this suggestion go with the Remington one.

 

[Kenneth]

I think you probably have a lock-up issue. Needs to be checked before you shoot anymore slugs. Be safe. Good shooting.

The barrel extension is probably stretched. You no longer have a tight fit of the locking lug in the recess. What is probably happening is that when you fire the gun, the bolt is driven back just far enough and with enough force to transfer enough momentum to the bolt carrier to unlock the gun.
It is probably past the point of just getting an oversize locking block. A new barrel and locking block plus a little gunsmith time should solve the problem.



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