Win. Mod 1400 feeding issue

[Thomasss]

My son-in-law shoots a Win. Model 1400 for pheasant. The gun loves Federal 2 3/4 game loads and shoot them flawlessly.
But the gun absolutely hates Remington pheasant loads. Same size loads, but will not feed Remington 2 3/4 inch loads from the magazine.
Now the shells that work flawlessly at 1980 vintage 2 3/4 Inch Federal Game loads. Anyone know why?

 

[PapaG]

Could be the old Federals have real brass heads and the Remington are brass washed steel which may be sticking in the barrel enough to dampen the recoil/feed cycle.

 

[Thomasss]

Could be the old Federals have real brass heads and the Remington are brass washed steel which may be sticking in the barrel enough to dampen the recoil/feed cycle.

If that is true, how do you propose to correct the problem?

 

[1KPerDay]

Try better ammo. Or shoot the federal. Pheasants won’t care.

Could be the length, could be the power, could be the rims, could be something else.

 

[entropy]

Most likely the steel rims. Two solutions:

1. Only shoot brass based shells. For pheasant hunting, I've found Remington Nitro Sporting Clays and Winchester AA Sporting Clays (1 1/8 oz. 7 1/2 shot @1300 fps) will down pheasants just fine.
Or
2. Have your gunsmith hone the chamber just slightly so the gun will extract steel based hulls.

 

[Thomasss]

2. Have your gunsmith hone the chamber just slightly so the gun will extract steel based hulls.

I'm not so sure it is completely the extraction, but rather a combination with the follower picking up and feeding the next cartridge. He has been shooting most of my old Federal Game loads from the 1980s with no problem and the Remington are much, much newer than that. I often swapt him ammo and shoot his both Remington and my Federal ammo in my Beretta Urika without a hitch. I would have to watch it closer, but I think the gun is hanging up both at the same time as one is ejecting and the new one is ready to come up. It seems to me the action should be faster.

 

[NMexJim]

FYI, Remington STS still has brass bases. All the Federal that have come through my hands has been steel based I think. I’d have to run a magnet over my stock of hulls to be sure. Yep, I did and they are steel. I have two lifetime supply’s of AA and they are brass.

I’m having some doubts on steel vs brass base feeding issues from the magazine. Something does not compute. I’d personally be looking for something more on the parts side. Granted I’ve not been around any 1400s.

Check with the folks on:

Shotgun Forum

A forum community dedicated to Shotgun owners and enthusiasts including the Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg shotguns brands. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!

www.shotgunworld.com

They’ve helped me out of more than one pinch.

 

[NMexJim]

Such as this

Winchester 1200 - 1400 Series Shotgun Issues

The Winchester 120, 1200, 1300 and 1400 series shotguns were low end or entry level guns marketed toward the economical buyer. These are not the Winchesters of 50 or 60 years ago but are good enough guns if you do not expect more than they were designed to deliver. I offer this for anyone...

www.shotgunworld.com

 

[entropy]

True. Even the 'economy' Winchesters from back in their heyday (pre-64) were good, solidly made guns, though a bit clunky compared to the better models; Model 25 vs. model 12, Model 24 vs. Model 21 for instance.

NMexJim, the Federal HOA shells that recently came out have brass bases. The hulls are made and primed in Remington's Lonoke ammo plant, then shipped up the Federal's Anoka ammo plant and loaded. The hull is the same construction as the Remington STS hull, just a different color.

 

[NMexJim]

True. Even the 'economy' Winchesters from back in their heyday (pre-64) were good, solidly made guns, though a bit clunky compared to the better models; Model 25 vs. model 12, Model 24 vs. Model 21 for instance.

NMexJim, the Federal HOA shells that recently came out have brass bases. The hulls are made and primed in Remington's Lonoke ammo plant, then shipped up the Federal's Anoka ammo plant and loaded. The hull is the same construction as the Remington STS hull, just a different color.

It’s been so long since I bought a box of shotgun shells, I’m a bit behind.

 

[1KPerDay]

It’s been so long since I bought a box of shotgun shells, I’m a bit behind.

If you’re planning on buying some, prepare for a shock. Prices are nuts

 

[NMexJim]

I don’t even look over that way in my local GS. People kept telling me I was crazy to load 12 ga.

 

[entropy]

Not so crazy anymore, at least for me. I can load good quality shells, (AA, STS, or HOA hulls, Cheddite primers, Downrange wads, and Heper shot (6% antimony, as hard as STS shot) for between 7 & 8 bucks a box. AAs and STS are 12.50 a box at Walmart, more than that at the LGS.

 

[NMexJim]

Here’s one more from Shotgun World - tips for dissemble. You guys probably know this one, but here’s hoping it’s some help.

Winchester 1400 teardown

I recently acquired a Winchester 1400. Today I went to tear it down to give it a good cleaning and inspection and ran into a problem. Per the Winchester manual I closed the action, took off the magazine cap (and the washers under it) and went to remove the barrel and fore end as one piece. It...

www.shotgunworld.com

Here’s a schematic just in case.

Winchester Model 1400 Parts | Gun Parts Corp.

Find Winchester Model 1400 parts and schematics today with Numrich Gun Parts.

www.gunpartscorp.com

If you still think shells are contributing, I’d suggest a set of calipers in one hand, and the SAAMI specs in the other. Might find something that way. Hopefully, you’ve got a large stock of ‘80s shells.

 

[Bcwitt]

In a 1400 mk2 , you could flip the piston for light or heavy loads, as I remember.