Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I have a Remington 870 Express 12 gauge pump shotgun that does not reliably eject spent shells. I took it to the gunsmith at Gander Mountain in Fredericksburg, but he couldn't duplicate the problem so nothing was done to correct it. The gun has been properly cleaned and lubricated and I am using factory high brass and low brass ammo (Federal, Winchester). I am going to contact Remington again, but was wondering if anyone on the forum has had simialr problems with their 870 and what they did or had done to fix it.

I've had the same problem with a mossberg ejecting high brass. Low brass works fine. I think it might have something to do with expansion of the brass. SgtBill may have an idea if he sees this post.

All you have to do is get it to me. I can fix it. 870's don't often have a problem.

Vahunter wrote:All you have to do is get it to me. I can fix it. 870's don't often have a problem.

I can fix it too Henry. It wont cost him nothin and the job will be done in about 5 years...

Vahunter wrote:All you have to do is get it to me. I can fix it. 870's don't often have a problem.

I know what you mean about 870's. I have used them extensively for the past 25 years and never experienced this problem.

Unfortunately, we don't live near each other. What do you think the problem is?

zephyp wrote:

Vahunter wrote:All you have to do is get it to me. I can fix it. 870's don't often have a problem.

I can fix it too Henry. It wont cost him nothin and the job will be done in about 5 years...

How could I possibly pass up that offer?!?!

A couple of thing's come to mind. First the shell Chamber must be clean of any fouling. When you fire the shotgun the shell along with the brass case expands some and any residue in the chamber will drag on the case and possibly change the angel just enough on the extraction to cause a problem. The extractor's might need to be recut to put more pressure and more grip on the shell. Ensure that there is no dirt of any type under the ejector's IE Extractor where it is in contact with the bolt.

If all else fail's then take a ride to see me and I will look it over.
Bill

Thanks for the info. The gun was thoroughly cleaned each time before it was fired with the same results. I'm going to contact Remington and have them fix it since it is still under warranty.

There are lots of discussions all over about your problem. It seems some of the newer 870's were made with really rough chambers and shells are sticking in them. Most of the problems seem to be with the cheapo Winchester value packs. If you go to shotgunworld.com you can read all about how to fix it. It's a pretty easy fix and you won't have to send it off.

Thanks, fiasconva, I'll give that a try.

SgtBill wrote:A couple of thing's come to mind. First the shell Chamber must be clean of any fouling. When you fire the shotgun the shell along with the brass case expands some and any residue in the chamber will drag on the case and possibly change the angel just enough on the extraction to cause a problem. The extractor's might need to be recut to put more pressure and more grip on the shell. Ensure that there is no dirt of any type under the ejector's IE Extractor where it is in contact with the bolt.

If all else fail's then take a ride to see me and I will look it over.
Bill

can you tell me the link

I dom't know what link you are refering to.
Bill

Did you get it fixed? What was it doing by failure to extract? Was it stove piping or was the pump sticking and not coming back? If the pump was sticking the solution seems to be to polish the chamber. If that's not the issue there is probably another problem.

You guys are ALL HIGH. I bought a Rem 870 and since it was new in the box it had problems. Spent shells would stick so bad that the extractor pin would rip through the rim of the shell. I have photos. I'm also so upset I will NEVER buy another Remington.

I called the factory and they admitted that some 870s, particularly lefties, had this problem. It is caused by negligent machining on the inside of the barrel for the first inch or so. Grooves were left in the barrel and when a shell is fired, the brass expands and grabs onto these grooves. The extractor pin also had to overcome a stray ridge that was left where the rim of the shell sits.

An entire afternoon and some 220 wet sandpaper will work fine. I would recommend thoroughly inspecting the inside surface of the barrel where the shell sits to make sure that the grooves are present. If you don't see any noticeable grooves, then something else is wrong with it. Enjoy your Crapington, I mean Remington model 870.

Lefty wrote:You guys are ALL HIGH. I bought a Rem 870 and since it was new in the box it had problems. Spent shells would stick so bad that the extractor pin would rip through the rim of the shell. I have photos. I'm also so upset I will NEVER buy another Remington.

I called the factory and they admitted that some 870s, particularly lefties, had this problem. It is caused by negligent machining on the inside of the barrel for the first inch or so. Grooves were left in the barrel and when a shell is fired, the brass expands and grabs onto these grooves. The extractor pin also had to overcome a stray ridge that was left where the rim of the shell sits.

An entire afternoon and some 220 wet sandpaper will work fine. I would recommend thoroughly inspecting the inside surface of the barrel where the shell sits to make sure that the grooves are present. If you don't see any noticeable grooves, then something else is wrong with it. Enjoy your Crapington, I mean Remington model 870.

Well. First post up so welcome. And in your first paragraph you used 2 or my favorite words - all and never...and in caps too no doubt...

Well Lefty, welcome aboard. As far as your post about us all being High I suggest that you get to know the people at this sight prior to makeing such statement's.
Bill

I just GooGled 870 ejection probs and came to this board. I have 2 870's and both have the same probs. i bought them both with in 3 months of each other new in the box. the first one i called Remmington and bitched to them. they sent me a new barrel, prob solved. the other one is having the same prob and i will be calling remmington again this week. I am not high, but I do believe what the other poster was saying about poor machining at Remmington.

Lefty wrote:You guys are ALL HIGH. I bought a Rem 870 and since it was new in the box it had problems. Spent shells would stick so bad that the extractor pin would rip through the rim of the shell. I have photos. I'm also so upset I will NEVER buy another Remington.

I called the factory and they admitted that some 870s, particularly lefties, had this problem. It is caused by negligent machining on the inside of the barrel for the first inch or so. Grooves were left in the barrel and when a shell is fired, the brass expands and grabs onto these grooves. The extractor pin also had to overcome a stray ridge that was left where the rim of the shell sits.

An entire afternoon and some 220 wet sandpaper will work fine. I would recommend thoroughly inspecting the inside surface of the barrel where the shell sits to make sure that the grooves are present. If you don't see any noticeable grooves, then something else is wrong with it. Enjoy your Crapington, I mean Remington model 870.

From what I understand a "rough chamber" cut is almost always because they let the reamer get too dull. A dull reamer "chatters" a bit and causes those grooves. Part of the reason factor barrels/chambering are cheap is because they reuse the same reamer over and over. A good custom smith tosses his reamer long before it gets dull to insure the best chambering job possible. That batch of barrels probably went on a batch of lefty guns.

As a side note, this is one way manufacturers combat the Fed making our money worthless. They hold down prices by lower QC. This makes things like CPI look low when in fact they are not. Every firearm brand that hasn't gone through the roof in price has the same story...they aren't like the old ones. E.g. try a new and old S&W revolver. Of course with S&W you can buy one built like the old ones, but that is the performance center and the price on those is significantly higher.

I have an 870 Express Magnum, as well. I did not buy it new; offhand, I have no idea how old it is.

I have experienced a few instances of a shell not ejecting properly (as in, a handful of shells out of hundreds), and in each instance I was using bargain bin Winchester stuff or whatever they were selling at Bull Run that day. I've not had any problems when using premium Remington loads (sporting clay shot). I've also not had any problems with Federal or Remington buckshot loads (.00 and .000 buck).