Problems with my 870

[Antlershed]

Went duck hunting yesterday and my trusty 870 started letting me down. I would shoot once, sometimes twice, and then it would jam. What was happening, or what appeared to be happening is that the extractor was getting stuck some how. I could not eject the empty at first. The first time it happened, I had to take my gun (knowing it was an empty in the chamber and with the safety on), hold the gun by the slide and slam it down on the ground and it finally ejected the shell with that much force. The next time it happened, I couldn't even get the shell to eject by slamming it on the ground. I had to take the barrel off in order to get the empty casing out. When I took it apart, the extractor was biting down on the lip of the base of the shell and from slamming it on the ground had started to bend/peel the lip off the base of the shell...it defnitely didn't want to let go. So, I had to pry the shell out of the extractor by hand. Once I put it back together it shot fine the rest of the day though, so could it be getting stuck because it needs cleaned? I haven't shot it much since its last good cleaning.

[WildlifeAssassin]

I know mine will have problems ejecting if the magazine cap isn't screwed on tightly enough. If you put it back together and it is working now that would be my guess.

[MagKarl]

A few years ago my 870 started jamming on me.  It turned out that the plastic magazine follower cap that pushes shells forward was worn out and would protrude far enough that the metal flipper would get caught on it as I cycled the last shell.  We used to reload shells, and those never cycled as smooth as new ones.  I got tired of that fast.

[12Gauge]

Sorry to hear about your issues with the 870.  Is it the 870 Express or the Wingmaster? 
I bought a 870 Express a couple of years ago and two months later I gave it away to someone I know who does not shoot to much, why give it away it was a piece of s*#t.  Jamming all the time, rusting easily, rough machining, the rubber butt plate seemed harder than concrete.  So I bought a Mossberg 500, to my surprise not one jam even with 600 round through it. 

Now the old 870 wingmasters are a jem.

[Antlershed]

I know mine will have problems ejecting if the magazine cap isn't screwed on tightly enough. If you put it back together and it is working now that would be my guess.

Hmm....I wonder if that was it. I know the cap comes loose pretty frequently just from shooting and I always have to tighten it back down.

[Antlershed]

It is an express, but it is an older one. I would hate to guess how many rounds I have shot through it and never had an issue other than the cap coming loose. I think I will pick up a Beretta for next season though.

[cully]

Had problems with my new one, shells stuck in the chamber. It didn't like low wall brass. I cleaned it and polished the chamber, no problems since.

[dbllunger]

Well their are several possibilities that causes jamming/failure to feed with the 870.    Yours is simply failure to clean. (teasing not bashing)  It sounds like everything is working as designed, and your failure to extract the fired shell has nothing to do with the extractor.  The extractor is working properly if it locks on the shell rim and holds.  That is all the extractor is designed to do.  The bolt movement backwards is what removes the casing from the chamber.  Then the inside casing rim strikes the Ejector opposite the ejection port, and it stops the casing from coming back any further as the extractor continues to hold the opposite side rim.  The extractor is still pulling the casing back as the bolt still has further to go back, and this causes the casing to kick out of your ejection port front first.  You can clearly see the ejector as the small tab sticking out from the flat piece on the side of your receiver.  The ejector is riveted in place, and based on it's dimensions determines/location of tab is what shells your gun will shoot with the proper chamber.  
Fix:  Totally remove, barrel, forearm with action bars, bolt, trigger group, magazine spring, follower, and clean thouroughly!  Clean and totally dry magazine, and do not leave light oil or lube in the magazine.  Re-Oil with a light oil (I prefer Rem Oil out of the bottle) because it has teflon, flows extremely well, and actually stays in place better then others not because it is as Remington gun.      

If it continues to to stick casings then you can diagnose a little further, but you probably have some pitting (yes barely visible or possibly not visible) in the chamber.  Buy some of those super cheap Wal Mart low base shells because they have about the shortest metal base around and low pressure  Winchester AA also have low bases but higher pressure.  Fire one of those and check extraction.  If they eject fine then fire a High Base hunting load, and if that sticks then you need to re-clean and polish the chamber.  You can do all this at home and not have to pay anyone.  

Any questions just ask and I can help you out.

[dbllunger]

Unfortunately all Remington guns outside of the custom shop and the Law Enforcement guns are production line gunsnow.  The older (up to late 70's) 870's and 1100's were totally put together by one person from start to finish.  Not the way it is anymore.  The only difference between a current Wingmaster and the Express is the finish, and nickel plated bolt.  Absolutely nothing else is different internally.

[Michelle_Nelson]

I bought a 870 Expres Super Mag.  Takes 2 3/4 - 3 1/2.  I have had problems ejectng shells but I think it is more my falt trying to get use to pump gun.

The first one I bought we pulled it out of the box and it wasn't acting right.  Finnaly figured out that the injector spring was broken.  Took it back and they gave us another gun. 

I havn't shot a whole lot through it this year.  Though when I get back from hunting or if I hunt a weekend I like to do a complete tear down and clean my guns.  Especially if they are going back in the case.

I let this slip one time and put my 30-06 away after hunting in the rain and I spen 1/2 the say with steel wool and re blueing.

[AWS]

I shoot one out on the salt marshes and the only time I have a problem like yours is if I'm shooting shells I've left get rustty , sounds like you could use a chamber brush and clear up your problems.  A regular barrel brush is too small to clean out the chamber, use a chamber brush or 10ga brush in the chamber.

AWS