New 870 Express not Ejecting Fired Hull

[Sandberm]

So if I wanted to get a brand new "do it all" shotgun for under, lets say $700, what would you guys recommend?

[nwwanderer]

My Benelli Nova comes close, with $700 you could have a bunch of extras, barrel, camo etc.

[jdb]

I have 3 870 express, two older and one that’s about 3 years old. The newer one fails to eject from time to time

[WSU]

So if I wanted to get a brand new "do it all" shotgun for under, lets say $700, what would you guys recommend?

I bought an 870 and it jams constantly. I tried the polishing and haven’t tried the gun enough to know if it worked. 

I bought a stoeger auto and it works flawlessly. I have cases of shells through it duck hunting in mud, cow manure, etc. You can buy them for well under 700.

[Stein]

I paid about $700 for my Stoeger M3500 and have been extremely happy with the value for the money.  I can miss much faster and more often now than with the 870.

[TooTallMike]

Well, I did some trading at the area firearms store over the summer. I let my Browning Maxus go in the deal, and got a new 870 Express 3'' in return as part of the deal. I was very glad to have gotten an upland/waterfowl gun worked into the deal. I have been around 870s a LOT, shot one a ton as a kid, never had an issue. Thousands upon thousands of heavy waterfowl loads and I can never remember a failure with my mid 90s vintage 870 Express. This new one does fail. It is randomly not pulling an empty hull out of the barrel. Its not like they are stuck hulls either, as I can pull the barrel off and easily get the empty out with my fingernail. I have tried to file a bit on the barrel where the ejector meets the hull, and still get an ejection failure at times. Its all kinds of shells as well, waterfowl loads, dove loads, doesn't matter. With some research, I guess this is what Remington has lowered its self to. Its not an uncommon issue. But what am I missing? Is there an easy home fix to get this 870 dependable? New ejector? Take it to a gun smith? Thanks for the ideas...

That 870 for sale?

[northwesthunter84]

I’ve been happy with the SXP I got for turkey hunting. Not a ton of shots through it but reliable.

Previous 870 express owner and 870 wing master shooter.
Express would jam on everything from 7.5 shot, #4 turkey and 2.75/3” slugs. Got so tired of it I sold it for $100.

[outdooraddict]

my 870 super express does this same thing, but i have only noticed it with cheap target ammo and short brass.  sometimes i have grabbed the pump and had to bounce the butt on the ground to eject it, and actually have torn the brass where the ejector grabs the brass.  pisses me off, and i dont know why it does it, i gotta watch that youtube video and give it a try

[WSU]

Wingmasters are entirely different. I shot one for years and had no issues.

[C-Money]

Thanks for all the great feedback... I checked my barrel, and I honestly don't really feel any imperfections to dremel tool out. I feel very shallow ridges, they are tightly spaced, and they are very fine. I'll try and smooth these out, but man, they are very fine, and not sure if they would cause a hull to not eject. Looking forward to smoothing them out none the less.  I bought a box of Remington Peters 3" (blue hull) steel to try...Hope the issue goes away!!

[Henrydog]

Cheap steal based hulls are notorious for this.  The expand and do not contract back to original size and "stick".  Try a box of US made Remington STS's or Winchester AA's.  They are all brass bases.  If they work flawlessly then it is not the gun.   

[CP]

I hope that fixes your problem but I really think it's the extractor.  If the shells were sticking the slide would be hard to rack and you wouldn't be able to pull the shell out with your fingernail.

Good luck.

[Henrydog]

Ya, I re-read his post....I think you are correct CP

[Rob]

Not to hijack the thread... 

Has anyone seen an issue where you fire an 870, and the pump action sticks and won't come back.  After a couple quick pulls it comes back and ejects the shell just fine.

I have an older 870 (probably '91) that I have used and abused and has recently started doing this from time to time. 

[Stein]

Not to hijack the thread... 

Has anyone seen an issue where you fire an 870, and the pump action sticks and won't come back.  After a couple quick pulls it comes back and ejects the shell just fine.

I have an older 870 (probably '91) that I have used and abused and has recently started doing this from time to time.

Yeah, I had that issue.  When it happens you need to hold the slide as tight as you can and slam the buttstock on the ground.  Obviously, muzzle control is difficult but important.

Most of the time in my case, disassembly and a thorough cleaning would help, particularly all the hard to reach parts in the receiver.  There are a couple flat springs that would get junk under them as well as leaves, grass, mud, etc.