Kent Fast Steel issues?

[alove12]

Hi all,

So, I have an early 2000s Remington 870 Supermag that is my go-to for waterfowl, and I can't use Kent shells without having them hang up and jam like crazy every time. I get the first shot off and then the shell doesn't eject and I get to watch the geese all fly away. Has anyone else had this issue? My buddy has an 870 that runs Kent shells just fine, and I have talked to so many people that swear by them for waterfowl. I don't think I have an ejector issue, since my gun literally runs every other shell I've tried (Federal, Remington, Winchester, Estate, etc.) without a hiccup. I normally would just avoid them, but with our current ammo shortage, Kent is the only brand available locally for 2 and BB, so I might not have a choice come October.

What are your thoughts? Experiences? Solutions?

-Alex

[Stein]

I have an 870 I bought circa 99 or 2000 and have the same issues with Kent shells. Unfortunately it has the same issue with Remington, Winchester, Federal, Estate and anything else I tried.

It runs fine at the range in dry conditions and for a bit after a very thorough cleaning but as soon as it's exposed to waterfowl hunting conditions it's a one shot wonder.  Failure to eject, failure to load, pretty much the gamut of ways a shotgun can fail.

I would personally save up for another gun for waterfowl.

[alove12]

Interesting. The action on mine is super reliable, otherwise. It always ends up full of dirt and dog hair (thanks to my dog), and operates fine with everything except Kent. I shot the Federal blue box shells all year until I ran out of them and didn't have a single issue.

[Dan-o]

Bought all 3 sons Remington 870 ultramags.

They all jammed.

This fixed them all.

I could see/feel the machining marks.

I actually put Scotchbrite on a drill bit and used a ton of polishing compound.

They are now smooth and don't jam.

P.S.   I believe some brands of shells have softer brass and are more susceptible to jamming.     This cured all 3 of ours.

[Dan-o]

Interesting. The action on mine is super reliable, otherwise. It always ends up full of dirt and dog hair (thanks to my dog), and operates fine with everything except Kent. I shot the Federal blue box shells all year until I ran out of them and didn't have a single issue.

I wonder if the Kent Steel has softer brass.....  and expands into the machining marks?

Just a thought.

I HATE guns that don't work.

Good luck.

[alove12]

I talked to a guy that thought maybe the nickel plating on the Kent shells was more slippery and kept the ejector from grabbing the shell once fired, but I have no idea if that's a real thing.

I'll take it you are referring to machining marks in the chamber? I'll take a look and see if I can see anything in there. I've used this gun for the last 15 years and haven't had a single issue with any other shells hanging up. It's possible that the Kent shells expand a little when fired and it's enough to keep it from ejecting like normal. I'll give the chamber a good scrub and see if that makes a difference!

Thanks for the advice!

[Bill W]

I had Kent cause this issue with an o/u I had about 5 years ago.  Stopped using the Kents (but still have a case of them left) and for other reasons sold the gun.   I feel it was the Kent shells had either a softer brass base on them or Kent had a higher chamber pressure.    I did not polish the chamber out.  Shot some Kents late last season out of my "replacement" Browning 725 and had no ejection issues with it.  Guess it has a chamber that was better polished.  Old gun that was replaced was a Turkish gun.

[wadu1]

870's are noted for jamming as well as 11-87's. I would try the polishing method Dan-o suggested before I attempted something else. All steel hunting loads as well as target loads have steel bases only high end target loads are brass. Without doing a side X side look and measurement, your chamber may be on the tight side and or the angle of the base is not allowing the extractor to function with Kent. 

[Kola16]

Late to the party, but it is before duck season so I hope this will help. What exactly is your gun doing? Is the ejector not catching the lip on Kent shells, or can you not open the chamber because the shell is stuck?

Here is what I would do. Hone the bore like Dan-o said. I had the same problem as Dan-o with all loads, not just Kents. High brass loads would jam in the chamber after being fired from the brass expanding. I had to beat the butt on the ground to get the chamber to open. It was a very common and known problem with the 870s.

All steel hunting loads as well as target loads have steel bases only high end target loads are brass.

Actually, they are brass...

[wadu1]

Actually, they are brass...better get a magnet, all new waterfowl loads are steel so they can rust away.

[Stein]

All I know is the waterfowl bases I use will rust up pretty quick if you get them around saltwater and don't use them up fairly quickly.

I think you guys are both right, brass plated steel.

[Kola16]

Actually, they are brass...better get a magnet, all new waterfowl loads are steel so they can rust away.

Learned something new today. They stick to a magnet! So do the "brass" bolts I got for my boat engine

[h2ofowlr]

If your not handy at polishing, you can send your gun to Rob Roberts and let him know what it is doing and it will come back polished and fixed.  He does great work.

Kent do run a bit hotter and have a bit higher chamber pressures.  If you have rough machining where the shell goes, you may experience shells sticking.  Polishing will help eliminate those issues.  Under a microscope your essentially knocking the peaks off the metal.

[Jpmiller]

I remember when my dad handed me down his 870 and bought a new one for himself he had a similar issue with the Kent's. We had a guy we let hunt our lease who would give us a few cases every year and since it was only an every so often issue he just dealt with it until he bought an autoloader and found out what jamming is all about  . His 870 was an early 2000s purchase too. I'm interested to hear if the polishing works for you. Now I'm kind of.curious about his.

[callturner]

I shoot a Browning Silver. No sticking problems what so ever!