Simple Pump-Shotgun Fixes: An Armorer’s View

Not long ago, when I showed a friend my Remington 870 shotgun, I was a little embarrassed. This gun has been beat up and abused for more years than I care to remember. The finish had seldom been wiped with oil and the nicks and dents were not from honorable hunts but from being thrown into the back of a vehicle and haphazardly stored in various corners of the home. I clean and lubricate my handguns to a much higher standard.

I suppose that my 23 years as a peace officer had convinced me that the pump action in general and the Remington in particular could take this kind of abuse. Often this is true but not always. Over time, I’ve run into practically every type of malfunction possible with the pump or "slide-action" shotgun, and most were easily repaired. Let’s look over just a few and their likely cures.

As for agency-issued guns, the most common culprit in malfunctions is accumulated dirt, grit, and gun oil that’s turned into varnish. These guns just don’t get the maintenance demanded by semi-autos. I’ve seen guns fail to feed properly on several occasions, but sometimes this is caused by short-shucking or not working the slide properly. Other problems I have encountered required more attention.

I’ve broken one shotgun, for example, by quickly working and slamming the action. (It wasn’t a Remington.) I repaired and sold the shotgun, considering it a second-rate choice. Most of my experience revolves around the Remington, but in general the same rules apply to all pump-actions. First, let’s consider how the gun operates. The pump shotgun has a forend that actuates the loading mechanism.

When the gun is fired or in the unlocked position, the forend is pulled to the rear and one or two draw bars or action rails move the bolt to the rear. The magazine releases a shell into the carrier, and as the slide is pulled forward, the shell is brought into the chamber by a carrier and the bolt is brought forward to chamber the shell. At the end of the slide’s travel, the gun is in the locked position. The forend cannot be brought to the rear unless the bolt is released. Firing the gun releases the bolt.

When the gun is fired, the bolt unlocks and the slide action can be worked again. A button is placed on the side of the triggerguard in most variations of the pump that allows the bolt to be manually unlocked and a chambered shell unloaded. The only safe mode of storage of any long arm in police service is with the chamber empty. A quick shuck of the pump is all that is needed to place it on the ready.

The first thing I do when checking complaints against the firearm—after making certain it is unloaded—is to attempt to work the action and dry fire the gun. Snap caps or dummy rounds can be used; but keep in mind, dummies don’t always weigh the same as live rounds or have the same dimensions. A carrier that will lift a dummy may not always work The magazine tube must be replaced.

Right top: These action bars are nice and straight, and the author has polished the channels they ride in for maximum smoothness. Right bottom: This is a relatively new 870 Magnum action, but the gun has seen some hard knocks as evidenced by the numerous dings in the gun’s finish. with live rounds. That is something I’ve run across several times.

To check a slide-action shotgun, work the slide to the rear and allow the bolt to move fully to its rearward position, then pull the slide back to the front and allow the bolt to lock. The gun should remain locked against forend pressure. Next, be certain the slide lock releases as designed. The Remington uses a small lever beside the triggerguard as a release. The release should release the bolt, allowing the bolt to move to the rear.

With a triple-checked, unloaded firearm, pull the trigger and be certain the hammer falls. Remember the hammer may fall but not fall hard enough to set off alive round. (Livefire checks come later.) Next, run dummy rounds through the magazine and be certain the shotgun properly feeds each shell. Dummy rounds can be made with fired cases—without the use of a shell reloader—by carefully folding the end of the shell back into a semblance of a crimp. A final check is always important.

Not long ago, I had a shotgun come my way with a missing safety. This pump-action Stevens featured a safety mounted in the triggerguard, but when using it, the safety had simply gone south and was never found. The owner told me it had not worked for awhile, but he was surprised when it fell out. His solution was simple: "I loaded the gun just before I went hunting." Wow! I’m glad I was not his hunting buddy. The final check of the pump shotgun is to cock the gun and place the safety in the "on" position.

Pull the trigger. The gun should not fire. And the gun should not fire when the safety is released. It’s often recommended to place the gun in a firing mode and bump the buttstock on a hard surface to be certain it doesn’t fire or release the hammer. Do this with the safety off, and also with the safety on as a check. Occasionally, hard wear will allow such a gun to fire. I’ve had this happen on one occasion. Hard wear includes a cop using the shotgun’s buttstock to beat in a door.

Thank goodness they don’t do this with a loaded chamber—at least I hope they don’t. Even an 870 will only take so much…. When you find a problem, there is usually a fairly simple cure. Cleaning and lubrication will often do the trick. In some cases, it will be the first maintenance a police shotgun has ever (continued on page 21)

AMGDB15 AG DBI Spread Ad – New (coming directly from Belvoir)

AMGDB15 AG DBI Spread Ad – New (coming directly from Belvoir)

enjoyed. When the action arms stick, the gun cannot be operated. If you take a close look at the recesses the action bars ride in, they are fairly tightly fitted. A small item such as a splinter from the wooden forearm can invade these recesses and cause a tie-up. There can also be raised burrs in the rails that cause difficulty. The first thing to do is to clean the rails and slide bars up, and perhaps polish each. This makes for a slicker action and will allow the gun to cycle with less trouble.

Next, a bent magazine tube can cause problems. There are a great number of extended magazine tubes on the market, some of metal and some of plastic. I’ve examined several police shotguns featuring magazine extensions that extended 1/4 inch past the muzzle. Many of these are of varying quality and are easily dented or cracked. Factory extension tubes are far more rugged. I would not recommend the plastic ones at all. The Remington factory standard-length tube offers four shots for sure, and is highly recommended.

Installing these tubes is simple, and you can draw your own conclusions as to the quality of the gear. Again, factory units are the most rugged in my experience. Dented tubes were once common, and gunsmiths used a dowel of some type to ram into the tube and straighten it for further use. For some reason, I haven’t seen a bent tube in some time, but I am certain it still happens. The cure is quite simple.

Remove the magazine tube from the gun, take a wooden dowel of appropriate diameter, and ram it into the magazine, springing the magazine back into shape. If the dent is severe enough, then the tube should be replaced. A final option that many law-enforcement officers find helpful is the installation of the large safety button from Wilson Combat. To do this, drive the safety out left to right (looking at the bottom of the gun) and replace it.

The detent ball for the safety is very small and rides in the triggerguard flange. Don’t lose it. It may take a few tries to get this correct, but many shooters report much better handling with this safety. That’s about all the 870 and similar pump-actions need, and the Wilson Combat safety is more of a bonus than a real requirement.■