Rem870 12ga Super Mag from Wal Mart

[grrickar]

Just picked one of these beauties up for less than $400 after tax, and after all of my reading I suspected I would need to tinker a bit with the chamber and extractor to ensure I don't have FTEs, but when I checked the barrel is it lined black, and smooth as silk. I do not feel any machining marks - did Remington listen to the customer and improve this process? If I slide a shell in the barrel there is no stiction at all. I know one the shell is fired and expands is part of the issue, but I do not feel at this time the thing needs any work.

I also own a Wingmaster 12ga Classic Trap, and even it can be finicky when ejecting sometimes.

It did come with a MIM extractor, and like with my Remington 597 rifle I plan to replace with a VQ one. The one on my Remmy .22 made it super reliable; no more FTEs.

The gun has Realtree HD hardwoods furniture, and the receiver is coated as well, and the stock and end cap are sling-ready. I got an Allen camo sling that came with swivels and installed it.

Now looking at a B Squared saddle mount (all I can find is a black one), to mount a red dot sight for turkey. I got a Carlson .660 Extra Full extended choke for turkey.

Thinking for deer next season (OH only allows straightwall cartridge or slug for deer) I will swap out the barrel for a rifled one, pull the red dot and install a scope that can handle the recoil. Any suggestions?

I'd like to go with a camo saddle mount and red dot scope, but the only camo saddle mount I could find was polymer.

[Synchronizor]

Just picked one of these beauties up for less than $400 after tax, and after all of my reading I suspected I would need to tinker a bit with the chamber and extractor to ensure I don't have FTEs, but when I checked the barrel is it lined black, and smooth as silk. I do not feel any machining marks - did Remington listen to the customer and improve this process? If I slide a shell in the barrel there is no stiction at all. I know one the shell is fired and expands is part of the issue, but I do not feel at this time the thing needs any work.

I also own a Wingmaster 12ga Classic Trap, and even it can be finicky when ejecting sometimes.

It did come with a MIM extractor, and like with my Remington 597 rifle I plan to replace with a VQ one. The one on my Remmy .22 made it super reliable; no more FTEs.

The whole thing with sticky extraction is much more of an ammo & cleaning problem than a machining one. Take a chamber still full of factory grease, shove in the cheapest steel-cup ammo you can find, and you're going to have issues. Chambers can contribute some when the gun is new, but they break in with use. Extractors have pretty much nothing to do with sticky extraction. Think about it; if a shell is stuck in the chamber and you have to yank hard on the fore-end or mortar the gun to get the action open, then the extractor is doing its job. Blaming the extractor for a stuck action is like blaming the tow strap when you can't pull a buddy's rig out of the mud.

Now looking at a B Squared saddle mount (all I can find is a black one), to mount a red dot sight for turkey. I got a Carlson .660 Extra Full extended choke for turkey.

Thinking for deer next season (OH only allows straightwall cartridge or slug for deer) I will swap out the barrel for a rifled one, pull the red dot and install a scope that can handle the recoil. Any suggestions?

I'd like to go with a camo saddle mount and red dot scope, but the only camo saddle mount I could find was polymer.

You could always paint an aluminum one. Or, if you're going to be using an optic for both applications, you could just have the top of the receiver drilled & tapped for a rail. That'll give you a more solid mount for optics, won't interfere with take-down like a saddle mount will, and it won't break up your camo job nearly as much.

[grrickar]

In my Rem870 Wingmaster Classic trap from time to time will have issues ejecting a shell with the stock extractor. This is regardless of the state of cleanliness of the chamber and barrel. That gun is cleaned every time it is used, and it simply hangs up sometimes. I'm sure if you took a caliper and measured the width of the brass it would vary slightly from shell to shell. Same with the roll of the lip that the extractor grabs to eject the shell.

I am shooting low brass Remington Gun Club and Federal trap loads out of it - no steel. I have has a couple of cases where the stock extractor 'missed' the lip of the shell. The action came open, but the empty was not ejected. Cycling the action again clears it with no issue. Other cases the action hangs, and I have to finesse the shell out.

Not saying the stock extractor is to blame for all FTEs, but I have seen cases where it appears to be the case some of the time (action opens, shell remains in chamber).

The goal is making the gun more reliable in this case (hunting versus trap shooting), I plan to install a VQ extractor. The one in the gun is MIM, and one of the most commonly suggested upgrades for the 870 is a non-MIM. I plan to replace the extractor before the first turkey hunt, just to ensure I am good, because having a malfunction on a hunt would be no fun.

I have the VQ part in my 597 .22, and in that example stock extractor was definitely to blame for not ejecting some of the brass with enough force, causing jams. Zero FTEs with the VQ extractor installed. It is simply a more precise part, and it flings the h3ll out of the empties.

That said, one of my concerns before I bought the Super Mag was the jams, and I presumed I would need to polish the chamber, but as I said before the barrel seems to be 'lined' and very smooth. I don't suspect I will have to do anything in that area...

[Synchronizor]

In my Rem870 Wingmaster Classic trap from time to time will have issues ejecting a shell with the stock extractor. This is regardless of the state of cleanliness of the chamber and barrel. That gun is cleaned every time it is used, and it simply hangs up sometimes. I'm sure if you took a caliper and measured the width of the brass it would vary slightly from shell to shell. Same with the roll of the lip that the extractor grabs to eject the shell.

Is the problem with extraction or ejection? Those are two different things.

If the action is coming open but the shell is staying in the chamber, then that is an extraction issue. If the action "sticks" shut on a fired shell, the extractor is doing its job properly. The extractor could be to blame, but before ordering replacement parts, I would also inspect your extractor plunger & spring, and check the channel for gunk build-up. Cleaning the channel and/or installing a new spring could be what the gun actually needs.

If the aftermarket extractor appeals to you though, go for it. Confidence in a gun is just as important as objective reliability, in my mind. The only issue I've heard about with the VQ extractor is that it's not machined to conform to the shape of the bolt, as factory extractors are. Shouldn't affect extraction, but it can wear a deeper-than-normal notch into the inside of your receiver. More a cosmetic problem than anything, but kind of disappointing that it was overlooked in such an expensive & precisely-machined part.

I am shooting low brass Remington Gun Club and Federal trap loads out of it - no steel.

Gun Clubs have steel cups. So do most Federal target loads, apart from the Gold Medal hulls. Be aware that a lot of brass-colored cups are actually plated or washed steel these days. I keep a magnet on my shotshell press to check.