Carrier on Trigger Assembly Protruding?

[fwoom]

I'm new here, and I perused this section a bit to see if the topic had already been covered and I couldn't find it. I'm sorry if this is a duplicate.

I was out hunting pheasant with my 870 super magnum the other day and tripped and fell. In the process, I slammed my shotgun against a rock. At first inspection, it looked OK afterward and then FWOOSH! Bird flies up! I fired and when I tried to eject the shell, I noticed the problem.

The carrier on the trigger assembly is protruding way too far out the bottom of the firearm (see photos). So when I activate the pump, it gets caught. (photos)

I took her apart for inspection and couldn't see any bends or buckles in it. I compared the trigger assembly with that off another 870 (non-magnum) I have, and they looked mostly identical. I couldn't see anything with my untrained eyes that immediately clued me on on the problem, and thought I'd hit the forum up for ideas/help.

Thoughts?

[Vitaly]

It is definitely not normal. Maybe you can post more detailed photos of trigger group assembly?

[Synchronizor]

Are you sure the carrier isn't bent? You could also look at the carrier pivot tube & trigger plate, but it looks to me like the carrier is really out of whack.

Where exactly did the gun hit when you fell? I see a scuff on the back of the fore-end, is that all that got whacked?

[fwoom]

Thanks, guys. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back.

Here are some pictures of the trigger assembly -- as best as I can do. I tried to get a couple of the carrier, as well, which I think I will need to add in a separate post.

As far as where I smacked the gun when I fell, it hit the top of the gun, on the barrel, just front of where the barrel slides into the receiver. There is no noticeable mars or marks where I whacked it. In fact, other than the carrier protruding, you'd never know.

I'm not positive that the carrier isn't bent. It's the first thing I looked for, but I just can't see any bends or buckles in it. I compared it with my other non-magnum 870 and really can't see a difference. Although I could just be retarded.

The scuff on the forend is a result of me pumping the forend back before I noticed the carrier protruding. The carrier caused the scuff.

I hope this helps. I'm dying without this gun. I was all ready to try my first waterfowl hunt ever... (I'm using my other wood stock 870, but it's not the same, since it can't take the 3-1/2" shells...). I appreciate your thoughts.

[fwoom]

Here are a couple other pictures.

One other thing I noticed. The carrier seems to be a little stiffer than my other 870. It could be my imagination, though. Is it the dog follower spring that operates the carrier, and would a problem with that cause any issues?

Thanks again so much.

Dan.

[fwoom]

One other question...

...Are the trigger assemblies for the 870 Express and the 870 Express SuperMag interchangeable? Until I can repair the one on my SuperMag, would I be able to use the trigger assembly off my 870 Express and toss in the 3-1/2" magnum shells?

Thanks, guys. I'm glad I found this forum. I'm starting to fall in love with my 870's again with reading some of the upgrade ideas and whatnot.

[Synchronizor]

I don't know, that carrier looks tweaked to me. Here's an image of a new SuperMag trigger plate assembly from Remington's online store:

...Are the trigger assemblies for the 870 Express and the 870 Express SuperMag interchangeable? Until I can repair the one on my SuperMag, would I be able to use the trigger assembly off my 870 Express and toss in the 3-1/2" magnum shells?

Express trigger plate assemblies are fully compatible with other standard 12ga 870s designed for 2.75" or 3" shells, but SuperMag 870s have special TPAs, bolts, and slide assemblies that are redesigned for the longer shells. I doubt you could just swap a standard TPA in and expect it to work, at least not without replacing some other items as well.

If you have a hunt coming up before you can get the problem sorted out & replacement parts in, and you really want to be able to use 3.5" shells, an 870 should be able to function as a single-shot with its carrier removed. Just be careful around mud & water, since removing the carrier opens up some ingress routes into the interior of the trigger plate assembly. Another option would be to remove your fore-end, and just operate the gun with the bare fore-end tube. This way, nothing will overlap the receiver and interfere with the carrier (though the carrier may not do its job properly if it's out of shape).

[fwoom]

OK, thanks. So weird, since when I whacked it, it wasn't anywhere near the carrier. Must've done something I didn't notice.

Do you think we're talking entire trigger assembly replacement, or just the carrier?

In other good news (sarcasm), I seem to have lost the two pins that hold the assembly in. I get the bonehead of the day award for that one.

[fwoom]

Assuming it is the carrier assembly, and just in case anyone in the future runs into this, I found what looks like the right part: F102191.

I think I'm going to buy one and try my hand at replacing it. Synchronizer, I think I saw a youtube video of yours that details trigger assembly and how to disassemble/reassemble one, did I not?

Thanks again for your help.

[Synchronizor]

OK, thanks. So weird, since when I whacked it, it wasn't anywhere near the carrier. Must've done something I didn't notice.

If you can figure out how exactly the carrier got messed up, I'd love to hear about it.

Do you think we're talking entire trigger assembly replacement, or just the carrier?

If the carrier's the only thing damaged, you should be fine just replacing the carrier assembly. While you're ordering parts though, I'd inspect the carrier pivot tube and its hole in the trigger plate to make sure they're not messed up, too.

Assuming it is the carrier assembly, and just in case anyone in the future runs into this, I found what looks like the right part: F102191.

I think I'm going to buy one and try my hand at replacing it.

Yes, F102191 is the SuperMag carrier assembly. -190 is the standard 12ga part.

Synchronizer, I think I saw a youtube video of yours that details trigger assembly and how to disassemble/reassemble one, did I not?

If you have come across a video on the topic, it wasn't one of mine. I'm planning a video on disassembling the TPA, but haven't quite gotten around to it yet. When I do, it'll show how to take the thing pretty much completely to bits, so I have more work to do before I'm ready to put that video together.

However, just replacing the carrier assembly is a pretty simple procedure; you don't need any special tools, and you don't have to pull apart any of the rest of the TPA since the carrier is an independent system in the assembly. If you'd like, I can describe how to do it, or you could just watch a video showing how to change your carrier dog follower spring - that requires removing the carrier assembly, so you'll be able to see what you need to do.

Speaking of my videos though, would you mind if I used your story and images in a video? I've been too sick and/or busy to put much time into a video for this month, so I'm looking for a topic that I can knock out pretty quickly. I think demonstrating how to remove an 870's carrier and operate it as a single-shot - as I mentioned earlier - would just about fit the bill.