Stuck magazine tube spring assembly

[dber]

I aquired a mid 70's 870 wingmaster that needed some attention, mainly with rust. In the dissasembly process, after removing the magazine tube end cap, the spring assembly was not coming out under pressue and slightly depressed inside the tube. I spayed some WD40 inside the tube, which didn't look to bad and thought maybe if I pushed it in, cleaned, lubed, it would all slide back out. I eventually wound up pushing the spring assembly all the way in where it's stuck in that position. Realize this may have been the wrong thing to do and seeking wisdom about what to do from here.

[Among Us]

You have a Wingmaster 870 from the 70s—it’s a classic! These guns are solidly built, but time and rust can cause parts to malfunction. I suggest you try using some gun oil instead of WD-40, as it can leave a residue that isn’t good for the internal mechanism. If the spring still won’t release, you may need to remove the magazine tube for a more thorough cleaning.

[dber]

Does the tube unscrew? Once it is out, could I insert a rod from where the shells go to push the spring assembly out the other end? thanks for your advice

[Chris89]

Tap the magazine tube lightly with a rubber mallet to free any stuck components.

[BKinzey]

Does the tube unscrew? Once it is out, could I insert a rod from where the shells go to push the spring assembly out the other end? thanks for your advice

The tube doesn't unscrew. I'd use a wood or plastic rod from the loading side to push/tap the follower and spring out towards the cap. Since they are stuck I'd inspect them both carefully as they may need to be replaced.

Check the mag tube for rust or goo that hindered the spring.

I'd use a "penetrating oil" instead of WD-40 to loosen the spring. Kroil is excellent but expensive, PB Blaster is good and widely available. After you clean it up I'd use a proper gun oil.

[Sully]

Is the actual spring stuck, or are you referring to the "C" shaped spring retaining cap? On the 870 and 1100/1187's, they all had a "C" shaped retaining cap to hold the spring into the magazine tube, this was done up to around 1994 if my memory is correct at which time Remington stated dimpling the magazine tube and changed to a plastic serrated retainer that not only held the spring in the magazine tube, but also the serrated front end locked the magazine cap to hold the barrel on.



If you have the "C" shaped retaining cap, what we teach to remove these in Armorer courses is to use the corkscrew tool that was originally manufactured by Menck, which is now a Brownells Corkscrew tool. It is basically a threaded arbor, that you screw slowly and lightly into the hole in the "C" retaining cap, thread it down just enough to get a hold of the "C" cap and not so tight that you flare the "C" cap outward. Once you have a hold of the "C" cap, gently start rocking the "C" cap in a semi-circular motion and you wiggle the "C" cap out of the magazine tube.


If the spring actually so rusted it is stuck, then some type of penetrating or kreeping oil (Kroil is my favorite and what we recommend in the Armorer courses we teach, as already mentioned here as well). Then carefully try and rotate the spring to see if it comes loose, once loose you can pull it out of the magazine tube. If the spring and tube is this heavily rusted, then you should get a magazine tube brush (This is a Brownells product, as I have not found another source) and scrub all the crud out of the magazine tube.

CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
WeaponsArmorer
SLR15 Rifles
Defensive Edge Training
(763) 712-0123 

[dber]

Hey guys, I was able to find a long thin plastic painbrush handle and push the spring keeper back up to the top where I could work it out. The inside tube was free of rust and was able to clean it out. Was really stuck till you guys helped me out...Thanks! Nice to know these tools are available as well. Got her stripped down and doing some cleaning. Need to work on the rust and figure out what to do next.