action bar not catching on new 870?
action bar not catching on new 870?
Just got a new 870 express and of course I had to break it down and upgrade some things. During the reassembly process I noticed the action bars are not always catching on the shell latches - probably about 50% of the time. If I rack the forend fast, it allows the forend/bolt/slide to come right out. If I rack it slow, it seems to catch normally. This is not normal, right? Any ideas or suggestions on what to check?
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Synchronizor
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Re: action bar not catching on new 870?
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase.
If the bolt and fore-arm assembly are sliding out when you rack the gun, I'll assume you're working the action without a barrel installed. If the situation is otherwise, please clarify.
On an 870, the barrel is a key part of the action. To go into battery, the bolt's locking block engages with the locking notch inside the barrel's base.
Without a barrel installed, the shell latches will not retain the bolt group in the receiver if the action is worked with any real force. Without the barrel to stop it, the bolt will slide forward and stick, or pop out completely. I would recommend against doing this to your gun, the shell latches are not intended to serve this function, and beating on them with the bolt can damage or dislodge them.
If the bolt and fore-arm assembly are sliding out when you rack the gun, I'll assume you're working the action without a barrel installed. If the situation is otherwise, please clarify.
On an 870, the barrel is a key part of the action. To go into battery, the bolt's locking block engages with the locking notch inside the barrel's base.
Without a barrel installed, the shell latches will not retain the bolt group in the receiver if the action is worked with any real force. Without the barrel to stop it, the bolt will slide forward and stick, or pop out completely. I would recommend against doing this to your gun, the shell latches are not intended to serve this function, and beating on them with the bolt can damage or dislodge them.
Re: action bar not catching on new 870?
Thanks for the lesson Synchronizor, that's exactly what was going on! Good to know I didn't break anything...yet.