Rem 870 fail to feed...

[Axle2010]

Hey guys I've got an 870 Epress I got on trade about 10 years ago and never shot more than a couple boxes through. I feel in love with tower pheasant hunting last month so been using this thing lately and got a LOT of failures to feed. Never a problem with light target/skeet loads but with the 3" Prairie Storm I got a lot of failures to feed, never to eject though. I'm not short stroking and I'm not soft handing it but the last hunt I shot 47 rounds and had at least a dozen fail to feeds. Anybody else have issues with their 870 or do I just have a dud? Thanks guys

 

[Waterbuck2008]

I'm taking a guess without knowing the symptoms, but there have been some runs of 870's, probably around the vintage of yours, that had defects in the elevator/trigger group. Some would be finicky about certain brands, or the true length, specifically, of 3" shells. Most of the folks I knew with problems sent them back for a new trigger group.

 

[BeeMaa]

I'm not a big Rem 870 guy but I ran across this article about the carrier latch spring that is typically the culprit in cases like this. Looks like an inexpensive and reasonably simple upgrade.

https://www.rem870.com/2017/06/13/fixing-remington-870-failure-to-feed-problem/

Not sure how attached you are to the 870, but there's always the option of upgrading to something else.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I'm surprised you managed to cycle that many rounds through an 870 Express without other more significant problems. They are notorious for rough chambers. It's such a common problem that Remington now simply tells complainants to fix it themselves. You should probably find someone who will polish the chamber or at some point a shell will get stuck in it.

 

[cash_tx]

I have an older (early 1990's vintage) 870 Express that has recently benefited greatly from an upgrade to a new spring and follower from Midway USA. At around $20, it's a fix worth trying.

I suppose a good question to ask is whether the failure to feed manifests as an issue with getting the shells to the feed ramp, or getting them from the feed ramp into and out of the chamber?

 

[CoElkHunter]

I bought a 870 Express in '89. 3" chamber. Shot everything through it, loaned it out several times and NO problems whatsoever. Maybe the later produced ones suffered from a lack of quality control?

 

[Finprof]

Desert Dog Outdoors has a YouTube video titled Remington 870: Rise and fall of an icon.
It details the steps to get an 870 Express functioning properly. The Cerberus era guns were particularly problematic.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Useless trivia. My wife says I'm a "master" at it: When Remington came out in 1951 with the 870 Wingmaster, it was REVOLUTIONARY. Remington learned from manufacturing firearms in WW2, that MANY stamped steel parts were inherently just as sound as forged parts for many parts in a given firearm. That reduced the weight and cost of the 870 and was the death knell for the Winchester M12 with all forged parts, much heavier weight and COST. Of course, the much later manufactured Remington firearms suffered from shoddy quality control and indifference from a succession of owners.

 

[Axle2010]

I'm not remotely attached to it other than the laminated stock looks fairly nice. I already have a Benelli Montefeltro Silver ordered to replace it but I don't want a gun sitting in a corner collecting dust so I'd like to fix it. I'll try the spring upgrade and see what happens. Thanks guys

 

[Axle2010]

I have an older (early 1990's vintage) 870 Express that has recently benefited greatly from an upgrade to a new spring and follower from Midway USA. At around $20, it's a fix worth trying.

I suppose a good question to ask is whether the failure to feed manifests as an issue with getting the shells to the feed ramp, or getting them from the feed ramp into and out of the chamber?

They don't get to the feed ramps. When I take a couple shots at birds I have to check to see if it chambered anther round and several times I'd track the slide and it just said "click". I always heard the 870 was a great gun that's why I took the trade, I didn't edit want it but it was to help out somebody that needed money.

 

[Flipper Dude]

I'm not a big Rem 870 guy but I ran across this article about the carrier latch spring that is typically the culprit in cases like this. Looks like an inexpensive and reasonably simple upgrade.

https://www.rem870.com/2017/06/13/fixing-remington-870-failure-to-feed-problem/

Not sure how attached you are to the 870, but there's always the option of upgrading to something else.

 

[Flipper Dude]

I shot an 870 Wingmaster from can to can’t. My dad bought it in 1966 for my mom for a present. ( Cough, cough). I shot it from about 1975 to 2010ish. Thousands of ducks. One year I shot 173 ducks by journal. Never once failed to load or fire. Best damn shotgun ever. Waxing nostalgic here.

 

[cash_tx]

They don't get to the feed ramps. When I take a couple shots at birds I have to check to see if it chambered anther round and several times I'd track the slide and it just said "click". I always heard the 870 was a great gun that's why I took the trade, I didn't edit want it but it was to help out somebody that needed money.

I'd look into a spring and follower replacement or upgrade then.

 

[Newboomer]

I'd look into a spring and follower replacement or upgrade then.

I'd look into a spring and follower replacement or upgrade then.

I have one, a 2 3/4 inch, circa late 1970s. I put an extended mag tube for 3 gun and have put innumerable rounds through without a single hitch. I've shot about every brand and weight available including slugs, bird and buck. The only "problem" is shooting S & B ammo. They are a little longer than others so I lose one round in the tube. They still feed and extract with no problem. I've had several brands of scattergun but always go to my old 870 for the serious stuff.

 

[cash_tx]

I have one, a 2 3/4 inch, circa late 1970s. I put an extended mag tube for 3 gun and have put innumerable rounds through without a single hitch. I've shot about every brand and weight available including slugs, bird and buck. The only "problem" is shooting S & B ammo. They are a little longer than others so I lose one round in the tube. They still feed and extract with no problem. I've had several brands of scattergun but always go to my old 870 for the serious stuff.

I got mine in 1994 and put a 3 round extension on it the same day. Worked good for almost 30 years, but in the last year or so the follower seemed to get bound up every now and then when getting down to the last round or two. It was either a weak spring or the follower was getting messed up (or both), but a replacement set from Midway solved the issue and made it like new again.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Buy a Wingmaster and be happy! I have a 870 Express or two and haven’t had any trouble with them but I probably bought them to do a quick bird hunt or something and haven’t shot them much. I believe they are 3-1/2” super mag express.

 

[Newboomer]

I got mine in 1994 and put a 3 round extension on it the same day. Worked good for almost 30 years, but in the last year or so the follower seemed to get bound up every now and then when getting down to the last round or two. It was either a weak spring or the follower was getting messed up (or both), but a replacement set from Midway solved the issue and made it like new again.

Such a simple machine and nearly indestructible. With an extended tube, butt cuff and side saddle I carry a full 20 rounds aboard.

 

[BeeMaa]

I'm not remotely attached to it other than the laminated stock looks fairly nice. I already have a Benelli Montefeltro Silver ordered to replace it but I don't want a gun sitting in a corner collecting dust so I'd like to fix it. I'll try the spring upgrade and see what happens. Thanks guys

I was going to recommend a Benelli or Beretta, but I didn't want to overstep in case you had some sentimental feelings for the Rem.

My neighbor has one of the early production Benelli Montefeltro shotguns but it's a base model with all black receiver and rather plain wood. A great shooting gun, but not a real "looker". The Silver you have on the way is a beautiful shotgun.

Benelli recommends a minimum of 1 1/8 oz loads in the owners manual to insure proper cycling of the action. I have a SBE3 (3.5" chamber) and have no problems with loads down to 1 oz. It has been incredibly reliable even when dirty from hunting and once it was even fully submerged in a river. It's always gone bang when I needed it to.

BTW - you can easily run a few thousand rounds through a Benelli inertia drive without a cleaning and even then you will be surprised how little carbon there is in the action. Huge difference from a gas operated shotgun. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions.

 

[HankBuck]

Hey guys I've got an 870 Epress I got on trade about 10 years ago and never shot more than a couple boxes through. I feel in love with tower pheasant hunting last month so been using this thing lately and got a LOT of failures to feed. Never a problem with light target/skeet loads but with the 3" Prairie Storm I got a lot of failures to feed, never to eject though. I'm not short stroking and I'm not soft handing it but the last hunt I shot 47 rounds and had at least a dozen fail to feeds. Anybody else have issues with their 870 or do I just have a dud? Thanks guys

Axle2010, I’m very familiar with the 870 Express and likely many other members on here are too. Please do not take offense (as Non is intended) but this is one of the cheapest and lowest quality guns ever produced by Remington. It was created as a “low cost alternative” to Remingtons highly regarded “Wing Master”. It had cheaper wood, cheaper less durable finish on the metal - rusts easily (right before your eyes). Remington began to have severe financial problems in the 1990s and quality of their firearms declined.
While 3” loads are Not required to kill pheasant - the gun (if chambered for 3”) should be able to handle them.
If you enjoy shooting and hunting and plan to participate on any regular basis - You might consider selling it and upgrading to something else.

 

[Axle2010]

I was going to recommend a Benelli or Beretta, but I didn't want to overstep in case you had some sentimental feelings for the Rem.

My neighbor has one of the early production Benelli Montefeltro shotguns but it's a base model with all black receiver and rather plain wood. A great shooting gun, but not a real "looker". The Silver you have on the way is a beautiful shotgun.

Benelli recommends a minimum of 1 1/8 oz loads in the owners manual to insure proper cycling of the action. I have a SBE3 (3.5" chamber) and have no problems with loads down to 1 oz. It has been incredibly reliable even when dirty from hunting and once it was even fully submerged in a river. It's always gone bang when I needed it to.

BTW - you can easily run a few thousand rounds through a Benelli inertia drive without a cleaning and even then you will be surprised how little carbon there is in the action. Huge difference from a gas operated shotgun. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions.

Bee it wasn't easy to spend the extra on the silver when the standard Monte itself is a really nice gun and shoots great but I'm kind of at the point where I'd I can't get what I want I'll just go without and I wanted a purty shotgun. Should be here in the next week or so and I can't wait.