Polishing 870 chamber

[robbynola]

My 870 express was jamming on low base Winchester shells. I read that the Chamber needed to be polished. I tried my hand at it, and the problem is now remedied, but I have a question for others who have done it.

The guys who I read talking about it said the Chamber should be a mirror finish. Mine shines now, but is nowhere near a mirror shine. It looks more like a brushed finish. I used a brake cylinder hone and finished with a dowel wrapped in 000 steel wool with CLP. Do you guys have any tips on finish polishing this chamber up to make it glossy like a mirror? I'm worried that it being slightly rough will result in fowling causing more jams.

 

[BayouSlide]

Numerous posters on Shotgunworld forum report that it takes exactly what you did to cure sticky extraction in the 870 Express...it's the recommended fix. I'd suggest repeating the process with #00000 steel wool (available from Brownells if you can't find it elsewhere) for a smoother, final polish.

 

[Hitman]

Was it these?

If so that's pretty odd, my 15 year old 20g. 870 Express performed flawlessly this weekend shooting those exact rounds. I even shot some years old Fiocchi #8's. I'd say about 140 rounds altogether with not so much as a hiccup.

I'm not braggin just saying you might have something else wrong. I've never heard of anyone needing to polish the chamber.

Heck I'm only 30 but have hunted bird/game most of my life and most everyone I hunt with uses 870's and I've never heard nor seen an FTE issue with an 870. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit suprised to see this topic.

*Side note just for laughs, if I called my Dad and told him a guy was having FTE issues with his 870 he'd laugh and call you a liar* I know, I know, it's just a thought/joke lol

 

[BayouSlide]

I've never heard of anyone needing to polish the chamber.

It is leading cause of the single most common complaint about problems with the 870 Express...rough chambers leading to FTE, often with steel base shells, especially cheap bulk pack shells.

Note, that was the 870 Express not the 870 Wingmasters (both older and recent) which have a much higher level of fit and finish.

 

[Hitman]

It is leading cause of the single most common complaint about problems with the 870 Express...rough chambers leading to FTE, often with steel base shells, especially cheap bulk pack shells.

Note, that was the 870 Express not the 870 Wingmasters (both older and recent) which have a much higher level of fit and finish.

Weird, I've just never heard of this. Years of firing several hundred rounds a year and I can't ever remember a shell not ejecting when I pull back.

I do however lube my guns before use.

I'd also venture to say that the leading cause of all pump action shotguns is NOT pulling back completely and short-stroking the action. I've seen FTE in pumps. Yet when given a brisk pull back the shell goes flying. It’s aggravating to see folks falsely blame equipment when it turns out to be user error.

Maybe one day one of the two dozen people I shoot with will have one of these FTE’s on their 870 Express Models and I’ll see for myself what the problem is

 

[spanky]

We saw several in a shotgun class a couple years ago. Mine did it a few times and I'm certain I didn't do anything differently.

 

[BayouSlide]

Maybe one day one of the two dozen people I shoot with will have one of these FTE’s on their 870 Express Models and I’ll see for myself what the problem is

It has nothing to do with lube. People that have an 870 Express with a rough chamber will likely experience the problem right out of the box, otherwise it will probably never be a problem. Roughness in the chamber tends to "stick" shells, causing extraction problems.

 

[Hitman]

It has nothing to do with lube. People that have an 870 Express with a rough chamber will likely experience the problem right out of the box, otherwise it will probably never be a problem. Roughness in the chamber tends to "stick" shells, causing extraction problems.

Gotcha.

 

[BayouSlide]

Interesting; apparently, a lot of recent production Express guns have rough chambers. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, given just about everybody's cutting corners and quality in an effort to maintain or improve their bottom line. I bought one when I retired, and except for the plastic trigger group I have had zero complaints regarding the shotgun. In fact, it is the "best shooting" short-barreled 870 I've ever seen, when fed Federal Flite Control 00B. Two other members here and I had to double-check the barrel when we shot it; we were sure I had gotten a turkey choke barrel by mistake.

Thanks for the info, BayouSlide. But the caveat regarding the steel or aluminum head shells stands...

.

Cutting corners, worn reamers, etc. are often pointed out as likely culprits. The additional attention to chamber finishing in current Wingmasters seem to make them immune to reported problems. And you're absolutely right: the problem is always more likely to occur with steel/aluminum-based hulls, particularly some of the bargain promo/bulk packs. The Winchester bulk promo shells may be even a little more problematic than others due to base variances, if various posters can be believed. It must be true if we read about it on the Internet, right?

I shoot mainly the non-brass-based Remington Gun Clubs (or Estates when they're on sale), but through Wingmasters (I've still got 2 of the 4 I've owned) or the warhorse 1991 Citori I've acquired recently for clay games. Remington Heavy Dove loads (also non-brass) feed my Benelli 3-gun shotgun. Never a FTE in any of 'em in thousands of shells, but they all have glassy-smooth chambers...and all of 'em weren't built to the enviable price point of the 870 Express

 

[Hitman]

So I was rather amazed to read of all the rough chamber issues in recent history, after the mention of it in post #3.

Sign of the times, I suppose...

.

Same here. I guess having acquired one when they were released was best.

Eitherway if simply polishing it destroys this little issue of shooting #8's, then so be it.

 

[Vsotok10]

Use a dremel tool with felt buffing wheels and some buffing compound (Brasso works fine). This has resolved the cheap-shell issue on several NIB 870's without any further work done to the guns.

 

[robbynola]

I was surprised when it started giving me problems as well. To give big green some credit, it's eaten a couple thousand of the cheap federal shells and plenty buck shot with no issue whatsoever. It only started giving me problems with the cheap winchesters.

I'm going to try the dremel felt wheel and brasso next to see the results. If I can't get it mirrored enough to make me confident, I'll probably just buy another barrel and stay away from the Winchester value packs.

If I go the new barrel route, I'm thinking about sending this barrel off to get reworked by a pro and cut down to 12.5" and sending in for an SBS. Does anyone have a recommendation for a smith?

For anyone that has this problem, don't go with the internet's suggestion of using a brake hone unless you're not picky. It works, but the results are definitely not pretty. Yo might want to try one of those flex hones from Brownell's.

 

[spanky]

I was surprised when it started giving me problems as well. To give big green some credit, it's eaten a couple thousand of the cheap federal shells and plenty buck shot with no issue whatsoever. It only started giving me problems with the cheap winchesters.

I'm going to try the dremel felt wheel and brasso next to see the results. If I can't get it mirrored enough to make me confident, I'll probably just buy another barrel and stay away from the Winchester value packs.

If I go the new barrel route, I'm thinking about sending this barrel off to get reworked by a pro and cut down to 12.5" and sending in for an SBS. Does anyone have a recommendation for a smith?

For anyone that has this problem, don't go with the internet's suggestion of using a brake hone unless you're not picky. It works, but the results are definitely not pretty. Yo might want to try one of those flex hones from Brownell's.

Steve Rose @ Rose Action Sports. He goes by GunCat on ARFcom. He cut & threaded the barrel on my 870 and threaded the barrel on my Saiga.

http://www.bayoushooter.com/forums/...D-WITH-PICS***&p=367175&viewfull=1#post367175

 

[BayouSlide]

It only started giving me problems with the cheap winchesters.

I'm going to try the dremel felt wheel and brasso next to see the results. If I can't get it mirrored enough to make me confident, I'll probably just buy another barrel and stay away from the Winchester value packs.

If I go the new barrel route, I'm thinking about sending this barrel off to get reworked by a pro and cut down to 12.5" and sending in for an SBS. Does anyone have a recommendation for a smith?

For anyone that has this problem, don't go with the internet's suggestion of using a brake hone unless you're not picky. It works, but the results are definitely not pretty. Yo might want to try one of those flex hones from Brownell's.

If your chamber only had problems with the Winchesters, it probably wasn't a really bad one.

Now all you need is a finer cut to what you accomplished earlier...a super fine cut on metal is all that polishing is. You probably need something a little more aggressive than a felt wheel and brasso, though. Give #00000 steel wool a try...I use it for polishing/rubbing in cold blue and it works great. If you go the felt wheel approach, consider red polishing rouge followed by white rouge...you'll get where you need to be. The key to polishing is to make finer and finer cuts stage by stage.

You're spot on on flex honing but you're most of the way home at this point. If you do buy a new barrel, pick a Wingmaster barrel (it will be blued which won't match your gun unless you can get a 870P barrel) rather than than another Express to avoid the potential for repeat of your problem.

If I were you, I'd just give the #00000 a whirl, followed by the felt wheel and two stages of rouge. Then you should be able to see yourself in that shiny chamber and it will run even crappy out-of-spec ammo.

 

[robbynola]

If your chamber only had problems with the Winchesters, it probably wasn't a really bad one.

Now all you need is a finer cut to what you accomplished earlier...a super fine cut on metal is all that polishing is. You probably need something a little more aggressive than a felt wheel and brasso, though. Give #00000 steel wool a try...I use it for polishing/rubbing in cold blue and it works great. If you go the felt wheel approach, consider red polishing rouge followed by white rouge...you'll get where you need to be. The key to polishing is to make finer and finer cuts stage by stage.

You're spot on on flex honing but you're most of the way home at this point. If you do buy a new barrel, pick a Wingmaster barrel (it will be blued which won't match your gun unless you can get a 870P barrel) rather than than another Express to avoid the potential for repeat of your problem.

If I were you, I'd just give the #00000 a whirl, followed by the felt wheel and two stages of rouge. Then you should be able to see yourself in that shiny chamber and it will run even crappy out-of-spec ammo.

If I do go new barrel, I've been eyeing up the police barrels on the market. It seems that they mostly have rifle sights though. I prefer the bead because I leave the 870 out of the safe for my GF when she's home alone, and want to keep things as simple for her as possible.

Thanks for the advise on the #00000 and rouge. I'm definitely going to keep working with this barrel a bit. It would be a shame to buy a new one if this one can work out as well or better. I just don't want to have any doubts in it since it's on house duty.

 

[BayouSlide]

If I do go new barrel, I've been eyeing up the police barrels on the market. It seems that they mostly have rifle sights though.

Cylinder bore and single bead is what both my 870Ps came with...you should be able to get that barrel setup without too much problem.

 

[robbynola]

Sounds to me like problem identified... and solved.

.

Yeah, I should have just left well enough alone and not bought any more Winchester. The guys dispensing advise online made this sound super simple and didn't express any concern with the end results, so I figured it would be quick easy fix to ensure I could run anything I get my hands on.

 

[Evan632]

What about the Remington ShurShot Target load shotshells? Any known problems with those?