Pump action opening when firing express shells

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  • john17427

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    Oct 23, 2010
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    I wanted to get opinions on a Remington 31 pump shotgun I use on a regular basis. The 31 is a precursor to the 870 and several other shotguns in use today. When I fire heavy 2 3/4 loads in it, the action will open on its own anywhere from an inch to almost fully open. I ruled out it being related to recoil and my hand on the slide by firing it without a hand on the slide. Even with that test, the bolt does not go far enough back to eject the shell, but it goes back several inches. A Web search on this phenomena yielded two camps; one says it's working fine and as designed, and some say it isn't. What say you?
     

    yote72571

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    Rosie Ar
    Just makes the follow up shot quicker. Ithaca 16 gauge still does it to this day.


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    john17427

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    Thanks guys. Yeah, I'm kind of torn between whether it's functioning as designed or the action bar lock is worn. The video does show exactly what I'm seeing though. The action opens a good bit when firing heavy loads like his sxp does. I want to try it with light loads and see what it does.
     

    Bigchillin83

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    Just makes the follow up shot quicker. Ithaca 16 gauge still does it to this day.


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    Yup!!! I have an old Ithaca 16g with a poly choke on it and all you do is hold the trigger down, every time pump rides home a shot rides out!!!! lol it does 75% of the pumping for you!!!
     

    AdvancedLaser

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    Keep in mind that bolt lockup is designed to contain a pretty healthy explosion. Why not stop by Reulet Gunworks and get them to look at the internal component parts and opine on its condition. Having an OOB detonation is quite a bad experience.
     

    yote72571

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    Keep in mind that bolt lockup is designed to contain a pretty healthy explosion. Why not stop by Reulet Gunworks and get them to look at the internal component parts and opine on its condition. Having an OOB detonation is quite a bad experience.

    Is it not the same as a .22 with blow back design ?


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    john17427

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    Been busy with trying to wrap up my MIL's house (tree went through it). I also want to try some lower powered shells to add to the information I give to the gunsmith. Hopefully I can get back on track with this soon.
     

    john17427

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    Finally got around to a gunsmith and some more test firing today. Here's some more background on this gun (after kicking it around with the gunsmith), but this seems to be what's going on. The shotgun is certainly old (1939 Rem 31) and I've shot it a good bit. No telling how many shells through it before I got it so it's definitely consumed it's share of shells. A little while back I had a wolf hammer spring put in it and since I wasn't able to get out hunting this year (a lot of reasons including the MIL's house with a tree through it), I hadn't tested it. Second, we figured out that I shoot a shotgun by push pull. That is, I push with my hand on the slide and pull the stock into my shoulder with my right. The test today was to change that by pulling with both hands. Lockup was maintained by shooting with that hold. I have shot pump shotguns with a push pull hold since I was nine. Guess I'll have to change or get used to the way this one works now.
     

    tallguy606

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    Dec 30, 2010
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    Is it not the same as a .22 with blow back design ?


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    No - a blowback action does not LOCK the breechbolt. A Rem 31 has the rear of the bolt lock up against a shoulder in the receiver, just like most older pumps, Ithaca, Winchester model 12, etc.
     

    Magdump

    Don’t troll me bro!
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    Dec 31, 2013
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    Try shooting the gun with your hand off of the forend and see if it still opens the breech. Brace it on a bag if you have to and make sure nothing is touching the pump handle. If it doesn’t, you are bumping open the breech from recoil. It happens with some pump shotguns and rifles and is shooter related.

    EDIT: just read your most recent post. Glad you figured it out. Gun is probably fine.
     
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