honing a shotgun chamber

Bruno2 · November 1, 2009, 06:00 PM

I have a rem 1187 20 ga shotgun . I am having trouble with the shells ejecting . My gunsmith buddy told me the chamber looks rough and probably should be honed . I was wanting to hone it my self . What kind of hone do I use ? Do I use the type of hone that has the clusters of little balls on it. Or do I use the style that I have used to hone master cylinders that has the three little whet stones that are spring loaded ? How far do I go inside the chamber ? What kind of rpm should I use ?

PetahW · November 1, 2009, 07:00 PM

I would respectfully submit that you could use a 2nd opinion.

Just a WAG, but the plastic from modern shotshells has been known to slightly melt in hot repeaters, and leave chamber deposits - the reason Remington included a chamber brush and chamber cleaning instructions with their new auto shotguns.

.

LHB1 · November 1, 2009, 08:03 PM

First, I would remove the barrel and clean the chamber thoroughly with a good brass brush and Shooters Choice Bore Cleaner. Then reassemble gun, test for function/ejection, and re-evaluate the situation.

williamd · November 1, 2009, 08:41 PM

Buy good AA or Remington shells not the steel based Wally World junk and your problem may well go away! You can buy cylinder hones for Brownell's (or brake cylinder hones at the auto shop!). But, be very gentle!!

Listen to LHB1.

Bruno2 · November 1, 2009, 11:11 PM

This has been going on for well over a month . The gun has had about 300-400 rds put through . The gas ports are clear , the gun has been cleaned thoroughly , the gas piston hardware has been checked against the manual over and over . There is no evidence of gas leaking out the top of the O ring . The chamber felt like it could have used a little smoothing up . The loads that I am having trouble with is a win AA hull 14.7 grs of green dot , win waa20 wad win 209 primer and 7/8 oz of shot . The load is supposed to generate over 10,000 psi of pressure and that should be plenty to cycle a gas gun . I shoot one of the lightest loads I could find through my 391 Optima and never have cycling issues . The Rem will cycle the bolt far enough to lock it open , but , it will not eject the shell . The rem is chambered for 3" mags and the hulls I am reloading are 2 3/4" and have only been fired once maybe twice so I couldnt have imagine that they have stretched any let alone stretched farther than a spent 3" . There isnt anything wrong with the extractor it grabs the shells and sometimes even stove pipes them , but , very rarely throws them out of the receiver so another one can take its place .

FM12 · November 2, 2009, 12:41 AM

I'd try a good cleaning and light polishing first.

thallub · November 2, 2009, 07:31 AM

Cleaning up a shotgun chamber using a brake cylinder hone with fine grit hones is OK if one does not over do it. I have used this method many times. Put the barrel in a vise and use a hand drill to turn the cylinder hone. Run the hone 2 5/8" into the chamber. Do not let the hone hit the forcing cone.

dahermit · November 2, 2009, 08:59 AM

Quote:

I have a rem 1187 20 ga shotgun . I am having trouble with the shells ejecting . My gunsmith buddy told me the chamber looks rough and probably should be honed . I was wanting to hone it my self . What kind of hone do I use ? Do I use the type of hone that has the clusters of little balls on it. Or do I use the style that I have used to hone master cylinders that has the three little whet stones that are spring loaded ? How far do I go inside the chamber ? What kind of rpm should I use ?

If you do not have experience in metal working. You should not do it yourself. If the barrel comes off the receiver, it would be a simple job (not expensive) for a gunsmith to do it. Many guns are damaged by people who just must tinker themselves. Which would be cheaper, having a gunsmith do it or buying a new barrel?

Mac's! · November 2, 2009, 12:42 PM

Honing a chamber is an excellent way to clean up the roughness and put a good pattern in a chamber as long as it's done correctly. Any type of hone can and will remove metal!

First, you have to use the correct size hone for that particular chamber. A hone that's to small will just touch the surface and not really hone at all. A hone that's to large will cut to much metal away and can loosen up the chamber.

Second, you have to use some type of lubricant, preferably flowing. Not using any lubricant will cause the hone surface to get clogged with debris which will reduce it's honing abilty or worse, cause tiny gouges to form in the chamber wall.

I use an air drill to spin the hones and I do all the honing in the shop sink with water running over the hone and thru the chamber. That keeps the hone surface clean. Don't let the hone just "sit and spin". Keep it moving back and forth so that the chamber wall gets a consistant pattern.

Personally, I think the ball hone is a great invention and I use one almost daily. I have about thirty different sizes and spares for the most used ones. Once you start using one, you'll discover lot's of uses for them besides just chambers. I use a hone inside recoil spring tubes, action tubes, pivot holes, etc. Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All.
Mac's Shootin' Irons
http://www.shootiniron.com

Joat · November 2, 2009, 04:52 PM

If you don't have a proper sized chamber hone, you can use an old bore brush wrapped with some 0000 steel wool.

Unroll a pad of steel wool, lay the old brush on the end and roll it (right to left) to make a polishing pad. Put the brush in an old piece of cleaning rod, chuck the rod in your variable speed drill motor, use a litle light oil on the pad, put the pad in the chamber, and polish away.

joat

oneounceload · November 2, 2009, 08:05 PM

Quote:

If you don't have a proper sized chamber hone, you can use an old bore brush wrapped with some 0000 steel wool

All that SHOULD be necessary to smooth it out

williamd · November 2, 2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Do not let the hone hit the forcing cone.

I use a reamer to remove the forcing cones completely! Unless you are thinking it will make it rough I see no damage from hitting the forcing cone lips.

Bruno2 · November 2, 2009, 10:35 PM

I got a brake hone that was the corect size . I chucked it in a drill motor and srayed wd 40 on the hone and in the chamber . I inserted the hone into the chamber and gauged the distance of the force cone . I marked the shaft with a piece of tape . I ran the drill at a very low rpm while working it slowly and consistently in and out . I let my dad spray wd 40 into it while I was honing periodicaly . I did this for about a minute maybe minute and a half . After that I took an old bore brush on an old cleaning rod in the drill with a piece of 600 grit wet or dry sand paper wrapped around the brush . I used just about the same method mentioned above with the hone (chamber shined up like a mirror , no scratches). Then I cleaned it all up with solvent and oil . I reassembled gun , however , I need to take it to the club this weekend and try her out .
Thanks for all of the tips and tricks guys
Brandon Harrison

November 1, 2009, 06:00 PM	#1
Bruno2 Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2009 Location: Not saying b/c I dont want any of you crazy people to rob or kill me. Alright it's Tulsa , Oklahoma Posts: 224	honing a shotgun chamber I have a rem 1187 20 ga shotgun . I am having trouble with the shells ejecting . My gunsmith buddy told me the chamber looks rough and probably should be honed . I was wanting to hone it my self . What kind of hone do I use ? Do I use the type of hone that has the clusters of little balls on it. Or do I use the style that I have used to hone master cylinders that has the three little whet stones that are spring loaded ? How far do I go inside the chamber ? What kind of rpm should I use ?

November 1, 2009, 08:03 PM	#3
LHB1 Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,545	First, I would remove the barrel and clean the chamber thoroughly with a good brass brush and Shooters Choice Bore Cleaner. Then reassemble gun, test for function/ejection, and re-evaluate the situation. __________________ Good shooting and be safe. LB

November 1, 2009, 08:41 PM	#4
williamd Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2007 Location: SoCal Posts: 801	Buy good AA or Remington shells not the steel based Wally World junk and your problem may well go away! You can buy cylinder hones for Brownell's (or brake cylinder hones at the auto shop!). But, be very gentle!! Listen to LHB1. __________________ "Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns!" Unfortunately, we may be moving in that direction. NRA Benefactor, Conservative!, VN '64-'65. Never sell a gun or a car ... and retire rich!

November 2, 2009, 04:52 PM	#10
Joat Senior Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Location: Dayton, TX Posts: 383	If you don't have a proper sized chamber hone, you can use an old bore brush wrapped with some 0000 steel wool. Unroll a pad of steel wool, lay the old brush on the end and roll it (right to left) to make a polishing pad. Put the brush in an old piece of cleaning rod, chuck the rod in your variable speed drill motor, use a litle light oil on the pad, put the pad in the chamber, and polish away. joat __________________ All things being equal, fat people use more soap. (I know I am one.) High speed, low drag does not even come close to describing ME.

November 1, 2009, 07:00 PM	#2
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	I would respectfully submit that you could use a 2nd opinion. Just a WAG, but the plastic from modern shotshells has been known to slightly melt in hot repeaters, and leave chamber deposits - the reason Remington included a chamber brush and chamber cleaning instructions with their new auto shotguns. .

November 1, 2009, 11:11 PM	#5
Bruno2 Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2009 Location: Not saying b/c I dont want any of you crazy people to rob or kill me. Alright it's Tulsa , Oklahoma Posts: 224	This has been going on for well over a month . The gun has had about 300-400 rds put through . The gas ports are clear , the gun has been cleaned thoroughly , the gas piston hardware has been checked against the manual over and over . There is no evidence of gas leaking out the top of the O ring . The chamber felt like it could have used a little smoothing up . The loads that I am having trouble with is a win AA hull 14.7 grs of green dot , win waa20 wad win 209 primer and 7/8 oz of shot . The load is supposed to generate over 10,000 psi of pressure and that should be plenty to cycle a gas gun . I shoot one of the lightest loads I could find through my 391 Optima and never have cycling issues . The Rem will cycle the bolt far enough to lock it open , but , it will not eject the shell . The rem is chambered for 3" mags and the hulls I am reloading are 2 3/4" and have only been fired once maybe twice so I couldnt have imagine that they have stretched any let alone stretched farther than a spent 3" . There isnt anything wrong with the extractor it grabs the shells and sometimes even stove pipes them , but , very rarely throws them out of the receiver so another one can take its place .

November 2, 2009, 12:41 AM	#6
FM12 Senior Member Join Date: February 5, 2007 Location: Monroeville, Alabama Posts: 1,683	I'd try a good cleaning and light polishing first.

November 2, 2009, 07:31 AM	#7
thallub Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2007 Location: South Western OK Posts: 3,112	Cleaning up a shotgun chamber using a brake cylinder hone with fine grit hones is OK if one does not over do it. I have used this method many times. Put the barrel in a vise and use a hand drill to turn the cylinder hone. Run the hone 2 5/8" into the chamber. Do not let the hone hit the forcing cone.

November 2, 2009, 12:42 PM	#9
Mac's! Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2001 Posts: 129	Honing a chamber is an excellent way to clean up the roughness and put a good pattern in a chamber as long as it's done correctly. Any type of hone can and will remove metal! First, you have to use the correct size hone for that particular chamber. A hone that's to small will just touch the surface and not really hone at all. A hone that's to large will cut to much metal away and can loosen up the chamber. Second, you have to use some type of lubricant, preferably flowing. Not using any lubricant will cause the hone surface to get clogged with debris which will reduce it's honing abilty or worse, cause tiny gouges to form in the chamber wall. I use an air drill to spin the hones and I do all the honing in the shop sink with water running over the hone and thru the chamber. That keeps the hone surface clean. Don't let the hone just "sit and spin". Keep it moving back and forth so that the chamber wall gets a consistant pattern. Personally, I think the ball hone is a great invention and I use one almost daily. I have about thirty different sizes and spares for the most used ones. Once you start using one, you'll discover lot's of uses for them besides just chambers. I use a hone inside recoil spring tubes, action tubes, pivot holes, etc. Keep yer powder dry, Mac. Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All. Mac's Shootin' Irons http://www.shootiniron.com

November 2, 2009, 10:35 PM	#13
Bruno2 Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2009 Location: Not saying b/c I dont want any of you crazy people to rob or kill me. Alright it's Tulsa , Oklahoma Posts: 224	I got a brake hone that was the corect size . I chucked it in a drill motor and srayed wd 40 on the hone and in the chamber . I inserted the hone into the chamber and gauged the distance of the force cone . I marked the shaft with a piece of tape . I ran the drill at a very low rpm while working it slowly and consistently in and out . I let my dad spray wd 40 into it while I was honing periodicaly . I did this for about a minute maybe minute and a half . After that I took an old bore brush on an old cleaning rod in the drill with a piece of 600 grit wet or dry sand paper wrapped around the brush . I used just about the same method mentioned above with the hone (chamber shined up like a mirror , no scratches). Then I cleaned it all up with solvent and oil . I reassembled gun , however , I need to take it to the club this weekend and try her out . Thanks for all of the tips and tricks guys Brandon Harrison