Mossberg 590 misfires

Choeybpey · June 17, 2000, 08:21 PM

Please read it all even though it is long. I have a 12 ga 590 and have been misfires with it. I brought it to my shop and they told me they could not get it to misfire and did not send it to Mossberg because they said it was fine. They said that they were an "authorized Mossberg Repair station" and they inspected it and said it was fine. Right after this I brought it to the range and it misfired the first shot. But I finally figured out why... tell me if this should be right: ok when you hold down the action lever and pump the forearm back and forth just to work it. Then I would close the action with an empty chamber and the hammer cocked(unfired position). and the action lever "sticking out" Then I would slide a round into the mag tube. I would then hold down the action lever and pump the forearm back and then foward, smartly. This is when it would misfire. the funny thing is when i pulled the trigger, the shotgun misfired and the forearm wouldn't pump back without me pressing the action lever, which was "halfway" exposed. The thing is shouldn't the forearm be able to go backwards right after I press the trigger, regardless of whether the round misfires? But when I loaded the mag tube when the empty chamber was closed and the hammer uncocked and I would load the mag tube and pump the action... without holding the action lever because obviously the hammer was uncocked and action lever was not "out." this is when it fired. I loaded 9 rnd and all fired when I did it in this manner. So my question is, is this the way every 590 A1 works? you can only load and fire it when the hammer is uncocked and pump it that way? so then i guess you cannot put a round in the mag tube and hold the action lever down and pump a round in the chamber that way....

thanks

sorry it's so long but I can't fully explain it shorter.

mossberg told me that...

"Thank you for your e-mail. The action lever on the left side of the trigger
housing just rearward of the trigger guard allows the action to be unlocked
and opened for inspection or unloading without pulling the trigger. The
action may be opened by depressing the lever and pulling the forearm
rearward. During firing, the action unlocks automatically after the hammer
falls and the action can be cycled without depressing the action lock lever.
Using the action lock lever in any capacity other then what is mentioned in
your owners manual is not recommended and could result in a dangerous
condition."

so my question is now...
when storing the 590 with the action open... say I want to load it. Then I would have to close the action then place a couple shells in the mag tube. with the chamber empty and the action lever sticking out... i would have to pump the shotgun back to get a round out of the mag tube and then foward to chamber the roung using the action lever..... right?... this is when it causes misfires... what would you recommend... to load a round when mossberg says dont use the action lever to chamber a round?

June 17, 2000, 09:47 PM

This is the third or fourth time someone has posted with this problem in the short time I've been frequenting TFL, and I've heard personally from at least two others. My own 590 had occasional failures to fire, but I never observed that it happened after a specific sequence of actions.

Your questions:

1. The thing is shouldn't the forearm be able to go backwards right after I press the trigger, regardless of whether the round misfires? Yes. I never experienced this particular problem with mine, though. You may have more than one problem. From what I've heard, the failure to fire problem is in the bolt. Your failure to unlock may be in the trigger group.

2. Is this the way every 590 A1 works? You can only load and fire it when the hammer is uncocked and pump it that way? No. It is malfunctioning. It should fire, and you should be able to work the action after the shot regardless of whether the hammer was cocked or not before you chambered the round.

3. so then i guess you cannot put a round in the mag tube and hold the action lever down and pump a round in the chamber that way. Yes, you can, if the gun is working properly.

Don't mess with your local store. Put the gun back into its box and ship it to Mossberg's service center along with a note. Rather than going into a long description about when the problem occurs, just say you have occasional failures to fire, and the action fails to unlock whenever it fails to fire. The address to the service center is in the owner's manual. They turned mine around in a couple of weeks, no charge (but also no explanation). It had a new bolt.

Ledbetter · June 19, 2000, 03:44 PM

I also have the M590A1.

While I agree with what Jeff, CA said, I think you should first ensure that you FULLY depress the action button and are FULLY closing the bolt on the chambered round. This takes more effort with a new gun.

I notice when I first got my gun that the Parkerized surfaces on the elevator, bolt and bolt follower produced a "drag" that would keep a round from chambering fully under some circumstances. Lubrication and wear solved the problem.

By the way, welcome to TFL. Good luck with your gun. Be sure and get a used M-7 bayonet from cheaperthandirt.com for $5.97.

[This message has been edited by Ledbetter (edited June 21, 2000).]

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June 17, 2000, 08:21 PM	#1
Choeybpey Junior Member Join Date: June 16, 2000 Posts: 1	Please read it all even though it is long. I have a 12 ga 590 and have been misfires with it. I brought it to my shop and they told me they could not get it to misfire and did not send it to Mossberg because they said it was fine. They said that they were an "authorized Mossberg Repair station" and they inspected it and said it was fine. Right after this I brought it to the range and it misfired the first shot. But I finally figured out why... tell me if this should be right: ok when you hold down the action lever and pump the forearm back and forth just to work it. Then I would close the action with an empty chamber and the hammer cocked(unfired position). and the action lever "sticking out" Then I would slide a round into the mag tube. I would then hold down the action lever and pump the forearm back and then foward, smartly. This is when it would misfire. the funny thing is when i pulled the trigger, the shotgun misfired and the forearm wouldn't pump back without me pressing the action lever, which was "halfway" exposed. The thing is shouldn't the forearm be able to go backwards right after I press the trigger, regardless of whether the round misfires? But when I loaded the mag tube when the empty chamber was closed and the hammer uncocked and I would load the mag tube and pump the action... without holding the action lever because obviously the hammer was uncocked and action lever was not "out." this is when it fired. I loaded 9 rnd and all fired when I did it in this manner. So my question is, is this the way every 590 A1 works? you can only load and fire it when the hammer is uncocked and pump it that way? so then i guess you cannot put a round in the mag tube and hold the action lever down and pump a round in the chamber that way.... thanks sorry it's so long but I can't fully explain it shorter. mossberg told me that... "Thank you for your e-mail. The action lever on the left side of the trigger housing just rearward of the trigger guard allows the action to be unlocked and opened for inspection or unloading without pulling the trigger. The action may be opened by depressing the lever and pulling the forearm rearward. During firing, the action unlocks automatically after the hammer falls and the action can be cycled without depressing the action lock lever. Using the action lock lever in any capacity other then what is mentioned in your owners manual is not recommended and could result in a dangerous condition." so my question is now... when storing the 590 with the action open... say I want to load it. Then I would have to close the action then place a couple shells in the mag tube. with the chamber empty and the action lever sticking out... i would have to pump the shotgun back to get a round out of the mag tube and then foward to chamber the roung using the action lever..... right?... this is when it causes misfires... what would you recommend... to load a round when mossberg says dont use the action lever to chamber a round?

June 17, 2000, 09:47 PM	#2
Jeff, CA Guest Posts: n/a	This is the third or fourth time someone has posted with this problem in the short time I've been frequenting TFL, and I've heard personally from at least two others. My own 590 had occasional failures to fire, but I never observed that it happened after a specific sequence of actions. Your questions: 1. The thing is shouldn't the forearm be able to go backwards right after I press the trigger, regardless of whether the round misfires? Yes. I never experienced this particular problem with mine, though. You may have more than one problem. From what I've heard, the failure to fire problem is in the bolt. Your failure to unlock may be in the trigger group. 2. Is this the way every 590 A1 works? You can only load and fire it when the hammer is uncocked and pump it that way? No. It is malfunctioning. It should fire, and you should be able to work the action after the shot regardless of whether the hammer was cocked or not before you chambered the round. 3. so then i guess you cannot put a round in the mag tube and hold the action lever down and pump a round in the chamber that way. Yes, you can, if the gun is working properly. Don't mess with your local store. Put the gun back into its box and ship it to Mossberg's service center along with a note. Rather than going into a long description about when the problem occurs, just say you have occasional failures to fire, and the action fails to unlock whenever it fails to fire. The address to the service center is in the owner's manual. They turned mine around in a couple of weeks, no charge (but also no explanation). It had a new bolt.

June 19, 2000, 03:44 PM	#3
Ledbetter Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2000 Location: California USA Posts: 4,533	I also have the M590A1. While I agree with what Jeff, CA said, I think you should first ensure that you FULLY depress the action button and are FULLY closing the bolt on the chambered round. This takes more effort with a new gun. I notice when I first got my gun that the Parkerized surfaces on the elevator, bolt and bolt follower produced a "drag" that would keep a round from chambering fully under some circumstances. Lubrication and wear solved the problem. By the way, welcome to TFL. Good luck with your gun. Be sure and get a used M-7 bayonet from cheaperthandirt.com for $5.97. [This message has been edited by Ledbetter (edited June 21, 2000).]