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Old December 20, 2004, 11:40 AM   #1
T in VA
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Join Date: November 22, 2004
Posts: 36
Remington 870 express not firing.....

Yesterday a friend of mine and I went shooting. My 1100 worked great but my friend only got one shot out of his 870. He took his first shot put the safety on reloaded and went to shoot at the next clay pidgeon I threw and the gun would not fire. The safety was not on when he tried to fire. I was wandering if yall might have an idea of what could cause this. The trigger will still move like it is supposed to but the gun does not fire. It is an 870 express 3 1/2 inch 12 ga. That is about two years old and has only had about 3-400 rounds through it. So what do you all think? Should we just take it straight to a gunsmith or attempt to fix it ourselves. Thanks for any help you all can give.
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Old December 20, 2004, 12:48 PM   #2
grey_pilgrim
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I'm not real mechanical, but. . . . .

did you try it with other shotshells. Maybe there was a primer problem. ALso, look on the back of the shotshells that you test in it, see if the primer has impacted anywyere on them.
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Old December 20, 2004, 12:56 PM   #3
guntotin_fool
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pull the trigger group

Remngton has a full detachable trigger group that pops out if you push the two side pins out of the receiver. then pull the trigger and see what is wrong it sounds to me if there was not click that you may have broken a hammer spring, gotten an obstruction in there (broken stick or crud), or some how just gotten it so dirty the sear had no room to move. a Remington shotgun is very simple. If you can change your own oil you can fix one.

Last edited by guntotin_fool; December 20, 2004 at 12:57 PM. Reason: i before e except after c
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Old December 20, 2004, 02:29 PM   #4
T in VA
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There was no click when the trigger was pulled and there was no impact on any of the many shells we tried. When we pull the trigger group if we find a broken piece can we buy replacements at the local gun shop or is that something we would have to contatct remington for?
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Old December 20, 2004, 02:52 PM   #5
Dfariswheel
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It sounds like the disconnecter system may not be engaging.

The disconnecter system is on the left side of the trigger group.
There is a silver-colored lever pointing forward, that fits ABOVE a blued lever pointing to the rear.

Check these levers for free movement and proper assembly.
If the disconnecter has somehow gotten out of position, or is fouled, the hammer won't drop when the trigger is pulled.

It's very possible the gun is dirty and gummy, or there may be foreign matter jamming the action.

Take the trigger group out of the receiver.
Spray it dripping wet with Rem-Oil, using the spray to blow any fouling out of the assembly.
Allow to drain.
Shake off the excess lube, and test the action.

To test the disconnecter assembly:
With the group out of the gun, put the safety OFF.
Hold your finger in front of the hammer so it CAN'T fall all the way.
If you allow the hammer to drop all the way, the trigger group can be damaged.

Pull the trigger.

The hammer should release.

Hold the trigger to the rear, and re-cock the hammer.
The hammer should be held by the disconnecter.

Release the trigger and the hammer should return to position.

Pull the trigger.
The hammer should drop again.

If the assembly isn't working properly, take the group to a gunsmith.

It's possible to disassemble the trigger assembly and replace parts, BUT NOT IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW.

If you MUST work on it yourself, buy a copy of Jerry Kunhausen's book "The Remington Shotguns" A Shop Manual".

This is available from Brownell's, Midway, and most book sellers.

This gives full directions on how to work on the Remington's.

Remington parts are available from Brownell's and Gun Parts Corporation.

Best guess is: Either the disconnecter is out of position, or the trigger group is fouled and dirty.
You very rarely see actual broken parts in an 870.
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