870 Help!

guitar7272 · September 12, 2002, 12:56 PM

Hello all,

Bought my 870 about two-three weeks ago, and took it shooting at the range to try it out. About 10 rounds in, the gun started exhibiting some really weird behavior; namely you could pull the trigger but the gun wouldnt fire.

My cousin took the gun from me to look it over, and had to pull the trigger about three times before it actually fired: a very dangerous scenario I'd imagine. Making sure the gun was completely unloaded, we tried dry firing a couple of times, all of which required around 4-8 trigger pulls to actually release the hammer. If you squeezed the trigger and reached the point where the gun would actually fire, the trigger felt like it was catching something, but it wouldnt fire and the trigger went all the way back. Very weird to me.

So I took the gun back to Dicks Sporting Goods, and asked the very nice people behind the counter what was going on. One of the guys promptly took the gun and gave it a looking over. After pulling the trigger group, what they found seemed to really suprise them: The gun wasnt oiled - at all. Not a drop. The inside of the gun was bone dry. Guess that one got past quality control. The only cleaning I did to the gun was of the barrel, so I didnt somehow get rid of all the oil.

They lubed the gun up for me, and it seems to be functioning perfectly while dry firing, but I havent taken it to the range yet to try. They told me to go to the range and try it out, and if it still gave me problems, theyd take it back and give me a new one.

My questions are:
1- Is the gun safe to fire?
2- Will the gun be allright from here on out?
3- Could the lack of oil caused the malfunction?

Thanks in advance,
Scott

Hemicuda · September 12, 2002, 01:28 PM

You didn't detail strip and clean/oil the thing BEFORE you shot it?

for most of us here, that is standard operating procedure...

you MAY have damaged it with no oil, it MAY be ok with just an oiling, and it MIGHT have "dry lube" in it...

any way you look at it,I'd clean and oil it well,then try again...

and from now on, clean and oil ALL new and new to you guns BEFORE you shoot them the first time...

my guess? everything is ok... clean, oil, and shoot away...

ENC · September 12, 2002, 01:48 PM

870's are tough and there is only one way to find out if it works

bikeguy · September 12, 2002, 03:22 PM

as long as you follow all the safety rules, it should be perfectly safe. It is a problem with the trigger group (most likely) which won't cause a blow up from malfunctioning.

guitar7272 · September 12, 2002, 03:59 PM

I didnt know I was supposed to completely strip the gun and clean/oil it. I just followed the instructions that came with the gun and the only thing that it stated was to clean the barrel, which I did.

Lesson learned huh?

Thanks for your replies.
Scott

Correia · September 12, 2002, 04:32 PM

I'm going to have to go against the consensus here. The gun should work fine bone dry, and it should work fine horribly gunked up. The 870 trigger group is dirt simple, and I don't really see how a lack of lube is going to make much, if any difference.

I've seen and used, (and finally cleaned) my Dad's 870 which had never been detail stripped or cleaned since the 1950s. The gun still worked. His cleaning consisted of spraying the gun down once a year (after pheasant season) with WD40. His trigger group was packed in black sludge, and it still worked.

Lubrication is neccesary on moving parts, but if you look at a trigger group, there isn't a whole lot of movement surfaces to begin with. Yes things move, but over relatively short distances, or on solid pivots. I don't seen any points where a lack of lube will cause the hammer not to drop.

If dropping the trigger group and cleaning it solves the problem, it would be my guess that something had been stuck in the trigger group that was keeping some part from doing its job. Perhaps metal shavings or something from the factory were wedged in such a way that the hammer wasn't dropping? Or maybe the sear wasn't moving? Just a guess.

Dave McC · September 12, 2002, 06:00 PM

I've shot some really dry 870s and they worked fine for the firing portion,pumping was a different kettle of lutefisk.

Hard to tell from here, but my guess is there was and maybe is some debris in the wrong place. Give it another shot at the range, and if there is a prob, return it to "Dicks" and get another.

Bbls are usually overoiled, actions under lubed.
A squirt of a good lube is de rigeur for the preflight on a new 870, IMO.

HTH...

guitar7272 · September 12, 2002, 06:47 PM

Just broke down the entire gun, cleaned, and oiled it. Hopefully all will work out for the best when I take it to the range. Gotta make some time for that.

Thanks for your replies, and Ill let you know how I made out.

Scott

fritzebeagle · September 13, 2002, 02:33 PM

I HAVE PUT AS MANY AS 500 SKEET LOADS IN ONE DAY THRU THE 870 YOU ALMOST CANT KILL THEM IIT MAY HAVE HAD A PIECE OF CRUD IN THE TRIGGER GROUP I USUALLY RUN MY TRIGGER GRUOP UNDER HOT WATER THE DRY WITH HAIR DRYER AND THEN LUBE

Correia · September 13, 2002, 06:02 PM

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I dropped the trigger group on my 870.

Hmm... Maybe time to clean the old girl.

Al Thompson · September 13, 2002, 08:01 PM

Wonder if ithe 870 has the new safety?

guitar7272 · September 13, 2002, 08:03 PM

Yes it does have the new keyed safety. I havent had a problem with that safety on my 11-87 though... could it be that??

guitar7272 · September 16, 2002, 09:32 PM

Well I finally got the gun out to the firing range today. It worked flawlessly through about 50 shells.

Whatever it was that was causing the problem was fixed when they lubed the gun, or when I took it completly apart, cleaned, and lubed it.

Thanks for all of your replies!

Scott

stinger · September 16, 2002, 09:45 PM

I'm with you, Correia...

I don't see why it wouldn't work bone dry. It most definitely should.

Keep an eye on that shotty. If you have anymore problems, which I think you just might, return for another.

Stinger

Al Thompson · September 17, 2002, 07:27 AM

Given the amount of positive experiance with the 870 on this board, I still have a suspicion that the new safety may be the culprit. Looks to be the only variable that's changed. If it were mine, I'd be on the phone to Wilson getting a new safety.

CZ Gunner · September 17, 2002, 08:33 AM

Oooopps .. nevermind (deleted).

September 12, 2002, 12:56 PM	#1
guitar7272 Junior Member Join Date: August 28, 2002 Posts: 13	870 Help! Hello all, Bought my 870 about two-three weeks ago, and took it shooting at the range to try it out. About 10 rounds in, the gun started exhibiting some really weird behavior; namely you could pull the trigger but the gun wouldnt fire. My cousin took the gun from me to look it over, and had to pull the trigger about three times before it actually fired: a very dangerous scenario I'd imagine. Making sure the gun was completely unloaded, we tried dry firing a couple of times, all of which required around 4-8 trigger pulls to actually release the hammer. If you squeezed the trigger and reached the point where the gun would actually fire, the trigger felt like it was catching something, but it wouldnt fire and the trigger went all the way back. Very weird to me. So I took the gun back to Dicks Sporting Goods, and asked the very nice people behind the counter what was going on. One of the guys promptly took the gun and gave it a looking over. After pulling the trigger group, what they found seemed to really suprise them: The gun wasnt oiled - at all. Not a drop. The inside of the gun was bone dry. Guess that one got past quality control. The only cleaning I did to the gun was of the barrel, so I didnt somehow get rid of all the oil. They lubed the gun up for me, and it seems to be functioning perfectly while dry firing, but I havent taken it to the range yet to try. They told me to go to the range and try it out, and if it still gave me problems, theyd take it back and give me a new one. My questions are: 1- Is the gun safe to fire? 2- Will the gun be allright from here on out? 3- Could the lack of oil caused the malfunction? Thanks in advance, Scott

September 12, 2002, 01:28 PM	#2
Hemicuda Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2001 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,757	You didn't detail strip and clean/oil the thing BEFORE you shot it? for most of us here, that is standard operating procedure... you MAY have damaged it with no oil, it MAY be ok with just an oiling, and it MIGHT have "dry lube" in it... any way you look at it,I'd clean and oil it well,then try again... and from now on, clean and oil ALL new and new to you guns BEFORE you shoot them the first time... my guess? everything is ok... clean, oil, and shoot away... __________________ Hemi. gun and car collector. Rare cars, and rarer guns.

September 12, 2002, 03:22 PM	#4
bikeguy Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2001 Location: Georgia (North-East) Posts: 217	as long as you follow all the safety rules, it should be perfectly safe. It is a problem with the trigger group (most likely) which won't cause a blow up from malfunctioning. __________________ I find that common sense just ain't all that common.

September 13, 2002, 02:33 PM	#9
fritzebeagle Junior Member Join Date: September 12, 2002 Location: nj Posts: 7	I HAVE PUT AS MANY AS 500 SKEET LOADS IN ONE DAY THRU THE 870 YOU ALMOST CANT KILL THEM IIT MAY HAVE HAD A PIECE OF CRUD IN THE TRIGGER GROUP I USUALLY RUN MY TRIGGER GRUOP UNDER HOT WATER THE DRY WITH HAIR DRYER AND THEN LUBE __________________ remember the 3 r's regroup-react-respond

September 13, 2002, 08:01 PM	#11
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	Wonder if ithe 870 has the new safety? __________________ http://www.scfirearms.org/

September 12, 2002, 01:48 PM	#3
ENC Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2001 Location: Grand Lake, OK Posts: 658	870's are tough and there is only one way to find out if it works

September 12, 2002, 03:59 PM	#5
guitar7272 Junior Member Join Date: August 28, 2002 Posts: 13	I didnt know I was supposed to completely strip the gun and clean/oil it. I just followed the instructions that came with the gun and the only thing that it stated was to clean the barrel, which I did. Lesson learned huh? Thanks for your replies. Scott

September 12, 2002, 04:32 PM	#6
Correia Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 1998 Location: SLC Utah Posts: 3,740	I'm going to have to go against the consensus here. The gun should work fine bone dry, and it should work fine horribly gunked up. The 870 trigger group is dirt simple, and I don't really see how a lack of lube is going to make much, if any difference. I've seen and used, (and finally cleaned) my Dad's 870 which had never been detail stripped or cleaned since the 1950s. The gun still worked. His cleaning consisted of spraying the gun down once a year (after pheasant season) with WD40. His trigger group was packed in black sludge, and it still worked. Lubrication is neccesary on moving parts, but if you look at a trigger group, there isn't a whole lot of movement surfaces to begin with. Yes things move, but over relatively short distances, or on solid pivots. I don't seen any points where a lack of lube will cause the hammer not to drop. If dropping the trigger group and cleaning it solves the problem, it would be my guess that something had been stuck in the trigger group that was keeping some part from doing its job. Perhaps metal shavings or something from the factory were wedged in such a way that the hammer wasn't dropping? Or maybe the sear wasn't moving? Just a guess.

September 12, 2002, 06:00 PM	#7
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	I've shot some really dry 870s and they worked fine for the firing portion,pumping was a different kettle of lutefisk. Hard to tell from here, but my guess is there was and maybe is some debris in the wrong place. Give it another shot at the range, and if there is a prob, return it to "Dicks" and get another. Bbls are usually overoiled, actions under lubed. A squirt of a good lube is de rigeur for the preflight on a new 870, IMO. HTH...

September 12, 2002, 06:47 PM	#8
guitar7272 Junior Member Join Date: August 28, 2002 Posts: 13	Just broke down the entire gun, cleaned, and oiled it. Hopefully all will work out for the best when I take it to the range. Gotta make some time for that. Thanks for your replies, and Ill let you know how I made out. Scott

September 13, 2002, 06:02 PM	#10
Correia Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 1998 Location: SLC Utah Posts: 3,740	Honestly, I can't remember the last time I dropped the trigger group on my 870. Hmm... Maybe time to clean the old girl.

September 13, 2002, 08:03 PM	#12
guitar7272 Junior Member Join Date: August 28, 2002 Posts: 13	Yes it does have the new keyed safety. I havent had a problem with that safety on my 11-87 though... could it be that??

September 16, 2002, 09:32 PM	#13
guitar7272 Junior Member Join Date: August 28, 2002 Posts: 13	Well I finally got the gun out to the firing range today. It worked flawlessly through about 50 shells. Whatever it was that was causing the problem was fixed when they lubed the gun, or when I took it completly apart, cleaned, and lubed it. Thanks for all of your replies! Scott

September 16, 2002, 09:45 PM	#14
stinger Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2001 Location: west texas Posts: 772	I'm with you, Correia... I don't see why it wouldn't work bone dry. It most definitely should. Keep an eye on that shotty. If you have anymore problems, which I think you just might, return for another. Stinger

September 17, 2002, 07:27 AM	#15
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	Given the amount of positive experiance with the 870 on this board, I still have a suspicion that the new safety may be the culprit. Looks to be the only variable that's changed. If it were mine, I'd be on the phone to Wilson getting a new safety. __________________ http://www.scfirearms.org/

September 17, 2002, 08:33 AM	#16
CZ Gunner Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2002 Location: Louisiana Posts: 799	Oooopps .. nevermind (deleted). __________________ Gunner "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." -- Vegitius, c. 375 AD