trouble with maverick 88

[rickyjames]

i have a brand new maverick 88 pump shotgun, the 8 shot riot version. i took it out for the very first time and although it shot everytime i had one hell of a time cycling the pump sometimes. i shot less than a box of shells, a few times it would cycle normally, sometimes it would be pretty hard to pump and a few times it was extremly hard to pump.

i have 2 mossberg pumps and another longer barrel maverick pump and have never had a problem with them. this one i'm not too happy with does anyone have any ideas why it's so hard to cycle?

[noyes]

my mossberg 590 get's harder to cycle after 300 or so shells a day . more oil works wonders for the rest of the shooting day.

[xm21]

Some folks on this site would say you are either a liar,a hater,an inexperienced user who don't know how to pump a shotgun,or were too stooopid to clean out the factory grease.

However I think you just need to do like my friend did when his Mav 88 experienced this same thing and polish the chamber.There are many threads on how to do this.

[oneounceload]

I'll ask the obvious - did you clean real good first and then relube? The rust preservatives they use can get sticky

[rickyjames]

it was cleaned well and lubed before the first use. i have 1 other maverick and 2 mossberg 500 shotguns so this isn't my first dance. the 12 ga ammo was some factory stuff given to me loose so maybe i'll try some newer in the box stuff.
one thing i have noticed is the barrel retaining screw does not seat fully like on my other mossberg/maverick pumps. i've checked the barrel and it is fully seated, no looseness or play in the barrel that i can see or feel.

[oneounceload]

No offense meant but there are way too many who do not know that....

[Technosavant]

How does it pump when you just hold the release and cycle the action without any ammo? It's a new gun, it could probably just use some breaking in. If it cycles fine then, I'd look at the chamber.

Some folks on this site would say you are either a liar,a hater,an inexperienced user who don't know how to pump a shotgun,or were too stooopid to clean out the factory grease.

Or maybe he's just a single datum point, no more, no less. Sometimes folks have an issue with a new gun, it happens. It's the liars and haters who jump all over the make in every thread mentioning it, and there are occasionally inexperienced users (which is why we ask for more information).

[noyes]

Another thing I've found , white lithium grease doesn't last very long , rem oil & 3 in 1 oil last alittle longer , hoppes gun oil lasts the longest to keep the action smooth . Did you switch to a different type of gun oil , maybe ?

[xm21]

See what I mean rickyjames.

You even got called a single datum point

[Technosavant]

See what I mean rickyjames.

You even got called a single datum point

The plural of anecdote is not "data."

I have no doubt his shotgun is giving him issues. I usually don't doubt these stories. I do sometimes doubt the user's familiarity with the firearm (appears to not be an issue in this case), and I always doubt that one person's experiences mean everything of that make or model is crap. I've had bad experiences with some guns- I'll retell my stories on occasion and I may not rebuy from that maker, but I generally won't label anything and everything from them as complete garbage.

[rickyjames]

it seems people here think i am anti mossberg/maverick. i have 3 other shotguns from mossberg/maverick and the reason i have 3 is because i like them alot. this new maverick shotgun is the first problem i have had with this brand and i was just looking for some advice.

the pump cycles just fine without ammo. the problem is after a shot is fired it can be extremly hard almost impossible to pump to extract the spent shell and reload. what i have noticed is that while the barrel is fully seated, the barrel retaining screw does not seem to screw in as fully as my other mossberg/maverick shotguns if that makes a difference. i have not given up, i will clean and try again with some various types/brands of shotgun shells as soon as i can. hopefully it will smooth out and heal itself

[Technosavant]

the pump cycles just fine without ammo. the problem is after a shot is fired it can be extremly hard almost impossible to pump to extract the spent shell and reload.

This tells me that the shell is sticking in the chamber. I'd try polishing it with some steel wool- maybe chuck some up in a drill and have at the chamber.

[oneounceload]

the pump cycles just fine without ammo. the problem is after a shot is fired it can be extremly hard almost impossible to pump to extract the spent shell and reload.

If you are using steel-based ammo, (like the cheap Winchester Universals), they have a tendency to stick - period - let alone in a chamber that may have some slight roughness to it. First thing is to try different ammo; if that fails, then, as techno mentioned, polishing the chamber with some oil and 0000 steel wool should do the job