Another 870 question

guitar1580 · December 25, 2009, 03:14 AM

This will seem like a silly question to some, and I'm sure it will be obvious after I get the gun in my hand. I'm getting an older 870 WM in a couple of weeks, and have been getting some good answers to my questions from many of you concerning my first pump.

I've checked out some vids on disassembly, and looked up the manual. Having never owned a pump, I'm still trying to figure out the action bar release, at the front of the trigger guard. I guess releasing the lock frees the fore end to chamber & eject rounds, but when does it lock back up? After the last round is fired, or manually? I don't imagine it would work in conjunction with the safety in anyway, but that's the only mechanical feature I'm still figuring out.

Everything else about the takedown and reassembly looks great. Looks like a good design to me. Any help appreciated.

Happy Holidays !!

Josh P

Big Bill · December 25, 2009, 03:20 AM

Manually, after you fire the last round in the chamber, you manually pump the round out and then either leave the bolt open or close the action by pushing the charging handle forward. You only use the release to open the bolt when there is no cartridge in the chamber and the bolt is closed.

zippy13 · December 25, 2009, 04:11 AM

Josh, in response to a similar action release question, here's a rehash of a posting I wrote few months ago. I hope it answers your questions:

BASIC FUNCTIONS
If you're unsure of what's going on, let's look at how a pump shotgun operates:

Starting with the trigger pull, the hammer falls and pushes the firing pin forward, the firing pin impacts the primer, the gun fires and the action is unlocked.
Next, the slide is moved rearward (by the shooter) which causes the bolt to disengage and move rearward. The moving bolt causes the spent shell to be removed from the chamber (extraction), throws it out the port (ejection) and resets the hammer (cocking). As the slide reaches the limit of its rearward travel a fresh shell is released from the magazine and is elevated in front of the bolt.
As the shooter reverses the slide and continues it forward, the bolt pushes the fresh shell into the chamber, closes, engages the bolt locking lug, the slide is locked in the forward position, and the gun is ready to fire with the next pull of the trigger (locked and loaded).

ACTION RELEASE

With a pump shotgun, the shooter may wish to open the locked action when:
1. There's a freshly fired shell in the chamber as is typical in repeat firing.
2. There's a live round in the chamber and the shooter wants to unload.
3. The gun was closed with an empty chamber.

Only in the first situation (repeat firing) will the slide operate. In the other two the slide is locked in place. This is where the release comes into play, it unlocks the action and lets it be opened without first requiring the hammer to fall. Without the release, you can't unload a live round from the chamber!

Some say you can open a shotgun, that was put aside unloaded, by pulling the trigger to unlock the action. I caution against this -- safe gun handling practices require a gun with a closed action be treated as loaded. Use the release in this situation. Get to know and love your action release.

Note: To avoid confusion, I've not complicated things by including the function of the disconnector. Most shooters are unaware of its operation.

guitar1580 · December 25, 2009, 05:02 AM

Thx a million, guys. That clarifies it 100% Zip. My friend is away for the holidays, and can't ship it till he get's back in a week or 2, so I've been gathering information, so I'll be ready to slap that baby together and try her out.

JP

December 25, 2009, 03:14 AM	#1
guitar1580 Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2009 Posts: 189	Another 870 question This will seem like a silly question to some, and I'm sure it will be obvious after I get the gun in my hand. I'm getting an older 870 WM in a couple of weeks, and have been getting some good answers to my questions from many of you concerning my first pump. I've checked out some vids on disassembly, and looked up the manual. Having never owned a pump, I'm still trying to figure out the action bar release, at the front of the trigger guard. I guess releasing the lock frees the fore end to chamber & eject rounds, but when does it lock back up? After the last round is fired, or manually? I don't imagine it would work in conjunction with the safety in anyway, but that's the only mechanical feature I'm still figuring out. Everything else about the takedown and reassembly looks great. Looks like a good design to me. Any help appreciated. Happy Holidays !! Josh P

December 25, 2009, 03:20 AM	#2
Big Bill Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2008 Location: Idaho Posts: 1,053	Manually, after you fire the last round in the chamber, you manually pump the round out and then either leave the bolt open or close the action by pushing the charging handle forward. You only use the release to open the bolt when there is no cartridge in the chamber and the bolt is closed. __________________ There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time." - General George Patton Jr Last edited by Big Bill; December 25, 2009 at 03:45 AM.

December 25, 2009, 04:11 AM	#3
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,281	Josh, in response to a similar action release question, here's a rehash of a posting I wrote few months ago. I hope it answers your questions: BASIC FUNCTIONS If you're unsure of what's going on, let's look at how a pump shotgun operates: Starting with the trigger pull, the hammer falls and pushes the firing pin forward, the firing pin impacts the primer, the gun fires and the action is unlocked. Next, the slide is moved rearward (by the shooter) which causes the bolt to disengage and move rearward. The moving bolt causes the spent shell to be removed from the chamber (extraction), throws it out the port (ejection) and resets the hammer (cocking). As the slide reaches the limit of its rearward travel a fresh shell is released from the magazine and is elevated in front of the bolt. As the shooter reverses the slide and continues it forward, the bolt pushes the fresh shell into the chamber, closes, engages the bolt locking lug, the slide is locked in the forward position, and the gun is ready to fire with the next pull of the trigger (locked and loaded). ACTION RELEASE With a pump shotgun, the shooter may wish to open the locked action when: 1. There's a freshly fired shell in the chamber as is typical in repeat firing. 2. There's a live round in the chamber and the shooter wants to unload. 3. The gun was closed with an empty chamber. Only in the first situation (repeat firing) will the slide operate. In the other two the slide is locked in place. This is where the release comes into play, it unlocks the action and lets it be opened without first requiring the hammer to fall. Without the release, you can't unload a live round from the chamber! Some say you can open a shotgun, that was put aside unloaded, by pulling the trigger to unlock the action. I caution against this -- safe gun handling practices require a gun with a closed action be treated as loaded. Use the release in this situation. Get to know and love your action release. Note: To avoid confusion, I've not complicated things by including the function of the disconnector. Most shooters are unaware of its operation.

December 25, 2009, 05:02 AM	#4
guitar1580 Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2009 Posts: 189	Thx a million, guys. That clarifies it 100% Zip. My friend is away for the holidays, and can't ship it till he get's back in a week or 2, so I've been gathering information, so I'll be ready to slap that baby together and try her out. JP