Magazine tube question

[BigJohnX]

im having trouble getting the magazine tube off my mossberg 500. it looks like it just screws off. does anyone have an suggestions for me?

[zippy13]

Greetings, BigJohnX, and welcome aboard.

The tube is stubborn, why do you want it removed?
From an earlier thread, here's what one member had to say...

Originally Posted by dogfood

Success ... finally ... using a combination of the hints received here.

First I clamped the very end of the tube (i.e. the solid end, as Slopemeno suggested) in a vise with two blocks of wood. Turning the receiver also turned the tube, and the only way I could see to stop this was to put a lot of the tube within the blocks. Well, I was a little afraid I might crush the thin wall section, so I went to plan B.

I put the receiver in the vise (between the blocks), and then used a good amount of electrical tape to cover the tube end. Then I added vise grips and tried to turn. Wrench still slipped, and in order to stop this, I figured I was going to gouge the tube from overly tight vise grip jaws (even with the tape). On to plan C.

I stopped by Lowe's on the way home today and picked up a strap wrench "kit" (2 wrenches, one small and one large, $16). Leaving the receiver in the vise (with wood blocks), I tried to turn the tube with the large strap wrench on the tube end. It slipped, so I degreased the tube end and tried again. It slipped, so I added some hockey tape (cloth tape) and tried yet again. It was now holding, but it seemed like I had a lot of torque on the tube at this point. Also tried impacting tube with plastic mallet in try to break it loose ... no dice.

Plan D ... or whatever ... I'm losing track. I got out the propane torch. I was leery of this, since it's really easy to overheat aluminum threads, causing them to gall - and then I would have a serious problem. So I figured I would go through multiple iterations of "heat and try", while only heating the steel tube itself. Well, about 3 seconds of heat on the tube and presto, it came out ... just like I knew what I was doing (which, of course, was obviously far from the truth).

It looks like I got better than my fair allotment of thread sealer on the tube threads. And I agree, this is not a good design. The inside of the tube is ugly and the spring is rusty, even though I tried to clean the tube out every time after the gun was out in the rain ... which has happened multiple times over the last 20+ years.

So after I clean it up and replace the spring, I'm thinking that maybe I won't Lock-tite it during reassembly. I don't see how the tube can move during use, and as long as you don't put a wrench on the barrel nut when tightening, it should break loose before the tube unthreads from the receiver. If that doesn't pan out, I can always Lock-tite the tube later. But at this point, I like the idea of being able to unscrew the tube easily for cleaning.

Thanks for everyone's help on this one.

dogfood

P.S. - robc - Yep, that cap part is called a follower - I guess because it "follows" the rounds as they get pulled from the magazine. It's typically called a follower regardless of whether it is in a fixed or detachable magazine ... shotgun, rifle or pistol ... and regardless of shape/size.
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[BigJohnX]

thanks for the help. theres a restrictor in the limiting me to 2 shells in the tube. i wanted to take it out.

[zippy13]

That's the duck plug. You're working way too hard, your owners manual covers its removal...

500® and 535™ models:
To remove the dowel, first remove the barrel. Point shotgun downward and shake it back and forth lightly until the dowel protrudes from the takedown screw hole in the end of the magazine tube. A rubber “O”ring on the dowel prevents it from falling out accidentally. Grasp the dowel and pull it completely out.

Good luck

[BigJohnX]

that might be alot easier. i didnt see that in the manual. thanks again for the help