Snap caps and double feed

General discussion about Remington 870 shotgun.
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nieuport17.1977
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Snap caps and double feed

Post by nieuport17.1977 »

Well, like the title says, double feed on these AZoom snap caps 1 out of every 5 to 6 times during practice.
I was so concerned that I went to the range and shot 100 rounds of live shells. And zero double feed. In a way, I was glad.
My question is why would these snap caps double feed? Yes, they are a little dented on the bottom edge, but the latch should be big enough to catch it...
Is this an 870 issues ?
I only had these snap caps less than 2 months, probably less than 30 cycle each. I cant believe they look this bad.

Image
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Thank you


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Synchronizor
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Re: Snap caps and double feed

Post by Synchronizor »

I have a bunch of 12ga A-Zooms, and they do the same thing in my 870. Like yours, my gun is flawless with real shells; it's the fault of the snap caps.

The 12ga A-Zooms seem to have slightly undersized rims - at least, all of mine do, and they were purchased at a variety of times from different sources. Then, with use, the aluminum rims get beaten up and worn down further by the 870's hard steel shell latches. Eventually, they will get worn down enough that during feeding, when they've got some momentum plus force from the magazine spring, they can shove themselves past the forward shell latch and double-feed. The more they get worn, the worse the problem will be. The sales pitch talks up the "hard-anodized" thing, but no matter what's on the surface, you still have aluminum underneath providing the structure - and it seems to be a pretty low-strength aluminum alloy at that.

I still think these snap caps are superior to cheaper plastic ones for things like demonstrations, or letting the hammers down on older guns that can't be safely dry-fired. But if you want to do a lot of dry-fire practice drills at home, dummy training rounds made from real hulls are probably a better way to go. They won't last forever either, but they'll be the most realistic thing you can get for that purpose, won't be as abrasive on the gun as roughed-up aluminum (though that really only causes cosmetic wear to an 870), and it's quite inexpensive for someone with basic reloading equipment to whip up 25 or 50 of them using whatever once-fired hulls you can find in your range's garbage can. If you're really cheap, you can even recycle the internal components once the hulls need replacing.
nieuport17.1977
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Re: Snap caps and double feed

Post by nieuport17.1977 »

Thank you so much for the suggestions . I do do a lot of dry fire training at home. Going to the range and using live rounds can get really expensive fast.
One positive of all this is that I got better at fixing the double feeds :)


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The Rattler
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Re: Snap caps and double feed

Post by The Rattler »

Today, I just bought dummy 12 gauge shot shells from Brownells. The cost about $7 for 3. They are loaded with shot, there is no propellant (powder) loaded. It has a normal looking cap so you can dry fire without risking damage. I imagine these will solve your problem. They are just like a live round.
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