20 gauge magazine follower issue

[JohnDoe1234]

On my 870 20 gauge I'm having an issue with the magazine follower. It is sticking out to the point that the part that lifts the rounds as they come out of the magazine up to the chamber (not sure what this part is called) is getting caught on it. In other words, if I turn the gun over and try to load a round, the part that you would normally push down on is catching on the magazine follower. The follower looks like this http://www.brownells.com/userdocs/skus/ ... 0119_2.jpg except it has grooves so it can slide past the dimples in the magazine tube. I could cut off that little raised part and it would work well, but I'd rather figure out what's actually causing the issue. I thought about replacing the follower but I'm not sure if the issue is the follower and also I can't find a 20 gauge follower with the grooves in it. I'm not home right now, but if my description was unclear I can post a picture of what I'm talking about later. If you guys could help me out with this I'd really appreciate it.

[Synchronizor]

I think I understand your problem, but I'm not sure why it's happening. There should be enough clearance between the shell carrier and the follower to prevent interference. Removing the follower's post or replacing the follower with an aftermarket one wouldn't be a bad idea anyway, it's been my experience that those posts can crack open shell crimps. Still, it would be best to identify the real cause of the problem. A picture would help, and I have a couple other questions:

How old is your 870?
Are the magazine follower and shell carrier original to the gun?
Is the shell carrier cracked, bent, or otherwise damaged? How about the follower?

[keith44]

a couple other questions come to my mind (to go along with the questions already asked)

Has the gun been dropped, or subjected to other abusive actions?

How many rounds have been put through it?


My 20 ga 870 was purchased new in 1993, is all original, has been used for bird and rabbit hunting, and was used as a trap gun for about 3,000 rounds. (Won a bet about dependability and being able to be competitive with it.) I have had zero issues with it to date. The 20's are durable when cared for properly.

Pull the follower and inspect for wear and damage, also ensure that there is no magazine tube damage (inside) or dirt or rust (also inside) that would cause the follower to wear. Then look real closely to make sure the shell carrier (the lifter) is not damaged in any way. (assuming it is original to the gun)

[JohnDoe1234]

Thanks for the responses, guys. To answer your questions:
-The gun is fairly new, I'd say about seven years old. I keep it clean.
-Everything is original
-The follower and carrier both seem to be fully intact and undamaged. I took the trigger assemble out of the gun to inspect the carrier and it looks to be right.
-Its never been abused, it seems to be in great shape. I've probably only put a couple hundred rounds through it.

I've attached two pictures. One has the follower in the down position and in the other it is up.

IMG_0143.JPG (1.81 MiB) Viewed 7179 times

IMG_0144.JPG (1.71 MiB) Viewed 7179 times

I've been considering a new follower. However, it would have to have the grooves in it to slide past the dimples in the magazine tube. I haven't seen any of those for the 20 gauge so if you know where I could get one that'd be great.

[Synchronizor]

It does look like your follower is the cause of the problem. The carrier appears to have plenty of clearance, but the follower is just sticking out too darn far.

If you want to replace it, I highly recommend the followers from S&J Hardware. They offer 12ga and 20ga 870 followers with side slots that are machined from a solid piece of high-visibility Delrin acetal resin. I've worked with this polymer before, and it's ideal for this application. It's chemically stable, wear-resistant, low-friction, and wonderful for machining.

S_J Followers.PNG (202.69 KiB) Viewed 7175 times

I'm not sure if they offer their 20ga followers in the dished-out Type 2 style (center follower in the above image), but even if you do have to get one with the post in the center and it catches on your carrier like your current one, the design and material makes these followers very easy to modify. I bought one of their Type 1 12ga followers (the one on the left in the above image) because I preferred the color. While it functioned flawlessly, the post had a tendency to crack open shell crimps over time, and I got tired of cleaning buffering out of my gun. A couple minutes with a half-inch drill bit fixed that minor issue, and now I'm completely happy with it.

S&J Follower_C.JPG (47.03 KiB) Viewed 7175 times

[JohnDoe1234]

Thanks so much, this was very helpful. I just ordered the green type 2 one. We'll see how it works out when it comes in.

[keith44]

Hope that fixes it.

[badboybeeson]

Thanks so much, this was very helpful. I just ordered the green type 2 one. We'll see how it works out when it comes in.

so how did things work out?