New from Mid MO

[theclawgc]

Hello all, new 870 Express Super Magnum Synthetic owner as of yesterday (03 Apr 2016). I'm not new to firearms, military guy 29 years and counting. I have rifles, shotguns, and handguns and have shot all of them extensively.

I haven't had a chance to get out shooting yet but, will do so this weekend and bust some clays.

I have a question that I couldn't find an answer to online or by using the search feature on this forum. When I unboxed my shotgun and assembled it, I pumped the action to see how it felt (not thinking I needed to concern myself with a safety check) and low and behold four shells proceeded to eject !!

Needless to say I was not expecting that and am thankful that at some subconscious level my brain took over and went through safety steps. Perhaps the good Lord was smiling down on me, who knows.

I'm just curious if this normal or an anomaly ?

Like I said, it was new in the box. I watched a few unboxing videos on YouTube, there weren't many to choose from but, nobody went through the steps of pumping the action after assembly or mentioned anything about the magazine having shells loaded in it from the factory. Everything in the box was also very dirty (dark oily consistence) to include the choke wrench and the magazine plug. I was expecting that being a brand new shotgun but, the loaded magazine kinda threw me for a loop and made me pucker a lil' bit.

[Synchronizor]

Interesting story, goes to show that you should always check the chamber and magazine whenever you pick up a gun, no matter what.

Remington does check function and perform a test-fire on every 870 at the factory. Perhaps a worker got distracted and left some shells in your gun. Can you tell what brand and load they are? Are they even live shells, or test dummies?

As for the oil, that's normal for a new 870. It protects the metal during shipping and storage. As the manual says, make sure to clean the chamber out before you take the gun shooting; leaving that stuff in there can cause function problems. A disassembly and going-over is also a good idea for a new gun, just to check for any obviously missing parts or foreign objects. If you need help with disassembly or re-assembly, you can refer to this video.

[theclawgc]

Thank you for the reply Synchronizor. You are so correct, No. 1 rule of firearms, EVERY GUN IS LOADED, ...mercy

I'll take a pic of the shells and upload. They are white(ish) clear/semi-transparent in color, appear to have what looks like 7 1/2 or 8 shot inside, steel hulls and Remington stamped on the side. They also appeared to have a primer but, I'll put that to the test the first time I shoot it.

I do intend to do a thorough cleaning prior to shooting and I'm looking forward to breaking it down and investigating if I have the notorious 'bump' at the base of the chamber. Not sure if that is still an issue with current production models but, I'll proactively check it out.

I'm rambling at this point but, I also want to check and see if the magazine has the indentations at the end as I would like to buy a magazine extender. If I have to drill, sand burs, and re-blue I'll probably just leave it be.

That's all for now, I'm super busy all week so I won't have a chance to get crackin' on this until the weekend.

Have a good week and God Bless

[Synchronizor]

I'll take a pic of the shells and upload. They are white(ish) clear/semi-transparent in color, appear to have what looks like 7 1/2 or 8 shot inside, steel hulls and Remington stamped on the side. They also appeared to have a primer but, I'll put that to the test the first time I shoot it.

If they look like live hulls, one thing to be aware of is that they might be proof loads, deliberately over-pressure shells used to acid-test a gun at the factory. Shooting just four shouldn't hurt your 870 at all (870s are ridiculously strong for shotguns), but I wouldn't try them in any old family heirlooms.

I do intend to do a thorough cleaning prior to shooting and I'm looking forward to breaking it down and investigating if I have the notorious 'bump' at the base of the chamber. Not sure if that is still an issue with current production models but, I'll proactively check it out.

As I understand it, all 870 barrels have a mark there as part of the manufacturing process. In most cases, you can barely even feel it, and it doesn't affect function at all. Stiff extraction is usually due to some combination of factory grease & warehouse dust left in the chamber, crappy steel-cup shotshells (Winchester Universals are the most notorious), and a finish that hasn't been broken in yet. Clean your chamber, buy a case of inexpensive-but-decent shells (Federal Top Gun/Clay & Field seem to be a good choice), then go shoot the crap out of your gun. If a shell sticks every once in a while, yank it out and keep shooting. If you're getting frequent stuck shells that persist after a reasonable break-in period and/or switching to brass-cup shells (check with a magnet, most brass-colored shell cups are actually steel), then check the chamber and barrel extension for machining marks. A badly-machined chamber should be easy to identify by touch. If something's interfering in the barrel extension, you should see the finish wearing off at the critical spots.

I also want to check and see if the magazine has the indentations at the end as I would like to buy a magazine extender. If I have to drill, sand burs, and re-blue I'll probably just leave it be.

It's really not that tough to drill & de-burr. With just a bit of care, the amount of refinishing needed should be minimal. Or you could just ignore it and not let your gun sit wet; any well-used 870 is going to lose finish all over its magazine tube, and it doesn't seem to cause any problems for folks who know how to take care of a gun.