Thanks for taking the time to explain.
Back in the day when I was doing a similar job, I saw magazines that had been loaded for who knows how long, behave the same way. Yes I know the debate about how springs weaken, I'm just relating what I saw. We also had problems with old 870's shell latches falling out and having to be re-staked. IMO, Mossberg shouldn't make it so a major part of the gun can'r be cleaned or serviced but it sounds like once you get past the thread locker, it isn't that big a deal to remove. On the other hand, there's tons of them out there in civilian hands that keep on going.
The stock Mossberg springs aren't terribly good. It's a $3 upcharge over the OEM Mossberg spring to buy one from Wolff. I replace them prophylactically every 5 years or so, but I've never had a wolff spring fail. At the rate I shoot a gauge, that is every couple thousand rounds at most. Some years I'll go through two cases of shells, some years not even one.
I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.
So you really don't hunt, but might one day, and don't need it for HD. Just pointing that out.
I have four Express barrels, and on 3 of 4 chambers fucking suck. Depending on the brand of shells, I have to work the action vigorously, really muscle up on it, or mortar it to get it to eject. I put in the supposedly better steel extractor and polished the chamber, but evidently not nearly enough. Every time I have to pound the buttstock on the ground I think of Rob Haught's pawn shop Wingmaster that is slick as shit. My 1990s 870P has no issues.
My 870 answer is Wingmaster, Police, or Mossberg.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
You can find some pretty good deals on Wingmasters and Police 870s if you have the time.
David S.
I have bought two '80s express models back then used from co-workers at cheap prices. I put Police furniture, a slug barrel,and a factory mag extension one one and used it as a work shotgun from '92 to '96 when 870Ps were finally bought and issued to us in the Civil Division.
I gave my son the other one and we have taken SG classes with them and both guns have been used for BSA Shotgun merit badge work by lots of boys with standard hunting length barrels installed and have had no issues with hundreds of various types of shells fired.
We have a winner. ^^^
O/P you are already familiar with Benelli's quality of build. If a Nova stock fits you, you have found your shotgun. If you need adjustability go up to the Super Nova. I can't for the life of me understand why the Novas don't get more love than they do. They are the smoothest running pump on the planet, that's why they dominate Heavy Metal division in 3G and their quality isn't even in the same universe as current new offerings for pumps. Like the spaghetti autos they are pretty drastically overbuilt but yet not overweight.
I have fixed that issue on quite a few guns with a Flex Hone. It will polish the camber to smooth as glass in a few minutes.
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...--prod647.aspx
ETA: I have really only seen this problem occur using cheap birdshot with steel bases, and I have seen it happen on non-express 870 barrels as well.
Last edited by Gray Ghost; 04-30-2020 at 10:29 AM.