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Thread: 870 express...how badly will this get my kilt in da skreetz?

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lester Polfus View Post
    At some point in their production, Mossberg started putting threadlocker on the magazine tubes. I'm not really sure why.

    Ten years ago, I heated mine up with a heat gun, unscrewed the mag tube, replaced the magazine spring, and screwed it back in sans threadlocker. I've swapped out the mag spring a couple times since. I've never had a problem with the magazine tube backing out of the gun or anything.

    I prefer the location of the safety on the Mossberg guns, so that's what I run.
    Thanks,

    I did some quick research on this subject and found some common recommendations. Strap wrench, heat and a bit of grease after.

    Not using pliers was also a recurring answer

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Lehr View Post
    My experience is largely LE related. I bought a DU Mossberg 500 for my son almost 25 years ago and it has worked fine for him.

    My experience with Mossbergs is their magtube spring quality leaves something to be desired. We allowed student officers to bring and use their agency shotguns for training if they desired. Made sense.
    It was not at all unusual to have Mossbergs that had been sitting in the unit with the mag tube completely loaded dribble out rounds due to reduced spring tension. This was made more apparent due to the fact that we were trying to in-grain shotgun function, so most of our drills involved starting a couple rounds loaded, requiring the student to keep it loaded as the drill progressed. We replaced a lot of Mossberg springs with Remington springs on the Academy's dime. In reality, a fully loaded extended tube Mossy is likely to work through 5 or 6 rounds even with a weak spring, so it may not get you killed in da streetz.

    Our Academy had a mix of 500, 590. and 590A1's. We started with stainless 500's which were problematic from the get go. What I quickly noticed was that if you take a Remington 870 locked into battery and pull back against the forearm, the breech block/bolt stays pretty much stationary. Do the same thing with a Mossberg and you will see the breech block start to nose down. In the case of those 500's that resulted in light strikes when students would pull back on the forearm when firing. On the positive side, it was a good indicator to the instructors that the student was doing this and we could correct them.

    Our shotguns were exposed to all extremes of weather, and if a shotgun was used by multiple student each session, the rounds would ad up. This is where the magazine tubes became a PITA, they would get dirty and sluggish. Breaking them loose the first time was an adventure, after that it was just a paint busting loose the loctite. Why they thought that design was good IDK.

    Eventually we had tried all reasonable fixes and sent the stainless 500's back to Mossberg. Upon return, you guessed it. By that time we had enough 590 and 590A1's that we pretty much left the 500's in the arms room.

    I am a lefty, so I wanted to like the Mossbergs, and I do like the 590, but I got no love for the 500's. I also have a JM Pro 930 that I've upgraded and shoot a lot.
    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.

  3. #23
    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.

  4. #24
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ASH556 View Post
    1. gun games (3gn, clays)
    2. bird hunting I've been once. Turkey (if I ever do that).
    3. HD Honestly, the HD part is behind
    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

  5. #25
    S.L.O.W. ASH556's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hambo View Post
    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.
    Yeah, pretty much nailed it. Ok, so old Wingmaster or Police it is
    Food Court Apprentice
    Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer

  6. #26
    You can find some pretty good deals on Wingmasters and Police 870s if you have the time.
    David S.

  7. #27
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    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.

  8. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Redhat View Post
    I get it, have the same problem with a couple brands of cars. Maybe a Benelli Nova is in your future.....I hear they work great
    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.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spartan1980 View Post
    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.

    My guess...it starts with their looks.

  10. #30
    Member Gray Ghost's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hambo View Post
    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.
    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.

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