Originally Posted by
Tabasco
I have an 870 that I sent to Wilson for the "Remington Steal" rebuild package. As part of that package, they convert it to 3", which involves replacing the 2-3/4" ejector with a 3" one. With my gun, I found the ejection to be kind of sloppy and sluggish after the conversion. I have another 870 which has not been converted to 3" (circa 1971) with positive ejection so I could a/b both of them and diagnose the problem. What I found was that the 3" conversion was releasing a shell from the tube before the spent shell was fully ejected, and interfering with the process.
What I did to fix this was grind down the front tab on the end of the right shall latch (right when the loading port is facing the ground, left when the loading port is pointing to the sky), this delayed the shell release from the tube until the spent shell ejected fully. Worked great. I also added a Volquarsten extractor which required some fitting with a dremel tool, probably not as necessary at the shell latch adjustment but didn't hurt. I'm pretty sure regarding the left/right latch description, whichever shell latch holds the shell in the tube while the empty is ejecting, then releases the new shell. You might want to get a replacement shell latch just in case if you try this. Always good to have both new latches as spares on hand, as they do wear out over time. I got mine via Brownelles a few years ago.
Note that as per Brownelles, the latches do not need to be staked to work properly. Staking makes disassembly/reassembly easier, but is not need for proper function.
Note: The tab on the front of the shell latch that I ground down is what interfaces with the action bar on the pump tube that fits over the magazine. It looks like a 1911 in someones hand to me. I ground (shortened) the barrel of the 1911 (my visual), which delays the release of the new shell during the ejection process. Work the action slowly with dummy shells and watch the interaction between the latches and the action bars before trying this, you need to understand exactly what's happening.