Pump a Mossberg too Fast?

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stownsend

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I have a Model 500 20 ga. that has perplexed me. The last few times I have shot with it I have had a failure to feed. It's like the end of the shell doesn't get lined up with the chamber and won't close the action. Usually if I pull the pump partically back, then close it will be fine, but in the heat of things this isn't something I want to have happen.
I don't know if it is something that I am doing, maybe pumping too quickly? I thought maybe I was short stroking, but made a conscious effort to make sure I pulled it all the way back and still had the problem. I have an Ithica M37 and a Browning BPS and neither of these have similiar issues. The really wierd thing is I have let other people use the gun and they have had no problems, so it must be something I am doing...
I even tore the gun all apart and cleaned everything and it still does this. Any ideas or anyone have similiar problems?
 
I will have to head out to the sporting clay course again and try it again, but I was quite certain that I was pulling it all the way back. I wondered if closing it too fast would cause the action to close quicker than the shell could get lined up...
 
Could be a timing issue. If the gun is chambered for 3" or 3.5" shells, try running some of them through it, and see if you get the same malf. Do so outside, and just hold the slide release down and pump like mad.

Some guns that use an uncontrolled feed system can be finicky about overall length. Same thing happens in Marlin leverguns that are chambered for both .38/.357. Run too fast with the short round, and presto jam-o.

If that turns out to be the issue, a good smith can adjust the timing so that it will feed your shell of choice quickly. Not enough of a mossy expert to tell you how it would be done, though.

~~~Mat
 
Sometimes if a Mossberg 500 has a fault you can get jams.

When I first bought mine some years ago it used to jam every so often, and this got worse as time went by. And then sometimes I could fire then pump, and the spent shell would be ejected but the new one, instead of going into the chamber would drop to my feet!

It got to the point where I didnt want to shoot it. I was shooting a lot of sporting clays and here in England doing that with a synthetic pump action is tantamount to heresy. Yet I wanted to prove a point. I was hitting as many clays as anyone else- with the first shot- but then couldnt take the second shot because of a jam. Most people I shot with were sympathetic, but one or two were less so, and the gun became a bit of a running joke.

I had called the shop where I bought the gun, who said "this doesnt happen" or word to that effect, and I trawled the internet forums for an answer, all to no avail. This went on for a couple of months.

Until one day I came to THR, did a search, and found a post on the same subject. Turns out the cartridge interuptor and cartridge stop, if thier edges are not cut to precisely the right angles, can cause the above problems.

I called the shop and discussed this with them, they sniffed and dismissed the idea, but agreed to send me a new cartridge stop and interuptor out of another gun, and I'd send them my old ones.

I received them in a couple of days, fitted them and Ive never had a problem since.

Over here you can't buy Mossberg spares very easily, but in the land of thier birth a stop and interuptor cost $8.00 each, which is a small price to pay.

Worth knowing :)
 
Thanks for all the great replies. I have had the gun for 18 year and never had any problems until recently.
therodgrain, I might change those parts out just incase they are part of the problem, $16.00 is a cheap price to pay to check out if that is indeed part of the problem.
Mat, the gun does have a 3" chamber, so I check and see if the same problem is happening with the longer shells.
 
If not shortstroke try this. You have had it 18 yrs. Have u ever dropped the trigger assy and cleaned it? Oil gets gunky over time, and could gum up and throw the timing off. Pull the trigger assy, spray out with Powder Blast or Brake cleaner. Re oil moving parts ( Sparingly ), reinstall and try. Alot of gun problems are just from dust, gunk and crap.
 
i think im having the same problem with my 870 express, i was thinking about buying a mossberg but i think i'll pass on pumps and go for an auto.
 
ATA, I did just recently pull the trigger assembly and clean everything out and lightly oil. It seemed to help it out, but didn't eliminate the problem. I might just have to tear it apart again and make sure everything is clean.
 
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