Remington 878 bolt not closing all the way?

[JasonGraham]

Hi All,

I am a shotgun newbie, and I got my first 12ga shotgun last weekend when my father-in-law gave me his old Remington 878 Automaster. Cool gift!

I disassembled and cleaned it over the weekend and put it back together this evening. However, as I was testing the action, I noticed that the bolt does not close all the way. It seems to be blocked from completely shutting by the extractor. Consequently, of course, the trigger won't release the hammer in this position, either. If I hold the extractor out so it slides into its slot, the bold closes and the trigger works.

Is this normal? Will the extractor move into the proper position when there is a shell in the action/chamber?

Thanks!
Jason

 

[NCsmitty]

Regardless of having a shell present or not, the bolt should close completely. That style bolt and extractor has been used in many different models, and is a reliable system.

Either the extractor is bent or the spring and plunger that actuates the extractor may not be in proper position to allow it to slide into the extractor angle along side of the barrel.
As the bolt moves forward, the extractor should ride the angled cut in the barrel with the angled portion of the extractor. I guess you already know that. You should be able to see this if you slowly move the bolt forward.
If it's jamming into the barrel, and not following the extractor slot, it may need replacement.

Here's a link to the extractor, so you can compare.
or
www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Detail.aspx?pid=325410D&catid=5671



NCsmitty

 

[rcmodel]

Make sure you have the barrel & forarm on the receiver all the way and the mag cap tight.

If the barrel isn't fully seated in the receiver, the bolt can't lock into the barrel extension.

rc

 

[JasonGraham]

Thanks for the feedback. I will take another look this weekend and ensure that I put it back together properly.

 

[JasonGraham]

Well, I double-checked the bolt assembly to ensure that everything was in its proper place - which it was. I even had a local gunsmith take a look, and he recommended replacing the extractor. I did that, and still have the same problem.

When I replaced the extractor, however, I noticed that the plunger seemed to have sustained some damage at one point in the past. So, maybe the plunger is the issue. It just seems to push the extractor too far in, and it cannot slide into the slot when the bold closes.

Of course, the gunsmith was out of plungers, so I'll need to order one.

 

[NCsmitty]

Thanks for the update JasonGraham. I thought that by design, the extractor itself prevented the condition that you have. It's hard to believe that the plunger is the problem. We'll see I guess, keep us posted.




NCsmitty

 

[JasonGraham]

NCsmitty,

I agree. However, there aren't many other options left to try. It is a pretty simple mechanism. I suppose that something inside the bolt itself could be worn incorrectly or damaged. Since the plunger was clearly damaged, I at least want to eliminate that as a potential cause.

Keep you posted...

Jason

 

[rcmodel]

Simple test is to remove the extractor, plunger, and spring and see if the bolt will close without it.

rc

 

[JasonGraham]

Yes it will.

The issue is that the extractor is being pushed too far, and instead of being able to slide into the slot on the side of the barrel, it binds between the bolt and the barrel.

 

[rcmodel]

Is it going in too far to snap over a shell rim when you load it?

This whole thing is very curious in that apparently the gun worked fine for many years before you took it apart and cleaned it.

Any chance the old (or new replacement extractor) is not seating in the bolt all the way do too overlooked dirt or dried grease in the hole?

rc

 

[jdh]

How are you closing it?

Slow and easy by holding the handle or letting it slam shut?

 

[JasonGraham]

jdh,

Either method yields the same result.

Jason