Win. 1200 pump shotgun trouble

[Hogtamer]

I've cleaned and oiled it thouroughly, actually been shot very little. This is the Sears m-200, 3" chamber. Load normally and now cannot extract live shell or hull. Extractor engaging as it will tear brass if butt slammed down. Chamber clean and shell drops in and out of barrel easily with barrel removed. Something is holding shell in chamber but danged if I can figure it out. Ejector pinned in place as it should be. Any ideas? Thanks.

[lefty o]

try a different brand of ammo. some guns absolutely hate some of the cheaper shells on the market. have seen it happen with o/u's, auto's, and pumps, and as hard as it is to believe when a gun doesnt like a particular shell, it can lock em up tight.

[runfiverun]

if the chamber is oiled you can form a hydraulic suction on the case.

the new cheap steel headed cases can cause all kinds of problems in shot guns.
I have seen ringed chambers in guns costing 15-20,000$
watched guys repeatedly rack the gun trying to get them out.
I have had the rims slip past the extractors on some of my nicer O/U guns.
seen them bang their guns on the cement trying to pump them out.
even seen the bolt carrier on a couple of guns get broken, so if it happens to me I pull the barrel and knock the case out.

I quit even messing with stuff like the Winchester universals and super sports.
any of them I get I throw in the trash and I surely won't purchase them.

[lefty o]

if the chamber is oiled you can form a hydraulic suction on the case.

the new cheap steel headed cases can cause all kinds of problems in shot guns.
I have seen ringed chambers in guns costing 15-20,000$
watched guys repeatedly rack the gun trying to get them out.
I have had the rims slip past the extractors on some of my nicer O/U guns.
seen them bang their guns on the cement trying to pump them out.
even seen the bolt carrier on a couple of guns get broken, so if it happens to me I pull the barrel and knock the case out.

I quit even messing with stuff like the Winchester universals and super sports.
any of them I get I throw in the trash and I surely won't purchase them.

^^ funny you mention winchester, as it is normally their budget shells that cause the problem.

[Texas by God]

I've seen this with Win 1200 and Rem Expresss. Both times with the cheap silver color base Win shells. The problem went away with brass plated base shells made by just about anybody. A few years ago I tried some Herter's shells in my previously 100% reliable 16gauge 870Wingmaster-same symptom as above!

[Retumbo]

Been shooting the cheap stuff since '89 in my 1200. Never an issue. Even reload them once with cast slugs.

[WJP]

Yup I quit shooting the walmart bulk junk. It used to be ok stuff 15+ years ago. At least I didn't have extraction issues then. Past few years have been horrible. Only shooting my reloads lately or spending the extra buck a box on something else. I've never had an issue with my remington 870 or winchester 1200 until I used winchester universal shells.

[Texas by God]

Everyone should have a break open single shot shotgun or two to use up these sub par shells! Then throw the hulls in the trash.

[Uncle Jimbo]

Everyone should have a break open single shot shotgun or two to use up these sub par shells! Then throw the hulls in the trash.

I do have a single shot break open shot gun. And I still get the cheap steel based hull to stick now and then. I keep a wood dowel around to push them out.

[Hogtamer]

It's something mechanical and I haven't bought a factory shell in so long I didn't know they still sold them:o My other 20 ga accounted for all but 2 or 3 of the 70 doves I picked up the first season with the same shells.

[Cap'n Morgan]

Could be the extractor binding due to dirt in the chamber recess. I (ab)used a 1200 when eider hunting for more than a decade and it never let me down.

[leebuilder]

Never seen this happen before. Is the barrel properly seated? Any foybbles in the chamber? I have an old ranger 120 had it since I was 19, shot many times never had an issue with any shells.
Be well

[lefty o]

it happens quite often. mostly with the winchester steel head cases, but some guns dont care for other manufacturers steel head cases either. some guns dont care what so ever, others will absolutely choke on shells they dont like.

[runfiverun]

I mess with tons of hulls.
herters, fiochi, rio, federal, estate, rem, all of them have steel heads.

the Winchester steel is far softer and thinner, they even will tell you not to reload them.
which is too bad.
they use a pretty good plastic which makes a real nice crimp, the second time they are even better.
they just ain't worth the effort especially compared to the other hulls [even the herters hulls]
I have tossed probably 4-5,000 of them this year.


what happens with many of the steel hulls is they don't size down properly and they retain a memory.
remember brass has one too only it swells up and then shrinks when the pressure is released.
steel works the opposite it swells up and stays there.
once you size it, it goes down but it springs back again.
stick some of your hulls into a go/no-go gauge or throw the calipers on them you'll see the difference.

I size & de-prime all of my steel hulls then size them again when I load them, this eliminates 99.7% of the problems.
but I still have a case stick here and there in some of my guns.
I just toss those hulls and don't have any more issues when I load that batch again.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

^^ funny you mention winchester, as it is normally their budget shells that cause the problem.
me and my son were shooting trap today his Mossberg 500 just hated the Winchester bulk but shot the federal just fine

[izzyjoe]

I have an old High standard pointer pump 12 ga. which is the same as a deluxe flite king, and it will lock up with certain shells, namely the cheap Winchester universal shells. After I polished the chamber a bit it don't do it as bad, but it's still noticeable.

[John 242]

I have an old High standard pointer pump 12 ga. which is the same as a deluxe flite king, and it will lock up with certain shells, namely the cheap Winchester universal shells. After I polished the chamber a bit it don't do it as bad, but it's still noticeable.

Yes, this is why some people have problems with the cheap steel head shells and some don't, because of the finish in the chamber. If you have any machine marks or light pitting these shells will stick. The smoother the chamber, less problems. Get a little surface rust, and a gun that has shot 10,000 rounds previously, will suddenly start acting up.

A fix is to hone the chamber.
There are specific chamber hones made for shotguns and
these are what we use. http://www.brushresearch.com/brushes.php?c2=6 or here: https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/shotgun-tools/barrel-hones-accessories/shotgun-barrel-polishing-flex-hone--prod647.aspx

You can accomplish the same thing with a dowel rod with a slit cut in it and sand paper, but I like the chamber hones. They are expensive but do an excellent job and you're unlikely to oversize or otherwise mess up a chamber with one.
You could follow the hone with 0000 steel wool and Flitz for a smooth burnish.

[John 242]

Never seen this happen before. Is the barrel properly seated? Any foybbles in the chamber? I have an old ranger 120 had it since I was 19, shot many times never had an issue with any shells.
Be well

You may never have a problem as long as your chamber stays rust/pit free. I think the OP has a different problem than a sticky chamber, though.

[John 242]

I've cleaned and oiled it thouroughly, actually been shot very little. This is the Sears m-200, 3" chamber. Load normally and now cannot extract live shell or hull. Extractor engaging as it will tear brass if butt slammed down. Chamber clean and shell drops in and out of barrel easily with barrel removed. Something is holding shell in chamber but danged if I can figure it out. Ejector pinned in place as it should be. Any ideas? Thanks.

The extractor (hook on right side of bolt face) maybe pushing the cartridge over and the rim is hitting the left locking lugs in the barrel extension.

Is your bolt unlocking and moving about 1/8 to 1/4 inch and then stopping?

[lefty o]

doesnt even take a rough chamber. some brand new high buck shotguns wont function at all with these shells.

[Hogtamer]

Yes John, when it fails, unloading a live round or a spent hull, the bolt will open only a bit. Nothing to do with the type of ammo and I don't use the crappy hulls mentioned above.

[Cap'n Morgan]

...the bolt will open only a bit...

Given that information I'm pretty sure the problem is the bolt face somehow being blocked from rotating freely. Look for dings or accumulated dirt in the locking grooves and the extractor groove.
.