Anyone here into firearms?

SouthArk370Z · 09-13-2019, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghostvette

That poor shotgun. It might be hard enough to do that, I'll ask my gunsmith. Hopefully he gets me an answer in less than 2 weeks... He's always busy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghostvette

Update... I can't get him on the phone. Seems his phone is out of order again. :/

Thanks for trying.

VABAM · 09-13-2019, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

A buddy of mine has a Mossberg 500A 12ga pump that had been sitting in the back of a closet for a long time and collected a lot of dust plus some surface rust. We decided to break it down and give it a good cleaning. The barrel wouldn't come out of the receiver.

Looked at a few videos on Youtube and they all show the barrel almost falling out once the magazine bolt is unscrewed. Sprayed the barrel/receiver joint with WD-40 and let it sit overnight but it's still stuck. Any suggestions? Is the chamber steel hard enough that I can use a brass rod to knock it out from inside the receiver?

This might be a stupid question but what position is the action in while you try to remove the barrel? IIRC you have to hold the action about 1/3-1/2 open for the barrel to unlock. I don't own a 500 (Rem 870 guy) but I have taken the barrel off of a 500 and I remember it was a PITA finding the sweet spot for the barrel to unlock.

SouthArk370Z · 09-13-2019, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VABAM

This might be a stupid question but what position is the action in while you try to remove the barrel? IIRC you have to hold the action about 1/3-1/2 open for the barrel to unlock. I don't own a 500 (Rem 870 guy) but I have taken the barrel off of a 500 and I remember it was a PITA finding the sweet spot for the barrel to unlock.

Tried again, paying close attention to position of bolt and running the slide through its range whilst pulling/pushing/twisting, and still no go - the barrel is in there TIGHT and never budged.

As far as I can tell, there is nothing inside the receiver holding the barrel (but not 100% sure). I don't see anything that would retain the barrel in this exploded diagram (other than the magazine screw).

Side note: You can't always depend on exploded diagrams. Was working on a different shotgun that someone had torn down and couldn't get back together. Downloaded an exploded diagram but couldn't get the hammer to go back in right. Found out that the spring that propels the hammer was shown backwards in the diagram.

VABAM · 09-13-2019, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

Tried again, paying close attention to position of bolt and running the slide through its range whilst pulling/pushing/twisting, and still no go - the barrel is in there TIGHT and never budged.

As far as I can tell, there is nothing inside the receiver holding the barrel (but not 100% sure). I don't see anything that would retain the barrel in this exploded diagram (other than the magazine screw).

Side note: You can't always depend on exploded diagrams. Was working on a different shotgun that someone had torn down and couldn't get back together. Downloaded an exploded diagram but couldn't get the hammer to go back in right. Found out that the spring that propels the hammer was shown backwards in the diagram.

This might sound silly but I would make sure the barrel can come off. If Mossberg has a serial number search, I would check the model and variant just to be sure. If it can come off I would soak it in WD-40 or similar oil for a few days. If it won’t come off then I would secure the action in a vise and tap on the barrel/tube support (see attached pic) with a wooden dowel and rubber mallet. If it won’t come off after that then you’re in gunsmith territory.

SouthArk370Z · 09-13-2019, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VABAM

This might sound silly but I would make sure the barrel can come off. If Mossberg has a serial number search, I would check the model and variant just to be sure.

Good idea. I'll check it out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VABAM

If it can come off I would soak it in WD-40 or similar oil for a few days. If it won’t come off then I would secure the action in a vise and tap on the barrel/tube support (see attached pic) with a wooden dowel and rubber mallet. If it won’t come off after that then you’re in gunsmith territory.

For the last two days, I've been giving everything a shot of WD 3-4 times a day and then tapping on the barrel and receiver with a deadblow hammer. I also unscrewed the magazine bolt and rapped the bolt with the deadblow, trying to drive the receiver off the barrel. Tried hitting the barrel on the sides to maybe loosen things up - no luck. I'll wait a few more days before getting very rough with it.
I don't have a vise that I would want to clamp a gun into. Guess I need to invest in one.
I hadn't thought about using a wood dowel. Looked around the garage - no wood dowels and all my scraps are soft wood. I think the Atwood's down the road has some hard wood dowels.

Thanks for the input.

SouthArk370Z · 09-13-2019, 01:24 PM

Went ahead and took everything out of the receiver except the ejector. It's held in by a screw and I don't want to mess with it if I don't have to. Gave it a shot of WD-40 in case we want to remove it later.

The bolt has some rust on it (not terribly bad but it made me cringe a little when I saw it). I'm guessing that the gun got wet at some time and there is some rust where the barrel and receiver mate. The guy that owns the gun is out of town for the weekend and I'd prefer if he did any enthusiastic hammering on it. I'll keep soaking it down with WD-40 until he comes back.

VABAM · 09-13-2019, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

Went ahead and took everything out of the receiver except the ejector. It's held in by a screw and I don't want to mess with it if I don't have to. Gave it a shot of WD-40 in case we want to remove it later.

The bolt has some rust on it (not terribly bad but it made me cringe a little when I saw it). I'm guessing that the gun got wet at some time and there is some rust where the barrel and receiver mate. The guy that owns the gun is out of town for the weekend and I'd prefer if he did any enthusiastic hammering on it. I'll keep soaking it down with WD-40 until he comes back.

Maybe you can wiggle, rotate slightly, the barrel in the receiver using a strap wrench and vise to break it loose.

SouthArk370Z · 09-13-2019, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VABAM

Maybe you can wiggle, rotate slightly, the barrel in the receiver using a strap wrench and vise to break it loose.

Tried it but it wouldn't break loose. But I was afraid to put too much torque on it. I'm going to wait until my buddy gets back and let him decide how much force to use. Until then, I'll squirt it with WD and bump it with the deadblow every few hours.

Everything else seems to be in good shape. A few quick strokes with a small brass brush gets most of the rust off of the bolt and pitting is minimal. All other parts just need a good cleaning. The bluing has seen better days but I haven't found any big pits in the steel.

SouthArk370Z · 09-19-2019, 01:26 PM

Gave the drawings I found another good looking over and inspected where the receiver and barrel mate again. It doesn't look like the barrel can turn at all until it is most of the way out of the receiver. There is a "tab" extending off the back of the chamber (rear part of the barrel) where the bolt locks. It fits in a groove in the top inside of the receiver with no play.

My buddy that owns the shotgun went camping last week, came back to town for a while, and then headed back to the woods. He may be back Tues - but I ain't betting on it. We worked on the shotgun a little; made no headway. He thinks we ought to go by "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I can't think of a good argument (other than I'm curious to see what the problem is). I'm going to keep spraying and banging until he gets back.

Ghostvette · 09-19-2019, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

Gave the drawings I found another good looking over and inspected where the receiver and barrel mate again. It doesn't look like the barrel can turn at all until it is most of the way out of the receiver. There is a "tab" extending off the back of the chamber (rear part of the barrel) where the bolt locks. It fits in a groove in the top inside of the receiver with no play.

My buddy that owns the shotgun went camping last week, came back to town for a while, and then headed back to the woods. He may be back Tues - but I ain't betting on it. We worked on the shotgun a little; made no headway. He thinks we ought to go by "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I can't think of a good argument (other than I'm curious to see what the problem is). I'm going to keep spraying and banging until he gets back.

Too bad you can't pull the stock off and soak it in either WD40 or PB Blaster....

SouthArk370Z · 09-19-2019, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghostvette

Too bad you can't pull the stock off and soak it in either WD40 or PB Blaster....

Would immersing it do any more good than frequent sprays downs? The stock is off and the forearm is out of the way (can't get it all the way off until barrel comes off) and the only parts left in the receiver are the ejector and safety (all metal), so soaking the receiver is an option if it will work any better. Will have to find some bulk (non-aerosol) penetrating oil, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

Ghostvette · 09-19-2019, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

Would immersing it do any more good than frequent sprays downs? The stock is off and the forearm is out of the way (can't get it all the way off until barrel comes off) and the only parts left in the receiver are the ejector and safety (all metal), so soaking the receiver is an option if it will work any better. Will have to find some bulk (non-aerosol) penetrating oil, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

At this point, it might. You would need a bucket deep enough to get the receiver/barrel joint submerged. You could then tap on it at your leisure, instead of trying to remember when it was last sprayed. If I had the spare time, I'd bring you the gallon of liquid WD 40 that I have.... I figure you are about a 5 hour drive from me...

SouthArk370Z · 09-19-2019, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghostvette

At this point, it might. ...

I guess I don't have anything to lose by trying it. If it works on the barrel, it may work on the threaded magazine, too.

The receiver is 8.125" long, so I will need at least 8.25" of oil. A Q&D measurement says a cut off bleach bottle may work but won't have much head room. Need to find a container that is smaller in diameter. A 12" welding rod can would probably work very well.

I tried heating it up with a hair dryer and then spraying the barrel with a can of compressed "air" turned upside down - still stuck.

Not many good highways between here and there. Or anywhere else. But lots of nice winding roads if one is in a sports car.

SouthArk370Z · 09-26-2019, 02:02 PM

Update on Mossberg 500: Got some SeaFoam Deep Creep and sprayed everything down. The guy that owns the gun doesn't want to go to trouble/expense of immersing whole receiver in penetrating oil. Going to spray with Deep Creep for a few days and then fire a few rounds through the gun. If that doesn't unstick the barrel, he'll just live with it. Anyway, all the other parts have been cleaned/oiled and are ready for reassembly.

SouthArk370Z · 10-07-2019, 12:32 AM

Finally! After much moaning, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, the barrel and receiver have been separated.

As I suspected, quite a bit of oxidation but no major pitting. I spent a few minutes scratching on the oxides with plastic gun picks and it looks like it will clean up well.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

09-13-2019, 01:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	Went ahead and took everything out of the receiver except the ejector. It's held in by a screw and I don't want to mess with it if I don't have to. Gave it a shot of WD-40 in case we want to remove it later. The bolt has some rust on it (not terribly bad but it made me cringe a little when I saw it). I'm guessing that the gun got wet at some time and there is some rust where the barrel and receiver mate. The guy that owns the gun is out of town for the weekend and I'd prefer if he did any enthusiastic hammering on it. I'll keep soaking it down with WD-40 until he comes back. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

09-19-2019, 01:26 PM	#9 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	Gave the drawings I found another good looking over and inspected where the receiver and barrel mate again. It doesn't look like the barrel can turn at all until it is most of the way out of the receiver. There is a "tab" extending off the back of the chamber (rear part of the barrel) where the bolt locks. It fits in a groove in the top inside of the receiver with no play. My buddy that owns the shotgun went camping last week, came back to town for a while, and then headed back to the woods. He may be back Tues - but I ain't betting on it. We worked on the shotgun a little; made no headway. He thinks we ought to go by "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I can't think of a good argument (other than I'm curious to see what the problem is). I'm going to keep spraying and banging until he gets back. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

09-26-2019, 02:02 PM	#14 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	Update on Mossberg 500: Got some SeaFoam Deep Creep and sprayed everything down. The guy that owns the gun doesn't want to go to trouble/expense of immersing whole receiver in penetrating oil. Going to spray with Deep Creep for a few days and then fire a few rounds through the gun. If that doesn't unstick the barrel, he'll just live with it. Anyway, all the other parts have been cleaned/oiled and are ready for reassembly. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

10-07-2019, 12:32 AM	#15 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	Finally! After much moaning, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, the barrel and receiver have been separated. As I suspected, quite a bit of oxidation but no major pitting. I spent a few minutes scratching on the oxides with plastic gun picks and it looks like it will clean up well. Thanks for all the suggestions. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma