Anyone here into firearms?

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.

Rusty · 09-13-2019, 12:54 PM

I have an old AT500. I'll take a look at it tonight, and post up.

09-13-2019, 12:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rusty Ronin Samurai - Assassin Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Fayettenam,Pennsyltucky Age: 69 Posts: 35,453 Drives: 2011 Nismo GM 6M Rep Power: 2684438	I have an old AT500. I'll take a look at it tonight, and post up. __________________ 浪人 - 殺し屋 "The Difficult Anytime, The Impossible By Appointment Only" http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...o-journal.html