Rem 870 barrel wont come off

General Firearms Shotguns
1

I recently got this new barrel in trade for my 870 express. The barrel locks in to place with a little effort. The problem is trying to get it off, I have to get a rag, put it behind the barrel ring & give it a few light whacks with a flathead to get the barrel to come loose enough to where I can yank it off. Im not saying this is a bad thing, Im really not sure if it is or not…but…it locks in place, goes into battery correctly, I can load a full tube & cycle shells fast or slow & they chamber/extract. So I guess it works. if this helps any, the barrel is a used 20" smoothbore w remington rifle sights, marked

12 GA USE 2 3/4 or 3" SHELLS in magnum receivers
******use only 2 3/4" in all others

I looked hard for burrs or little pieces of metal sticking out & it looks good, the chamber area looks like it goes on smoothly, where it is tight, is right after you put the barrel ring on the tube & are trying to put it past the threads to secure the cap, it goes on past the threads with a little effort but once the barrel locks in & the barrel ring sits past the threads of the mag tube, it just is rock solid & does not want to come off. my 870 express receiver is brand new. the 20" barrel is factory remington…

any ideas on what might be causing this…
is it going to cause problems down the road taking the barrel off by wacking to get it to loosen free, if I cant figure out why it is so tight.
maybe the barrel I got is for a 870P & I have the express receiver?
Is this a good thing? will it give the gun better accuracy with slugs?

Thanks

2

Maybe the notch in the barrel where it fits the receiver is machined a little too small. Post pictures if you can.

3

definitely post pictures. I’m assuming the bolt is all the way back, it might possibly be hanging on the magazine tube.

4

I have had some 870/1100 barrels that you have to wiggle while pulling them off but never one I had to beat off with a hammer. It is probably just tolerance stacking. Before I beat it off with a screwdriver I would give it a few hits with a rubber hammer while pulling it off. GH

5

so last night I took a harder look at the barrel ring & inside there were some small little pieces of metal sticking out, took some sandpaper to the inside of the barrel ring & it still was tight but not as tight, I still could not get the barrel off by hand though…this morning I woke up & tried my hardest to pull the barrel off & while wiggling it back & forth, it came off, so I guess I fixed something :slight_smile: looks like over time it will loosen up. Glad it came off because I really like this smoothbore 20" rifle sight barrel :slight_smile:

6

Did you try kicking it?

7

Are you opening the action half way before you try to remove the barrel?

8

yes. I am unscrewing the mag tube cap, putting the forend halfway down. A guy I was talking to on a another forum said he has had a few 870’s with tight barrels & they loosened up over a few hundred rounds. He also suggested a rubber mallet or dead blow hammer