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Maverick 88 Pump Action Troubleshooting

DHonovich

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Any issues, concerns or problems you may have with your maverick 88 pump action; this is a thread for troubleshooting.
 
well i bought it off off a guy that got it 2 years ago,and suppose of only used it a couple of times for pheasant hunting,it looked brand new no scratches at all on it,bore was very clean.the part that the gun smith fixed was the spring thats for the firing pin.for some reason it didnt push the firing pin out far enough to set off the shell,maybe the previous owner dry fired it a lot?
 
redneck hunter said:
maybe the previous owner dry fired it a lot?

Dry fire does not hurt a center fire gun.
$75 seems like a lot of money to repair/replace the firing pin spring. For that price you could have a new bolt assembly and a few boxes of shells.
 
There's a good chance as well that they could have f'd with that hammer piece in the trigger. If it had that half cocked unit in there it would do that as it only goes 80% of the way and then stops. It has a second catch the causes this and i had to break out the "surgical tools" :lol: to figure it out. Than i just filed it off and problem solved. It shot like a dream after that. every time i pull the trigger it goes boom like it should :D
 
88 trigger woes...

I've been the happy owner of a Moss. 500A for many years. Never had a moments trouble. I've field stripped it for cleaning, & replaced the follower with a bright orange number for visibility.

About a month ago a friend of my wife's invited us over for dinner. Eventually we talked guns and her husband heard "Mossberg" & asked me if I could reassemble his Maverick 88 that he had taken apart. Knowing they were similar to the 500, I said "sure".

It arrived at my house last night. Sure enough, in pieces. No problems with the major stuff, but this guy took apart the trigger unit! :x

I've been warned by many people over the years to never, never, do that... and now I see why! Anyone know where I can find a schematic for that part? It is different from the 500 in the safety.

Thanks!
 
Re: 88 trigger woes...

Your best bet is to return the firearm and let Maverick rebuild it ... that trigger unit is one tough nut to crack brother.

Good Luck ...
 
Re: 88 trigger woes...

I agree with sending it in or bringing it to a gunsmith to have done. AGI does make a Mossberg 500 gunsmithing dvd that would certainly help you but it may still be a bit difficult to do your first time around.
 
Re: 88 trigger woes...

I would either have the owner return it to mossberg to fix or recommend he buy another trigger assembly and chalk it up as a learning experience.
 
Re: 88 trigger woes...

Maverick must use some sort of jig to aide them in building that trigger assembly. It's really tough to get the firing pin placed correctly in the units housing ... much less all of the other tiny little pieces that make up that unit! *chuckles*
 
Re: 88 trigger woes...

Found a file on YouTube that goes into some detail on reassembling this unit. Called the "Mossberg 500 Armorer's Course" and is located about 1:16:00 in the video.
 
The play in the forend is normal for the model 88 and for Mossberg pumps in general. The play in tolerance contributes to their noteable reliability. The tighter the tolerance, the more likely dirt, grime, and debris will start to cause issues.
 
Answer to kajohns, Depending on what barrel you have on the 88. I was looking at some fiber sights at MidwayUSA that attach to the vented rib. Don't know how much you want to spend but there are several options for different sights.

I was slightly impressed with something someone else posted about the MOSSBERG 500 HIGH CAPACITY SHOTGUN KIT from Brownells. About $150. Can make the maverick an 8+1. I would jump on that if it had been a rifled barrel. Still not bad.

"High quality, OEM components allow you to easily transform your Mossberg 500 into a reliable, high-capacity, self defense weapon. 20" long barrel chambered for 2¾" and 3" magnum 12 gauge loads features a fixed cylinder choke for maximum pattern coverage at combat ranges. White bead front with adjustable, U-notch rear sight helps provide rifle-like accuracy when shooting slugs at longer distances. Magazine extension threads solidly into the receiver to provide 8-rounds of firepower; knurled takedown screw retains the tube in the magazine support on the barrel to eliminate the need for a separate barrel clamp. Includes extended-length magazine spring for reliable feeding."

The lack of drop in the Knoxx stock makes it a bit hard for some folks. That is a bit of trade off for the reduction of muzzle rise.
 
Maverick 88 fail to fire

Currently, my 12 gauge Maverick 88 is at Mossberg.

I bought it (wife did, actually, as a gift) at the end of December 2011. The first 100 rounds went pretty well til I got a single failure to fire. I hadn't cleaned it yet, so I hoped that might be all it was. After cleaning, the next 100 rounds or so went pretty well too, and I began cleaning it more frequently (every 25 rounds or so). Well, as I went past 300 rounds, the failure to fire became much more frequent. Last week, I loaded 6 rounds and every other one just went click. :cry:

It was Winchester birdshot. On the misfires, the primer wasn't even scratched. My dealer disassembled it and couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. At first, his suggestion was to send it back to Mossberg myself. After I asked, he agreed he would be the one to ship it. As you can see, I've only owned it for two months.

I'm hoping that whatever Mossberg does to it makes it really dependable. If it goes bang, everytime, I'll be very pleased. :) I'll update, once the gun comes home.

It definitely did teach me the value of running a bunch of ammunition through a new gun before pronouncing it totally dependable. Take care. Tom Worthington.
 
Re: Maverick 88 fail to fire

did you clean it initally to get rid of the packing grease?
I would say a bit of grease and gunk have joined to give you a light primer hit.

I rarely clean my Maverick my self, but the bottom of your bolt is exposed so it could have collected a bit of dirt.
 
Re: Maverick 88 fail to fire

No. I started firing it, right out of the box. Even when cleaning it, the only buildup of dirt seemed to be coming from the barrel.

I've heard of a few firing pin issues. I'm crossing my fingers that Mossberg has a standard fix for it. Take care. Tom Worthington.
 
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