May have a bolt out of battery problem, need advice!

[ocinsomniac]

Hey, y'all,

Haven't been here in quite awhile since I haven't used my 930 SPX Blackwater but maybe twice in the past three years......been using the over & under for clays while the Mossie sits in the safe for home protection. Just recently took it out to give her some exercise, and right away noticed it didn't go bang when I pulled the trigger. Brought it to a local gunsmith who noticed the shell stop pin had lost it's retaining clip, so he replaced that, and it seemed to function normally after that. Hammer springs, firing pin and were all ok.

However, after putting several slugs down range to test it, I noticed that when cocked and ready to fire, a slight touch of the bolt lever could release the bolt about 3/4" open, especially if the barrel was tilted upward. Not sure for certain, but if I can recall, that bolt was always locked forward unless you pulled the charging handle backwards. Not the case with my unit at present. I had a local gun store look at it and compared it to a new SPX similar to mine with the HD 18" barrel and pistol grip, and their new unit indeed had the bolt lock in place when cocked in ready to fire position.

So I notified the gunsmith that worked on it previously, told him about the unlocked bolt situation, and how we compared it to a new unit......he dismissed it as there not being any problem saying a new unit would definitely be tighter than mine which was already broken in, and when he test fired it, he could see no problem, and my gun was functioning as designed. To him all was normal. But in the back of my mind, I have a fear that I may have a problem with a shell being detonated while out of battery........would appreciate some input as to how your bolt action operates, does it lock up when in position to fire or not?

Also one other question, it's been so long since I've been here.....is Joe Zakher still the go to guy for problems such as these, and does Maverick Arms do the repair work for Mossberg?
TIA,
Ocinsomniac

 

[ocinsomniac]

Anybody ??

 

[waz0wski]

Shouldn't be able to easily pull the bolt back that far

I'd pull it apart and double check the bolt assembly, rattail, and recoil spring & tube for abnormal wear, missing parts/pins, or parts breakage
Double check the recoil assembly and make sure the tube is tight, the spring retainer is oriented correctly, and the rattail is correctly oriented in the plunger

Schematics available here for reference

 

[Jmm14534]

The bolt should be locked into the barrel when in battery. The bolt is pushed forward by considerable spring pressure. Sounds like your Mossy can easily come out of battery “especially if the barrel was tilted upward”. This should not be the case. The bolt should be relatively hard to pull back because of the return spring. I suspect the the link is not properly inserted into the return spring plunger. Like Waz0wski said pull it apart and make sure all is as it should be.
I’m amazed that the initial problem of the shell stop losing its retaining clip could even happen. I’ve not heard that one before. Also ditch that gunsmith. He should have at least offered to take a follow up look at the gun to make sure it was safe.
A complete tear down will give you a chance to thoroughly inspect and clean the gun. It’s a pain and takes a good 3 to 4 hours but well worth it. Below are a few pics on one of my M930’s for your reference.

 

[OR3GUN]

Another possibility is the 'slide' under the bolt isn't going fully forward. This happens when the piston rings are gummed up and the force isn't there when the bolt closes to fully push the piston forward. The bolt will not lock when this happens. The trigger can still be pulled, but the firing pin will be trapped and will not allow the gun to fire. Removing the rings from the piston and giving everything a good cleaning usually resolves this.

 

[ocinsomniac]

Thanks guys, that gives me a start. Will take it apart again and check it out. Even tough I paid a gunsmith to do just that.....he was a real zero, said nothing was wrong........he should stick to bolt actions! OR3GUN - piston rings are clean as a whistle, I've always been a clean freak with all my guns.

Sure wish Joe Zakher was still available, he'd have it diagnosed in no time....

 

[ocinsomniac]

Finally found the time to take it all apart, and put it back together, and took it to the range. Don't know what I may have done, but it went through two boxes (50 rds) of Federal #8 target loads, 1200 fps, 2 3/4" without a whimper, at first cautiously one shot at a time, then the rest all rapid fire. Just like it did in the good ol' days!

One more test like this and I'll be satisfied it is ready for the HD use I originally intended ........