Answer

Bob covered this model in the pro course. The bolt carrier is like linked to the action barrel with a pin. The pin is weak. Under stress the pin may deform or even break off, making it impossible to disassemble the bolt. It may be necessary to drill a small hole in the frame in order to drive the pin out from outside.

It may be what you have right now. Without unlocking the bolt, the barrel is pretty much jammed in place.

Almost everything has to come out from the rear. You will have to take out the stock before you can do anything. -TL

Question Follow Up

Thanks TL. That sounds like what the problem is. Not a good solution for the receiver. It is what it is though. It is a poor design. If I could just get the mag tube nut off I think it would help but that is not possible with the lockup. Thanks again.

TL, are you referring to the Slide pin (#33 on my schematic from Steve’s Pages)? If so that pin (or plunger) is fine and works correctly in and out of the hole in the action bar. Other than that could you please expound on which pin you are referring to? In a recent move, my Pro Course DVD’s found their way to storage somehow and not sure where at the moment. Thanks. JR

Answer

The slide pin it is. If it is intact, I will need to review the DVD to recall what is stopping the bolt from unlocking. Will get back to you. -TL

Follow Up Answer

Reviewed the DVD. I was wrong about the slide pin. It links the action bar to the bolt carrier. When it breaks, one would have a hard time disconnecting the forearm from the bolt carrier, and taking out the bolt. It has nothing to do with unlocking the bolt. You mentioned that the slide pin was intact. I assumed you had no problem disconnecting the action bar from the bolt carrier. You just could not get the bolt to unlock.

I read that you managed to take out the trigger group, the shell carrier, and the cartridge stops. So there is nothing else to stop the bolt from unlocking, of course other than the bolt itself, the cartridge, and the barrel. You said the cartridge was live. You may want to look down the barrel with a flash light to confirm. Bob also mentioned in the DVD that plastic shells had tendency to stick to the chamber wall, making it hard to extract. It may be what you have if the round was indeed fired.

The gun has tilting bolt locking into recess in the frame, locked into such tilted position by the carrier. You may consider simply drifting the carrier backward, of course reconfirming there is indeed nothing else there to stop the bolt carrier from going backward. The inclined plane on the carrier should cam the bolt out of the recess in the frame and carry it back. If the shell is stuck in the chamber, the extractor hooks will jump the rim, or simply rip it out.

Hope this helps. Be careful if there is indeed a live round in the chamber. -TL

Question Follow Up

Thanks, TL. I appreciate you looking at the DVD for me. This gives me more info to work with. As far as the slide pin, it retracts out of the action bar hole, but the forearm will not move either direction from its locked position which is forward. The carrier came with no problem, leaving the bolt and slide locked in the receiver. I think the extractors are probably in place over the rim and as you mentioned the plastic cartridge is stuck in the barrel. I will confirm if the cartridge is live or spent. May just have to use brute force to break it loose. Thanks again. JR

More Question Follow Up

Additional info: the cartridge is live. The forearm will move forward enough to disengage the slide pin, but just until it hits the yoke. If I could ever get the barrel to twist enough to remove the mag tube nut, I could at least remove the forearm and action bar. Barrel won’t twist. JR

…and Success!

Success !! By pulling the action bar forward to clear the slide pin, I was able to put just enough pressure with a screwdriver on the bolt next to the bottom extractor to pry the bolt back, dislodging the stuck cartridge. The brass was rusted on the cartridge. Now for a thorough cleaning and rust check then re-assembly. Thanks for all of your assistance, TL. Now, where did I put those DVD’s ? JR

Answer

Use a cleaning rod down the barrel to check for a live round. You could also have depressed the back of the bottom extractor so the hook would have released from the case and forced the bolt back. The top extractor is negative so it wouldn’t have held onto the case. Ken

Reply

Thanks for the additional info, Ken. After I saw how the bolt/extractor set up was in the gun, you are correct. I could have depressed the extractor to release the hook and back the bolt out. Actually taking down the entire gun was a valuable learning experience for me. This was the first shotgun I had ever worked on that ejected out the bottom of the receiver.

Your D&R video from the GunTech magazine (Volume 15) was invaluable in helping me to do this job. The very first bit of information about taking off the stock first so you don’t wreck the receiver screw was priceless. I would have never thought that the stock would need to come off at all.

Actually I did just that in using the cleaning rod as a gauge to see if the round was live or empty. JR

Answer

Right on. Glad it all worked out. Ken