How to unload a Rem 870 safely?

East Bay

Ok, how do I unload a pump shotgun without racking all the shells in the magazine thru the chamber? There has to be a better way...

offeror

The directions are in the 870 manual, which I assume you do not have on hand.

There is a serrated pushbutton on the LEFT (port) side of the 870 receiver (at the bottom edge), snug against the front part of the trigger guard. When you press this serrated (tooth-lined) button, you can rack the slide back to open the ejection port. First, point the gun in a safe direction.

Locate and press the serrated button and WHILE HOLDING IT DOWN, pull back the pump action to open it. The ejection port will then be open and you can visually inspect the chamber. You will see that the next round has been ejected loosely into the receiver interior, where you can easily turn the gun to the side and drop the shell out of the ejection port.

The chamber is now also viewable and you can verify that it is empty. STILL HOLDING THE SERRATED BUTTON DOWN, repeat the above procedure, pushing the pump action forward once and back again (never touching the trigger itself). The ejection port is now open again and the next round is visible, having been ejected loosely into the receiver. Turn the gun to the side again and drop the shell out of the ejection port. Still holding the serrated button down, repeat this procedure, pushing the pump action forward and back once, ejecting a loose round each time, until all rounds have been safely removed through the open ejection port.

NOTE: THIS WHOLE PROCESS IS COMPLETED WHILE HOLDING THE PUSHBUTTON DOWN, AND WITHOUT EVER PULLING THE TRIGGER OF YOUR 870. IF THERE IS ANY DIFFICULTY WITH THIS INFORMAL SUMMARY OF THE PROCEDURE FOR UNLOADING, DO NOT PROCEED. Take the gun to your dealer and let him refresh you on the unloading procedure for the 870. Obviously, I can take no responsibility for your interpretation of these suggestions and I again stress that you should always point the barrel in a safe direction throughout the unloading procedure. Again, there will be no need to pull the trigger at any point in the process of unloading, from picking up the loaded gun to putting down the empty gun. THIS PROCESS SHOULD IN FACT WORK THE SAME WITH THE SAFETY ON, AND THE SAFETY SHOULD NO DOUBT BE LEFT ON THROUGHOUT THE PROCEDURE FOR MAXIMUM INSURANCE AGAINST AN ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE. The safety is the crossbolt button behind the trigger. When engaged, you will NOT see a red line. When disengaged, you MAY see a red line on the port side of the bolt.

I hope I have covered everything (!)

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

Ronald J. Snow

It is not necessary to work the action to remove shells from the magazine tube. Turn the gun upside down with the action closed. On the inside of the loading port there is a shell latch that contacts the back of the shell in the tube. Push this to the right and your shell will come out of the tube. Sometimes it is necessary to lift the shell slightly with the tip of your thumb to complete the removal. Sounds complicated but saves a lot of wear and tear on the shotgun. After clearing the tube, remove the round from the chamber.

martzkj@msn.com

My favorite way is to fire all three shots.

offeror

Actually, Ron's method circumvents the catch that holds the rounds in place in the tube. I have the tube extender on mine so I've got six rounds in that tube, and when each is released directly up the loading port ramp under spring tension it tends to lodge (I hesitate to say jam) against the ramp at about the halfway point. This requires a bit of finesse to raise each of six rounds up enough to get them the rest of the way out of the tube. I doubt this is a Remington-recommended method, though it would work if necessary on a gun with action jammed. But on a jammed gun you could just as easily unscrew the cap off the tube, release and remove the spring and empty the rounds out the other end.

There should be no undue "wear and tear" using Rem's unloading button designed for the job, and racking the pump as described in the manual. It accomplishes what was asked, i.e., removing the rounds without chambering each one, and does so safely.

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

rameleni1

No offence, but I don't see why its a big deal to just pump 3 times with the saftey on, and the gun in a safe direction?

Rameleni1

Ronald J. Snow

I have seen many times that I wanted to change ammo quietly and my suggested method is very quiet. Further, removing the magazine spring retainer on a stock firearm with a fully loaded magazine can be a real "eye opener".

Txs

Ron's method is what the FBI Training Unit teaches in it's instructor school. If done as he describes, the rounds don't fly out of the magazine tube against the bottom of the shell lifter, you control the rearward movement of the round with your thumb and it leaves the magazine tube very gently. That's why this is the preferred method, you maintain complete control of both the weapon and the ammunition at all times. If done right it's very quick, safe and efficient.

There are two reasons behind not cycling rounds through the gun to clear the magazine. The first is safety. If the rounds never enter the chamber there's zero chance of a round discharging. The second is that you don't risk damaging your ammo. The soft rim of the round takes a serious beating as this heavy shell cycles through the action. The banging they take against the hardened steel components of the gun during feeding and extraction can cause them to develop burrs that may later interfere with them feeding through the mag tube and action.

This isn't even considering the damage they might receive from hitting a hard surface after they're ejected. Besides rim damage this can also lead to the crimp loosening and causing the buffering compound to leak. This will both screw up your pattern and dirty up the gun when they're loaded back in the magazine.

The bottom line is that shotgun rounds were designed to only make one trip through a gun's action.

Edited by - Txs on 07/30/2002 20:17:18

offeror

Probably not Remington's preferred method, but whatever floats your boat. Certainly the Remington drill is imprecise, with the round rattling around inside the receiver. But they did put that unloader lever on there for a reason.

The more dangerous shotgun to unload always struck me as being the Winchester Model 12. When you pump the rounds out of the ejection port in the prescribed unloading drill, the extractor protruding from the ejection port cover can actually hit the primers dead center if you're not careful.

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878