So you’re working on your 870, and you’re testing feeding with the trigger plate assembly
out of the gun. Everything looks good, so you go to put the
gun back together, only to discover that you can’t insert the front trigger plate pin
because there’s something blocking the hole. What’s likely happened is that the force
of the shells cycling inside the magazine has pushed the shell latch backward so that
the hole in the latch is no longer aligned with the hole in the receiver. Since it is
subjected to the most force, the right shell latch is usually the one that is displaced
first, but it can happen to the left one as well.
When the gun is fully assembled, the front trigger plate pin passes through these holes
to hold the latches in place. The latches are staked into the receiver, but without
this pin, the staking alone is not strong enough to hold the latches in place, especially
during repeated cycling. Displaced shell latches can also occur if
you’ve installed some accessory that replaces the 3/16” trigger plate pin with something
with a smaller diameter. Later, if you remove the accessory and try to replace the original
factory pin, it won’t fit because the undersized part has allowed the latches to shift backward
slightly. Now, I know somebody’s going to watch this
and jump to the incorrect (or biased) conclusion that shoddy construction on Remington’s
part is the reason that the staking isn’t holding the shell latches in place.
To be clear, the staking is not meant to hold the latches in place while the gun cycles
shells. As stated previously, that’s the role of the front trigger plate pin. The staking
is only there to simplify take-down and reassembly by keeping the latches from falling out of
place when the trigger plate assembly is removed. You can’t fault a design for having issues
when you try to operate it without a critical part.
Here’s an automotive analogy: When you push a radiator hose onto its fitting, it’ll
stay there on its own. But if you start the engine and try to put pressure through that
line without first clamping it, you’ll have a mess on your hands. No one’s putting down
this system for not being able to perform without the clamp, because it’s clearly
not designed to work that way. Now with that point hopefully established,
let’s progress to the making it right. The first step, of course, is to make sure
both the gun’s magazine and chamber are empty (if they’re still installed on the
gun). There are only a few items you have to have
to realign a shell latch: your front trigger plate pin, and something suitable for levering
the latch back into place. Now, the latter item doesn’t have to have
an expensive gunsmith tool; you can get by with the shaft of a small screwdriver, a punch,
even a nail. Pretty much anything that’s narrow enough to fit through the partially-blocked
hole, strong enough that it won’t bend or break, and long enough to give you sufficient
leverage will work. That said, something with a round cross-section
that’s as large as possible while still being able to fit in the hole would work best
for this method, and a pointed or tapered tip is also helpful.
Items that are unnecessarily thin, or that have sharp or angular corners are more likely
to damage the edge of the pin hole. I’ll be using the same scratch awl that
I use to push out the trigger plate pins on my gun. I bought this at a local hardware
store awhile back for about six bucks, and you can find similar tools for even less online.
Not only does it work just as well as a more expensive gunsmith pin-pusher tool; but the
long tapered end and round cross-section also makes it well-suited for realigning shell
latches. Though not required, a flashlight and/or magnifying
glass can make it easier to inspect the alignment if you’re working in a poorly-lit area,
or if you have less-than-perfect eyesight. Also, a small piece of leather or some other
material can be used to help protect the metal if you’re worried about marring a nice finish.
Now, the procedure is pretty simple. Insert your tool through the receiver and latch,
then, using it as a lever with the outside rim of the receiver hole as a fulcrum, apply
rearward force until you feel the shell latch shift forward. Don’t try to shove the latch
all the way forward at once; just work it forward in small increments, using as little
force as possible, and checking frequently to see if the trigger plate pin will fit.
Once you can get the pin through, insert it halfway and use it to perform the final adjustment.
Once the receiver and latch holes are properly aligned, the pin will be perpendicular to
the side of the receiver, and will slip through with little to no resistance.
Even if you don’t use excessive force or an improper tool, you’ll want to be careful
to avoid damaging the hole in your receiver when using this method. If you’re careless
and end up having to realign your shell latches multiple times, expect some wear and tear
to accumulate. I’ve intentionally displaced and re-set
the right shell latch on my 870 at least a dozen times while making this video, and you
can see the resultant wear on the edge of the hole. This won’t affect the gun’s
function, but it is a little unsightly. It should go without saying that the best thing
to do is to prevent shell latch displacement in the first place.
So, how can you prevent displacement? Well, the most effective step is a simple one: don’t
unnecessarily cycle things through your gun without the trigger plate assembly in place.
Again, this isn’t a disparagement to the 870’s design or construction, the gun simply
isn’t intended to be operated this way. If you do have a reason to do this, at least
put the front trigger plate pin or some other 3/16” pin or rod through the receiver and
latches to keep things in place. Also, if you’re installing an accessory
that replaces the front trigger plate pin, check to make sure the new part is the proper
diameter. If it’s undersized, either find a suitable replacement, or avoid that accessory
altogether. Well, I think that about covers it. If you
have questions about what I’ve gone over here, please ask in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this video, feel free to check out the others in the series, and let me know
if there’s another topic you’d like to see me cover in the future. The subject of
this video was inspired by a comment from a viewer looking for help with this problem,
so viewer requests and suggestions are appreciated and considered.
Please stay safe, and support yourself and your fellow gun enthusiasts by being a positive
representation of the community.
This video was a bit of an experiment. I gave
myself a maximum of 24 hours to do all the writing, planning, shooting, editing, posting
- everything involved in going from initial concept to what you’re watching now. Like
speed painting for artists, the goal was to quickly and efficiently produce a complete
video on a relatively simple subject without wasting a lot of time on relatively minor
details. Personally, I think the approach worked pretty
well, and I plan to use it in the future to deliver simpler videos like this one more
frequently, without letting them become as much of a distraction from longer, more involved
videos, or other projects. I’d love to know what y’all think of the
result; a little less polish, but more content.
And as always, I welcome your suggestions for topics.