Mossberg 183 .410 S/G; Hard lockup?

909Hemi

March 08, 2009 16:22

Hi guys; I have an old Mossberg 183T shotgun, it's a .410 bolt action. I hav'nt fired it because the shells don't seem to chamber properly. When I push a round into the chamber, the bolt is REALLY hard to crank downward to lock the shell into place. This does'nt happen with an empty chamber (closes easily), and I have tried several brands/types of shells with the same result.
Is this what's referred to as a "headspace problem"? Is there anything I can do to fix it? The gun's not worth much... I think 2 hours of paid gunsmith time would probably reach this guns' value.

Thanks for your help in advance!

0

• 

  11b6r

  March 08, 2009 18:32

  1. Make sure you have the right shell- 2.5 inch or 3 inch?
  2. Sometimes a problem with crud under extractor lip. When you add a shell, the increased diameter of shell + crud makes extractors drag on chamber wall. Clean under extractor claw well, try again.
  3. All else fails, do what I do- contact Vic Havlin at www.havlinsales.com. He is the go-to guy for anything Mossberg (and also his wife, Cheryl) They are also very nice folks to talk with.

  0
• 

  909Hemi

  March 08, 2009 20:11

  Thanks for your answers!
  It has a 3" chamber and acts the same way with both 2.5" and 3" shells. I've blown the bolt out with compressed air and re-lubed it, but I'll take another look at it. Failing that, I'll get in touch with Vic.

  0

Please sign in to leave a comment.