# 11-87 extractor plunger problem



## Lindsey (Jan 22, 2000)

We have a 26 month old Rem 11-87 20 gauge in the family. The gun sees occasional service for hunting and target shooting. It is dried and cleaned after use. The gun has been to the shop twice now for the same problem to be repaired.

At 15 months, the extractor plunger, the little plunger in the bolt that the extractor compresses when it ejects the spent shell rusted into the bolt in the compressed position and the gun would not eject spent shells. We took the gun to Williams Gun Sight in Davison and, per the service receipt, Remington sent Williams a replacement bolt assembly which they installed. Remington covered the repair under their warranty. We asked the gunsmith at Williams if there was something that we should do differently when cleaning and maintaining the gun. He said no, that this was an unusual problem and probably the result of the time that the gun may have spent sitting on the shelf before being sold.

Now at 25 months, after perhaps 10 or 12 boxes of shells being fired, the same problem with the little plunger sticking in the compressed position happened again. We took the gun back to Williams gun shop and their gunsmith was able to free up the little plunger. The service receipt says that the plunger was rusted into the bolt. This time the gunsmith was too busy to come to the counter to talk with me about the problem and what we might do to prevent a reoccurance. The counterman said that it is an unusual problem. To give Williams fair credit, they did not charge us for the repair and did it in less than a week.

A failure that occurs twice within 10 months on a two year old gun seems like a chronic problem to me. The weird thing is our 870 and 1100 appear to have the same plunger & extractor systems and we've never had any problems with them.

Two questions: First, is this reoccuring problem that we're having with the little plunger comman on 20 gauge 11-87 or on 11-87 in general? Second, any thoughts on how to prevent reoccurances? Is the extractor hook and the plunger something that a fellow can remove periodically at home to clean and lube?

Thanks for your thoughts.


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## omega58 (Sep 3, 2003)

I would ask this question over on www.shotgunworld.com They even have a Forum specific for Remington. . .someone there should be able to answer the question if someone here can't.


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## chrisu (Dec 7, 2004)

Lindsey,

I am not sure where you live, but if you are anywhere near Grand Rapids, go to Bachelder Custom Arms. They are top-shelf.


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## Lindsey (Jan 22, 2000)

Thanks Omega58. I may post a similar question on shotgunworld.com
Thanks too to Chrisu. I'll keep Bachelders in mind, although Williams Gun Sight has done a good job with both repairs.
It's just their telling me that the proble, is unusual when it has happened twice to the same gun in a very short period that concerns me.

The questions that I'm trying to investigate are:
How comman are extractor plunger problems on 11-87?
Are there any recommended cleaning or lubing practices to help prevent this?

As I said, our 870 and 1100 have similar mechanisms and we've never had the extractor plungers on any of them stick or rust into the bolt. It's just this one 25 month old Remington 11-87 that has had the problem twice in the past 10 months.


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## captjimtc (Aug 10, 2005)

I have an 11-87 in 12 gauge that was new in 1987 when it first came out and I have never had this problem with hundreds of shell fired through it. I did blow the extractor completely off of the bolt assembly using home loads one time but it was replaced in a couple of hours and haven't had it happen with factory loads. I do spray hoppes MDL oil in the extractor assembly every time I clean it though.


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## tgafish (Jan 19, 2001)

Along the same lines...

I'm borrowing an 11-87 from my brother because it handles 3 inch shells and my 1100 does not. When you stick a shell in the magazine I cannot get it to come out unless I fire the shell in the chamber. So if you hunt for the day you have to fire all the shells in the magazine to empty it. This can't be right can it???? Is there some sort of mechanism I don't know about?
With my 1100 all I do is pull back the action and the shell pops up into the chamber.

Any help???


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## jmoser (Sep 11, 2002)

Put a good drop of oil on the side of that plunger and wiggle the extractor 'hook' back and forth with your finger to work the plunger in and out. That will coat the plunger with oil and should help.

By any chance are you using some unusual/bargain/import ammo that may have more corrosive residue?

You can remove the plunger but I think you have to drive out a tiny drift pin with a punch. Not a big deal but you should not have to do this.


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