SBE3 sluggish action

[Kris]

I have had the SBE3 for a couple years no issues. Earlier this season I noticed a decrease in reload speed and resistance in pulling back the action. A couple days ago my shotgun wouldn’t cycle and had to hand jam it after every shot for that hunt. I thought maybe it needed a deep cleaning so I tore it all down except for the trigger assembly (still cleaned what I could I just don’t feel comfortable messing with the trigger by tearing it apart) and cleaned it out. The action is still extremely sluggish and slow and still has resistance. Everything I have read says to clean the spring within the butt-stock which I did. My dad has the same gun so I switched the springs out of curiosity and it didn’t alleviate the issue either. So I am at a loss as to what is happening to a couple year old gun. Anyone else have this issue? Thanks in advance! 

[remarkable]

Hi Kris, you could PM me with more details.  What kind of Recoil spring did you replace it with?  Are you cleaning and lubricating the bolt and rails properly.  Looking forward to your questions.

 

 

[StrangerDanger]

Given that you have access to an identical model, you could try putting the trigger pack into your father’s gun and see if the problem is present on his. This would isolate if the issue is in a specific component. 

You could also pull the trigger pack out and cycle the action to see if the gritty sluggish feeling is present. 
 

If the problem appears to be in the trigger pack, manipulating the hammer with your thumb might give you a hint to where the problem is. 

You could try swapping the bolt carrier group to isolate.

I would have focused on the main spring being the issue, but you’ve said it is clean and even swapped action springs to no avail. Visually check the recoil tube for rusting or debris inside the tube. 

If none of this seems to be helping, start looking inside the receiver where the bolt travels on the rails. Look for signs of impact or binding. I’ve had this occur on a M4 in the past. You could take the action spring out and cycle the bolt with the trigger pack removed to feel for signs of binding. 
 

Another thing to be aware of is how lubricants perform in cold weather. Some bind up solid when it’s cold and affect performance. 

Edited December 26, 2020 by StrangerDanger

[Kris]

The bolt carrier seems to be getting caught on something slowing it down in the middle of its cycle, both retracting and pushing forward. I don’t see anything that could be the cause of the slow down.
 

I YouTube’s how to disassemble the trigger group and gave that a thorough cleaning as well and that didn’t fix the issue either. 
 

I've tried lubricating the rails and also cycling the rails dry with no avail. 
 

I will try replacing the trigger group and will see if that is the issue. 

[StrangerDanger]

Just remove the trigger pack then cycle the action. If that rough spot is gone, we can narrow the issue down to the trigger pack being the issue. Sounds like when the carrier makes contact with the hammer. 
 

We can then access if there is something wrong with the trigger pack and we might be able to isolate what part is giving you trouble.