Jump to content

SBE user issues


nthngd2say

Recommended Posts

I purchased a SBE 1 used Jan of this year. Great hunting gun - no issues hunting geese. I have had problems when shooting 2 3/4 #7 1/2 1 1/8oz shells (cheap Winchester target loads from Wally world) for clay pigeons. Every so often the 2nd shell does not load after the fired shell is ejected. I tried shooting three boxes of 3 1/2" #4 1 1/8oz shells and then the Wally World specials - same problem. The 3 1/2" shells cycle just fine.

 

I have cleaned and lightly oiled all parts - except for the recoil spring and tube - with Break-Free products. I have figured out how to check and clean the recoil spring and tube and will do so later today. Since I do not have the cycling issue everytime, I am assuming for now that my recoil spring may require cleaning but not replacing. I also plan on shooting higher quality target loads when I shoot again this weekend - Winchester AA, Remington & Federal heavy target loads.

 

If I still have the problems after the next round of shooting, I am contemplating purchasing a sure cycle system. I was considering a Wolff recoil spring but I would have to switch from the 25% reduction spring for light loads to the factory spring for waterfowling which is not very appealing.

 

I guess I was hoping for some insight on the issue. The gun had minimal wear on all parts when I looked it over prior to purchase. It had not been cleaned but had no areas of gunk build-up and no rust. So basically the gun was in excellent shape for being used. I'm not sure if the recoil spring could be the issue, maybe I'm shouldering the gun too tight, or the Wally World ammo is part of the problem. Any ideas?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I buy just about all of my target loads at w-mart, that I shoot through my LH SBE and I have had no problems. The few times that I have experianced this problem it has been one of these 3 reasons,

1----the mag tube was dirty

2----the pin that holds the shell carrier in place had trash or build up around it so the spring did not have enough power to move the shell carrier properly

3---- when I go pheasant hunting, the shells that roll around in the bottom of your vest for a month get scrached up and they WILL not feed as well as new shells.

As far as the recoil spring goes, my SBE will shoot one oz. loads with no problems, and this is with a factory spring. With season number 3 coming to an end with the SBE I ordered a 25% more power recoil spring from Wolf and it will still shoot the 11/8oz. loads with no problems .

Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply.

 

I will check the magazine tube also... didn't think of that.

 

I have cleaned the pin that holds the shell carrier in place and all of my shells go straight from the box into my shell pouch when I shoot targets.

 

Would it be worth it regardless of the condition of my recoil spring to purchase the Wolff extra power recoil spring then? What about purchasing the sure cycle system... any thoughts?

 

I will clean the mag tube and the recoil spring first and see if neglect is the culprit first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The reason thet I purchased a new recoil spring for my gun, is that the action seemed to cycle slower than it used to. To my understanding a more power spring will make it harder for your gun to cycle the light stuff, but will improve the performance of your gun when shooting heavy loads.

my $.02 make shure everything is clean and go from there

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HA!! One of my favorite rants . . . Winchester ammo. Don't know why but it hates me so I'm hating it back. I've never tried it in my SBE because I simply won't buy it any more. I've had two semiauto rifles have troubles with only winchester ammo and recently my brother has cycling problems with only winchester in his Ruger MKIV (or V or whatever it is) pistol. I know a lot of people use only winchester shotshells and have no problems but not me. Anyway, the Wally's here stock both winchester and federal 2.75" 1 1/8 oz. "All Purpose" loads and I always buy the feds and have not had a problem.

End of rant.

For now anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Winchester ammo cycles the majority of the time. I will try Federal and Remington loads this weekend and see what results I get.

 

I did clean the magazine tube and it was dirty - nothing terrible but still dirty.

 

I also clean the recoil spring tube with a 20 ga bronze brush and then a mop. Didn't get much there but it wasn't completely clean.

 

I could not remove either the mag tube or the recoil spring - afraid to use too much pressure - but I had no issues running the cleaning brushes and mops through either. SO I couldn't tell if my recoil spring has any issues.

 

Hopefully this shooting this weekend has better results. There was definately some cleaning required. Thanks for the replies!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cleaning the recoil assembly is good...oiling it is even better. You have to think about friction with these things. The recoil assembly is not so much for absorbing recoil as it is for feeding the next round into the chamber. If it's dry, it won't feed very well no matter the shell you're using. You don't need it to be sounding like a water pump but you do need enough to pull up a slight bead of oil when you work the plunger.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Make sure everything is clean and well oiled. Not sloppy but enough to wet the various surfaces. Then shoot about 2,500 rounds of medium heavy loads cleaning the gun after each 500 or so.

 

She will be well broke in by then and should shoot most anything you feed her except the very cheap stuff in cold weather. I've had my early SBE for over 5 years. Bought it used. Still shooting factory springs. It dos not like the magizine cap screwed down real tight. Tighten it as tight as you can get it by hand then back off 2 or 3 clicks.

 

Keep he clean and you will love her and she will love you right back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything has been cleaned and oiled now. Weather has not permitted testing if the cleaning resolved my issues.

 

I also keep the mag cap tight but I may try backing it off two or three clicks. What was your experience with this Rock Hall?

 

The SBE fits me very well, is light, and has performed very well for me except for the previously mentioned issues which will hopefully turn out to be due to lack of proper maintenance by the previous owner. I have no intentions of buying a different shotgun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had nice weather on Friday afternoon so I had a chance to shoot finally after all of my cleaning. I ended up shooting six boxes of shells. 100 of which were quality shells such as AA's, Remington Nitros, and Federal Gold's. The other 50 were some of the Winchester Wally World specials.

 

The AA's were 2.75" #8 1oz. The Reminton's were 2.75" #8 1 1/8oz. The Federal's were 2.75" #8 1 1/8oz also. The Winchester Wally Worlds were 2.75" #7.5 1 1/2oz.

 

I did not have a single cycle issue with any of the loads. Lack of proper cleaning was the culprit as I did not order the sure-cycle system or the Wolff recoil springs.

 

We also went out again on Saturday afternoon and I shot the remaining 100 Winchester Wally world specials that I had and nothing else. Again, not a single cycle issue.

 

Thanks again for the responses. When I bought the gun used, it appeared to be well kept and I assumed it was clean. Next time I will just clean the entire gun the first time to be sure and since it takes less than a half hour to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...