SLR15 LAW ENFORCEMENT SHOTGUN ARMORER COURSE
When: July 30-31, 2020
Where: Lubbock, Texas
We conducted a 2-day (16-hour) Law Enforcement Shotgun Armorer Course that was hosted by the Lubbock Police Dept. This was our third course here, and we look forward to coming back for future courses. The onsite facilities offer plenty of table space, decent lighting, and a large screen and HDTV system that allowed us to project animated graphics of the weapons system and powerpoint of detailed pics of gun parts, especially when looking at finer detail things like machining, stress cracks & wear.
This course covers the Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590, and Benelli M1-90/M2 type shotguns.
This class was a mix of Law Enforcement and Military from Texas.
The shotguns present in this course were a mix of Remington 870's, Mossberg 590's, and a Benelli M1-90. Officers bring shotguns to work on, and we always recommend that Officers bring shotguns that are not working correctly or broken, as we look at this as a learning opportunity to figure out what is not working correctly, and Officers can make repairs onsite to get them back into working condition. Two students brought a Winchester 1200, and a Stoeger M3K shotguns, which they are welcome to bring and work on in class, we just warn them to be careful as we may not have spare parts for these with us.
We started with an introduction of all present. Everyone was supplied with a course manual, inspection forms, and supplier lists of where to obtain parts, tools and accessories. We supplied every student with their own set of basic tools that are necessary to do most of the general work on the shotguns. Everyone was introduced and supplied with Slip2000 "EWL" Extreme Weapons Lubricant and #725 Cleaner Degreaser.
We showed our procedure of a series of checks that we use to make sure everything is working correctly, and why we use this series of checks. Everyone was taught a hands on session of the eight cycles of function on the shotguns. From there we broke the same eight cycles down further in greater detail.
We went through the proper way to remove barrels from each type of shotgun. With the barrels removed, they were inspected, in this class I think every barrel was heavily fouled. The fouling inside the barrel is generally plastic from the shot wadding, mixed with powder and shot residue. Everyone was shown that they needed to clean the chamber and bore, as these are different diameters and require different brushes. They were also shown all the other hidden areas of the barrel that need to be kept clean for proper functioning of the bolt assembly and barrel to receiver fit for lock up etc. Also shown were a multitude of tools, brushes, and jags for cleaning the barrel. Everyone with fouled barrels were allowed to clean them, as a hands on session of trying the different methods and tools shows what works better. Everyone was supplied with Slip2000 #725 Cleaner/Degreaser, Slip2000 Piston Parts & Choke Tube Cleaner, which help to cut through the fouling rather quickly. After a short session of barrel cleaning, the fouling was removed.
This class had quite a few heavily fouled barrels, which is something we see often. We introduced everyone to a shotgun chamber brush, yes there is such a thing and nobody in this class was aware that shotguns have a chamber and that they need to be cleaned. Everyone took advantage of all the different brushes, jags, solvents, patches, etc, that we provided, and put them to good use. Everyone got a hands on use of seeing how the different Slip2000 solvents work, especially 725 Cleaner/Degreaser and Choke Tube Cleaner. The Slip2000 Choke Tube Cleaner is great stuff, we use it on shotgun barrels, along with any gun barrels that get used for Simunitions, Force on Force, or UTM type ammunition where plastic fouling may occur.
Barrels were inspected for damage, stress, missing parts etc. We also showed the differences between old and new styles of Remington 870 retaining cap designs, and showed why these shouldn't be intermixed, and when I mentioned that barrels could come loose and fly off during shooting, of which several of those present had experienced this first hand and didn't know why.
Next we showed how to remove the bolt assemblies from each of the different weapon systems. Everyone learned that the Mossberg system is more involved when compared to the Remington. We showed how the bolts assemblies, slides, action bar assemblies, integrate together.
Bolts were disassembled and reassembled, and inspections were done, showing where debris and corrosion is found, and why we recommend that certain things be inspected and cleaned on a regular basis. Armorers were introduced to splined pins, and shown the proper way to remove and install them. The 870's were inspected for old versus new parts, the difference in era's of 870 parts, and shown a hands on difference of forged vs MIM (metal injection molded) parts and why we recommend using the forged parts on police 870's. The 590 bolts were disassembled, and people were shown the changes in eras of these parts, and that there is a difference in the right & left extractor assemblies and why.
Magazine tubes and their internals were gone through. When we allow people to clean the magazine tubes using a magazine tube brush, it’s always amazing to see how much crud comes out, and IMHO the magazine tube should be scrubbed clean of debris on a regular basis. Magazine springs were covered, and there were a few students that had sporting shotgun springs, of which were replaced with heavier springs. Students were also shown why we recommend tactical magazine tube followers over the stock cup shaped ones. No magazine tubes were found to be bent or damaged, but we covered repair and replacement.
Day-2 started with a review of day-1. We then moved into forend assembles, stocks receivers and trigger groups. Forend assemblies (action bar assemblies) were taken apart using the proper wrenches, then the forends were inspected, action bars inspected, and things were reassembled and indexed correctly. It was shown how the action bars have a timing that controls the shell latches, and if the action bars are damaged or bent that the timing could be off. We also showed variations and evolution changes in the forends.
Most of the Remington 870's in this class had Speedfeed furniture in orange for less lethal, Whoever did the change out to the new furniture, didn't get the forend spanner nuts tightened as all the forends were loose and slid around on the action bar assembly. Loose forends can cause things to go out of proper alignment, resulting in cycling issues. These cycling issues are generally feeding related where no shells or multiple shells were coming out of the magazine tube. Once everyone properly indexed and tightened the action bars and forend assemblies down, all of these shotguns worked properly. We recommend that Armorers have a good forend wrench, this way they can tighten or realign any forend that may need attention.
We removed the buttstocks. Once removed, we showed the different bolts and washers that are used. Stocks were inspected for cracks, and all made sure they had stock bearing plates and were shown their importance. We went through stock repair on wood and synthetic stocks, to include alterations. Receivers were inspected where stocks mount to, and replacement and repair was covered.
We then moved into trigger groups, starting with the Remington 870, followed by the Mossberg and Benelli. Everyone was shown how the entire trigger groups work, what can be disassembled and what cannot due to availability of parts, inspections, maintenance, mechanical safeties, changes in designs, Police/Military models vs sporting models, and how the carrier integrates during cycling. We also showed common mistakes that people make with trigger groups, the problems in function, and how to correct any issues. After trigger groups were put back together, we showed how the carriers integrate, how the slides with action bars work, and how/why the lock forward cycle works.
Note: Several Remington 870 trigger groups had issues with working correctly, and a few where the safety was binding. Upon cleaning and inspection, the safety issues were found to be caused by heavily gummed/ varnished debris inside the safety system that is believed to have been caused by decades of soaking parts in Hoppe's 9 and not getting it rinsed away as it will turn into a gummy varnish over time as it builds up. Once cleaned the safety's started working fine. The other trigger groups that weren't working correctly, was found to be due to incorrect assembly of parts, which can happen when things are not assembled correctly after removing parts for maintenance, or sometimes parts can get flipped around during cleaning when people aren't aware that they mistakenly moved the parts.
Shell Latches on the Remington system was next. We covered proper staking and why, how they get damaged or misaligned, and their replacement.
The next thing we covered was the ejector systems. We showed the 4 piece system of the 870, 2 piece system of the Mossberg, and then the Benelli system. We covered how these are replaced, tuned, and proper inspections, showing several variations of tools and methods of how to perform repair & replacement.
Note: There was one 870 in class that had a loose ejector spring. This allowed us a hands on demonstration of how to fix this. We allowed the Officers to group fix this, which was a good learning experience to see how this is done.
The end of the day was a review, followed by all shotguns being reassembled, then inspected and gauged to make sure everything was in spec and ready to go back into service.
Here is a brief overview of what is covered:
Headspace and wear inspections
Action and function
Barrel inspections
Fore-end assembly & action bars
Bolt assembly (extraction & spring, firing pin, retractor spring, flexitab cuts)
Ejector inspection, repair & replacement
Slide assembly inspection
Stem adjustments
Hook Space
Magazine spring, retainer & followers
Shell latches, inspections, adjustment & replacement
Custom accessories & enhancements
Maintenance
CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
SLR15 Rifles
TheDefensiveEdge.com
(763) 712-0123
When: July 30-31, 2020
Where: Lubbock, Texas
We conducted a 2-day (16-hour) Law Enforcement Shotgun Armorer Course that was hosted by the Lubbock Police Dept. This was our third course here, and we look forward to coming back for future courses. The onsite facilities offer plenty of table space, decent lighting, and a large screen and HDTV system that allowed us to project animated graphics of the weapons system and powerpoint of detailed pics of gun parts, especially when looking at finer detail things like machining, stress cracks & wear.
This course covers the Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590, and Benelli M1-90/M2 type shotguns.
This class was a mix of Law Enforcement and Military from Texas.
The shotguns present in this course were a mix of Remington 870's, Mossberg 590's, and a Benelli M1-90. Officers bring shotguns to work on, and we always recommend that Officers bring shotguns that are not working correctly or broken, as we look at this as a learning opportunity to figure out what is not working correctly, and Officers can make repairs onsite to get them back into working condition. Two students brought a Winchester 1200, and a Stoeger M3K shotguns, which they are welcome to bring and work on in class, we just warn them to be careful as we may not have spare parts for these with us.
We started with an introduction of all present. Everyone was supplied with a course manual, inspection forms, and supplier lists of where to obtain parts, tools and accessories. We supplied every student with their own set of basic tools that are necessary to do most of the general work on the shotguns. Everyone was introduced and supplied with Slip2000 "EWL" Extreme Weapons Lubricant and #725 Cleaner Degreaser.
We showed our procedure of a series of checks that we use to make sure everything is working correctly, and why we use this series of checks. Everyone was taught a hands on session of the eight cycles of function on the shotguns. From there we broke the same eight cycles down further in greater detail.
We went through the proper way to remove barrels from each type of shotgun. With the barrels removed, they were inspected, in this class I think every barrel was heavily fouled. The fouling inside the barrel is generally plastic from the shot wadding, mixed with powder and shot residue. Everyone was shown that they needed to clean the chamber and bore, as these are different diameters and require different brushes. They were also shown all the other hidden areas of the barrel that need to be kept clean for proper functioning of the bolt assembly and barrel to receiver fit for lock up etc. Also shown were a multitude of tools, brushes, and jags for cleaning the barrel. Everyone with fouled barrels were allowed to clean them, as a hands on session of trying the different methods and tools shows what works better. Everyone was supplied with Slip2000 #725 Cleaner/Degreaser, Slip2000 Piston Parts & Choke Tube Cleaner, which help to cut through the fouling rather quickly. After a short session of barrel cleaning, the fouling was removed.
This class had quite a few heavily fouled barrels, which is something we see often. We introduced everyone to a shotgun chamber brush, yes there is such a thing and nobody in this class was aware that shotguns have a chamber and that they need to be cleaned. Everyone took advantage of all the different brushes, jags, solvents, patches, etc, that we provided, and put them to good use. Everyone got a hands on use of seeing how the different Slip2000 solvents work, especially 725 Cleaner/Degreaser and Choke Tube Cleaner. The Slip2000 Choke Tube Cleaner is great stuff, we use it on shotgun barrels, along with any gun barrels that get used for Simunitions, Force on Force, or UTM type ammunition where plastic fouling may occur.
Barrels were inspected for damage, stress, missing parts etc. We also showed the differences between old and new styles of Remington 870 retaining cap designs, and showed why these shouldn't be intermixed, and when I mentioned that barrels could come loose and fly off during shooting, of which several of those present had experienced this first hand and didn't know why.
Next we showed how to remove the bolt assemblies from each of the different weapon systems. Everyone learned that the Mossberg system is more involved when compared to the Remington. We showed how the bolts assemblies, slides, action bar assemblies, integrate together.
Bolts were disassembled and reassembled, and inspections were done, showing where debris and corrosion is found, and why we recommend that certain things be inspected and cleaned on a regular basis. Armorers were introduced to splined pins, and shown the proper way to remove and install them. The 870's were inspected for old versus new parts, the difference in era's of 870 parts, and shown a hands on difference of forged vs MIM (metal injection molded) parts and why we recommend using the forged parts on police 870's. The 590 bolts were disassembled, and people were shown the changes in eras of these parts, and that there is a difference in the right & left extractor assemblies and why.
Magazine tubes and their internals were gone through. When we allow people to clean the magazine tubes using a magazine tube brush, it’s always amazing to see how much crud comes out, and IMHO the magazine tube should be scrubbed clean of debris on a regular basis. Magazine springs were covered, and there were a few students that had sporting shotgun springs, of which were replaced with heavier springs. Students were also shown why we recommend tactical magazine tube followers over the stock cup shaped ones. No magazine tubes were found to be bent or damaged, but we covered repair and replacement.
Day-2 started with a review of day-1. We then moved into forend assembles, stocks receivers and trigger groups. Forend assemblies (action bar assemblies) were taken apart using the proper wrenches, then the forends were inspected, action bars inspected, and things were reassembled and indexed correctly. It was shown how the action bars have a timing that controls the shell latches, and if the action bars are damaged or bent that the timing could be off. We also showed variations and evolution changes in the forends.
Most of the Remington 870's in this class had Speedfeed furniture in orange for less lethal, Whoever did the change out to the new furniture, didn't get the forend spanner nuts tightened as all the forends were loose and slid around on the action bar assembly. Loose forends can cause things to go out of proper alignment, resulting in cycling issues. These cycling issues are generally feeding related where no shells or multiple shells were coming out of the magazine tube. Once everyone properly indexed and tightened the action bars and forend assemblies down, all of these shotguns worked properly. We recommend that Armorers have a good forend wrench, this way they can tighten or realign any forend that may need attention.
We removed the buttstocks. Once removed, we showed the different bolts and washers that are used. Stocks were inspected for cracks, and all made sure they had stock bearing plates and were shown their importance. We went through stock repair on wood and synthetic stocks, to include alterations. Receivers were inspected where stocks mount to, and replacement and repair was covered.
We then moved into trigger groups, starting with the Remington 870, followed by the Mossberg and Benelli. Everyone was shown how the entire trigger groups work, what can be disassembled and what cannot due to availability of parts, inspections, maintenance, mechanical safeties, changes in designs, Police/Military models vs sporting models, and how the carrier integrates during cycling. We also showed common mistakes that people make with trigger groups, the problems in function, and how to correct any issues. After trigger groups were put back together, we showed how the carriers integrate, how the slides with action bars work, and how/why the lock forward cycle works.
Note: Several Remington 870 trigger groups had issues with working correctly, and a few where the safety was binding. Upon cleaning and inspection, the safety issues were found to be caused by heavily gummed/ varnished debris inside the safety system that is believed to have been caused by decades of soaking parts in Hoppe's 9 and not getting it rinsed away as it will turn into a gummy varnish over time as it builds up. Once cleaned the safety's started working fine. The other trigger groups that weren't working correctly, was found to be due to incorrect assembly of parts, which can happen when things are not assembled correctly after removing parts for maintenance, or sometimes parts can get flipped around during cleaning when people aren't aware that they mistakenly moved the parts.
Shell Latches on the Remington system was next. We covered proper staking and why, how they get damaged or misaligned, and their replacement.
The next thing we covered was the ejector systems. We showed the 4 piece system of the 870, 2 piece system of the Mossberg, and then the Benelli system. We covered how these are replaced, tuned, and proper inspections, showing several variations of tools and methods of how to perform repair & replacement.
Note: There was one 870 in class that had a loose ejector spring. This allowed us a hands on demonstration of how to fix this. We allowed the Officers to group fix this, which was a good learning experience to see how this is done.
The end of the day was a review, followed by all shotguns being reassembled, then inspected and gauged to make sure everything was in spec and ready to go back into service.
Here is a brief overview of what is covered:
Headspace and wear inspections
Action and function
Barrel inspections
Fore-end assembly & action bars
Bolt assembly (extraction & spring, firing pin, retractor spring, flexitab cuts)
Ejector inspection, repair & replacement
Slide assembly inspection
Stem adjustments
Hook Space
Magazine spring, retainer & followers
Shell latches, inspections, adjustment & replacement
Custom accessories & enhancements
Maintenance
CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
SLR15 Rifles
TheDefensiveEdge.com
(763) 712-0123