Mossberg 810

[Weatherman68]

I have a Mossberg 810 that I recently acquired.    The bolt works easily until you go to chamber a round.  You can get the bolt to close but it seems to be tighter than any other bolt action I have ever worked.  I have tried it with reloads and new ammo but the result is the same.  Shells eject just fine.  Any ideas?  Thanks 

[mannyrock]

Weatherman,
 
   I don't know whether you bought this rifle new or used, but I can tell you that the tight chamber problem is not going to get any better, is not going to resolve itself, and could be highly dangerous if you have a short chamber, rough chamber, or headspace issue.   If new, send it back to Mossberg immediately and tell them to fix it.  If not, get it to a qualified rifle smith, who can check headspace and ream or polish the chamber correctly.
 
  My wife once had this exact problem with a brand new Remington 700 Classic,  and it had to go back to Remington.
 
Best, Mannyrock

[Bigeasy]

Its always possible you have a "short" chamber, or minimal free bore.  Try taking a couple of new, unchambered factory rounds, and paint the bullets and case shoulder / neck area with a magic marker.  Chamber, then remove a couple of these rounds, and see if there is any smudging / removal of the marker.  If your leade is to short, and your bullets are hitting the rifling, you will see it on the bullet.  Same with the shoulder area of the case if the chamber is on the short side.  In either case, like Manny said, the cure is a trip to the manufacturer, ar a gunsmith for further evaluation / repair.

[Weatherman68]

Thanks Guys.  No trip to the manufacturer on this one.  They stopped making these in the 70's or 80's.  Mine was actually sold by Montgomery Ward but it is a Mossberg 810.  You confirmed what I suspected.  I really like the gun so I guess we have a trip to the gunsmith on this one.   

[Bigeasy]

Weatherman..  I remember those rifles from back in the day..They got pretty good reviews I think.  Didn't they use those actions in the short lived "Peterson", "Penderson", or something like that, semi-custom line?  Anyway, I would contact Mossberg about the rifle.  Even though not in production, they may offer to fix it if it is a factory defect.  I am sure they could run a chamber reamer / headspace the barrel, if that is the issue.
 
Larry

[mannyrock]

 
   Don't give up yet.
 
   There is some possibility that the only thing wrong is a bent extractor, or an extractor that has rust or crud built up underneath it.  When this happens, it is pretty hard to close the bolt on the round, because the extractor can't easily "snap"  over the end of the cartridge like its suppose to.
 
   Take it to a smith.  Have him check the headspace and the extractor.  That the place to start.  Shouldn't cost too much.
 
  Actually, if you have any gunsmithing tools or skills, you should start by taking the bolt completely apart, including removing the extractor, cleaning and examining every piece, and then re-assembling.  This may cure the problem.   (When I was a member of a big gun  club, there was always some "O-F" there at the club house on  Saturday afternoons who was more than glad to help you do this type of thing.)
 
Regards, Mannyrock

[D Fischer]

Weatherman..  I remember those rifles from back in the day..They got pretty good reviews I think.  Didn't they use those actions in the short lived "Peterson", "Penderson", or something like that, semi-custom line?  Anyway, I would contact Mossberg about the rifle.  Even though not in production, they may offer to fix it if it is a factory defect.  I am sure they could run a chamber reamer / headspace the barrel, if that is the issue.
 
Larry

I think it was Pederson. That was Mossberg's custom sshop. They put out a really nice O/U. I've actually seen oner of them, very nice.

[Dee]

There is a better possibility that you have an older rifle with a very dirty chamber. A wooden dowel rod, some 4 ought steel wool on the end, and a little gun oil, in a low speed drill will most likely cure you problem. I've fixed them with this method, when they were hard to chamber, some when they wouldn't chamber, and some when they stuck in the chamber after firing. I usually charged the owner about $20.00.

[oneoldsap]

                   Those rifles were made from 1970 to 1975 . They have a massive 4 lug bolt in them . I have 2 of them one in 30-06 and one in 7mm Rem. Mag. . They both are extremely accurate after Glass Bedding . I use the 7 Mag on Coyote in the winter . I have not encountered the problem that you're having . First thig I'd do is give the bolt lug mortices a good scrubbing , along with the chamber . Those guns have the most user friendly trigger on them , I've ever seen . Both mine are set right at three pounds . I had to put a floorplate latch spring into one of them , and an ejector spring in the other . That Accro-Groove rifeling seems to work well . Mossberg made them in long action (810) and short (800) , don't know why they stopped production !