How a firearm functions, determines how it will malfunction.
There can be no better statement of the process of malfunctions in any given firearms platform including the Remington 870 pump-action shotgun. First the shooter must evaluating the complete process and function of the firearm. The entire process of malfunctions depend on the individual firearms Cycle of Operation and this alone dictates how and why a gun will malfunction.
Understanding the Cycle of Operation gives you an insight as to the possible and actual issues that can happen during the firing cycle. If you know how the firearm works, you can quickly decide what you will need to do to get the gun back in action, or transition to another weapons platform depending on the tactical situation. The Remington 870 Shotgun is a close range weapons platform, and as such, if a malfunction occurs, you do not have much time to react in a defensive situation. The immediate reaction to a firearm issue at close range is to be moving out of the last known position, while you determine to fix the shotgun or present a secondary firearm.
The Failure to Eject might be attributed to the extractor, but if the extractor was damaged or broken, the malfunction would more likely be a Fail to Extract. This could be due to the extractor’s inability to remove the shell casing from the chamber because of damaged parts.
Fail to Eject means the empty shot shell casing did not get out of the ejection port, and has created a stoppage. You could decide that the ejector might be the issue if the pump-action was cycled completely, again, get moving while presenting your handgun to finish the fight.
Note: Clearing a Fail to Eject might cause a Fail to Fire malfunction. There can be many different causes, even worn parts and bad cleaning procedures might have an effect on the shot gun performance. The more you know about your firearm system, the better you will perform when the chips are against you.
Demonstrated in the video below a few situations with insight on the malfunctions and clearances of the Remington 870.
Watch the ATAC TV Firearms Video Here: Remington 870 Shotgun Failure to Eject Clearance Video
ATAC TV, Raw and Unscripted Firearm Training and Products Reviews
Tom Clarke ATAC TV












