Remington Model 31 question

**fraz5286** · May 9th, 2011, 10:12 AM

Disclaimer - I am not an experienced shooter. Shooting has become a recent obsession (last yr and 1/2) and has become a weekly/bi-weekly activity. I own four firearms - Glock 19, Sig P220, Remington Model 31 20G, and a Bushmaster m4a3- which I can safely say I am pretty familiar with the take down, cleaning, shooting and mechanical functionality of all four weapons. The pistols and rifle I am very comfortable with, but the model 31 is still a bit confusing to me.

The model 31 (pump action) shoots flawlessly and is very clean. My only problem (if it is one) is that the take down and loading of the shell tube (is that even the right name) is not working properly. The tube holds only two shells at a time which based on the length and size of the shell and tube appears to be wrong. Also, I’m having a problem with takedown of the shell tube. I can take the rest of the shotgun apart, but the tube doesn’t come apart as easy as the rest of the gun.

Any help with this would help.

Also a little background - I requested the manual on the shotgun from Remington, but I have not received it yet so please dont say "get a maunal". Thanks for your help!

**bmelt01** · May 9th, 2011, 12:53 PM

Fraz,

Radocy has a take down guide for the Remington 31. Pay $10.00 and download a great digital guide - it helped me with both of my 31's.

Good Luck...

**Hawki72** · May 9th, 2011, 01:11 PM

I recently obtained a 1948 Remington 31 and had the same problem finding out how to do a complete disassembly. I finally found this War Department manual from 1942 that includes the Model M31 (section 7). That did the trick for me.

To get at the magazine tube, you only need to loosen the barrel nut and remove to the barrel (section 48-1)

Likely the magazine is plugged with a wooden dowel to limit the number of shells you can load.

If you intend to completely disassemble the firearm, pay very special attention to removing the "slide" (Section 48-3e). When properly positioned, it easily slips out, however, it took me forever to position it just right to replace it. I suggest taking digital photos when you remove it and practicing replacing it as soon as you take it out. As the manual says, it slips easily into place when it is positioned correctly without forcing it at all.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/23398377/T...ALL-TYPES-1942 (takes a while to load, be patient)

Good luck.

PS I tried ordering a manual from Remington too and got no response.

**mauser** · May 9th, 2011, 01:34 PM

Hawki72 is right, when you take it apart you'll find that the magazine tube is plugged to keep it legal for hunting in Pa.
I don't have access to a manual but I did find an exploded view/schematic diagram of the Model 31 at Numrich Gun Parts Corp.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/...spx?catid=5661

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Schemati...ame=31+%28*%29

Maybe between that and the info you got from Hawki72 it'll give you what you need to see how it comes apart to remove the plug.

Good luck.

**Chazman321** · May 9th, 2011, 01:52 PM

I once requested a manual for my Remmy 760 and it took about 4 months for it to arrive... Don't feel bad... lol

Hope you get it figured out...

-Chaz

**fraz5286** · May 9th, 2011, 02:08 PM

Thank you All for the great advice! This forum is a life saver. I didnt even conisder the tube being choked when I thought about reasons. Thanks guys!

**fraz5286** · May 11th, 2011, 04:54 PM

So my problem has gotten even more complicated (to me at least). I downloaded the War Dept manual and reviewed Ch 7 on model 31 shotguns, and I even downloaded Radocy for $10 just to be sure I wasn’t just missing something. They are both VERY helpful, but both manuals state that the magazine tube is "screwed in at the manufacturer and shouldn’t be removed unless being repaired". Does that mean I should just cut my losses and keep the magazine tube limited to 2 shells?

Has anyone come across disassembling the mag tube anyway and survived? I would like to be able to put more shells in the mag tube, but not at the expense of the shotgun. The manual states that the riot model 31 holds 4 shells. I dont have a riot model 31. Without measuring the length, I believe I have the skeet model 31. Any experience with this would help.

**bmelt01** · May 11th, 2011, 09:01 PM

Fraz,

I have a couple of 31's and pull them apart all of the time. Don't let the guides complicate things.

Go ahead and unscrew the magazine tube, it will only unscrew so far before you need to push the pin through. Be careful to keep pressure on the cap as you release the spring. When replacing, you'll need to align the cap and pin, push it through and tighten it down. Take the magazine guide off also.

If you want to completely disassemble the gun, it's just as easy. The trigger plate pin is pushed through and slide the plate forward, down and out.

The breech block and slide take some time if your not familiar with them but take your time, they'll come apart easily. The slide needs to be pulled forward and turned/rotated towards you. You'll get a feel for it, just don't force it. Then the balance of parts can be removed and cleaned.