Browning Gold (or SX2) jamming

K

Kim Ross

Active member
With the passing of another season and the impending launch of the new short-recoil Browning Auto-5 I have been thinking about my Gold 12ga 3 1/2" 26" for the coming season.

In January 2011 while hunting ducks in MD with Heavymetal shells it started to jam-either not cycle the bolt back or not feed. After I cleaned it that night I shot a few rounds of Winchester Supremes for geese, no problem. I sent it to the gunsmith after returning home, no problem found. Searched for ideas on the internet, several frustrated owners posted - some users claimed cleaning after every hunt was needed to remedy the problem. One YouTube post showed a Gold owner chucking his into the swamp!

Worked OK for most of this past season. Then when layout boat hunting in November in ON with Heavymetal shells the failure-to-feed problem returned.

I thought I would canvass my fellow duck hunters on this site who use Golds (or the very similar Winchester SX2) about whether they have seen this problem, and what their solutions were. I doubt that I had fired more than three boxes of shells through the gun each season, without cleaning, before the jamming appeared. Another possible clue - temperatures were around 30F to 38F.

If you have found jamming to occur in colder temperatures please let me know. If you determijned that fouling was the source of your jamming, and want to tell me I'm too lazy and need to clean my guns more often, go ahead, I won't be offended. However either reason would mainly tell me that a gas operated gun may not be the best for me and that I should go back to my good old Auto-5s (or save up for the new one).
If you say you have had similar problems when shooting Heavymetal shells then I know what to test next.......
 
I find that you have to clean the gas valve very thoroughly
I can shoot 2 3/4 target loads right up to 3 1/2 inchers and have no problem.
The target loads do have to be 3 dram to work poperly

I suggest a full breakdown and thorough cleaning
 
I've got a SX2 that I've put 1000s of rounds through in all kinds of conditions with out problem. I have heard of others having problems with Heavy Metal. I would try different shells, I think you'll like the outcome.
 
What lubricant are you using? I had a similar problem with a different gun in cold weather. The gunsmith put me on a different lube and it completely solved the issue. Apparently the first lube (Remoil I think) was a little heavy.
 
I have a 3" gold with similar issues in the past. My gun sees usually 7 to 10 boxes per season. That being said I clean it at the end of the season whether it needs it or not. I just give her a quick spray of synthetic gun oil about every other outing. You can tell when it is time when you release the bolt and it is runs slow. A super good cleaning may be in order for you. I mean carb and choke cleaner and really get all the black off the magazine tube, gas piston, and run a bore brush through the tube in the stock as well.

I normally carry the syn. lube in my blind bag if temps are going to be below 20.

I am going to try a new lube this coming year. It is Schaeffer chain lube. It is a moly spray that really fine dust and dirt will not cling to. Since golds and sx2's like minimal lube but not dry actions, this stuff should be the ticket. I'll keep you posted. A 10.00 can should last a lifetime.
 
only time i had that problem was my own fault i put oil on the slide don't use any on
slide now haven't had a problem
 
Kim,

I have an SX2 that I bought the first year they came out. I do not treat it well. it fails a couple time a season. This usually happens when I forget to put shells in the gun after chasing down a cripple, but it did jam twice this season. The only time I had real problems with the gun is when I bought the low end Federal Steel shells. Federal had a run of 3.5" shells that were about 1/8" long. They all jammed. The other time when I have to keep the gun extra clean is when it gets below 20 degrees out. It needs to be run dry and kept dry (don't let the dog shake on it when it's 5 degrees out). Other than that, I love that gun.
 
Kim...I had a Gold that performed flawlessly for 4 or so seasons before experiencing the same issues you are having. It was especially a problem when it was cold. Turned out the recoil spring that is housed in the stock was shot, in my case the spring housing tube was shot as well so I upgraded to a sure-cycle. i have since sold the gun but to my knowledge its still working fine. Have a buddy that had some issues and they simply replaced the stock spring through Brownell's for less than $15 and haven't had anymore problems either. My bet is if you pull it, you will see the housing has a fair amount of gunk/rust as well. Its an easy self fix.

Brad
 
I have an SX2 that for about the first 10 years never failed me. But it has recently begun to jam. Very cold days are the worst. Cleaning it before (after) every hunt helps, as does dry lube. But when it gets down in the teens I now carry a pump.
 
Those of you with jamming issues or cycling issues, especially when cold; have you taken the stock off and cleaned the action spring and action tube? When those get gunked up and the tube gets a bunch of crud in it, it will cause those types of malfunctions.
 
I've stripped and cleaned my SX2 so many times I could do it in the dark while half asleep. The recoil spring seems fine, but I am going to replace it with an aftermarket spring, as Brad Taylor suggested, because the problem has become worse with age.
 
I've stripped and cleaned my SX2 so many times I could do it in the dark while half asleep. The recoil spring seems fine, but I am going to replace it with an aftermarket spring, as Brad Taylor suggested, because the problem has become worse with age.
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That's probably a good idea. I don't know about other folks, but I never store my guns with the action open. At the end of a day of hunting, right before I case my gun, I close the bolt and pull the trigger (with the gun empty of course, and pointed in a safe direction regardless) to take the compression off of all the springs. I don't have any scientific proof, but I have to believe that a spring that stays compressed all spring and summer will definitely weaken over time. Same as if it has had thousands of cycles from shooting. The action springs are inexpensive and in my opinion a worthy maintenance item.
 
Thanks, I googled up "Heavimetal Jamming" and there are some threads reporting similar problems. I suspect that quality control on shell sizing may have been an issue for some users at times. I do not recall any jamming with Supreme , Faststeel, Black Cloud or Challenger shells.
 
Thanks, I have never removed the stock to check the spring, it's worth a try to see what I find!
I always store my guns with the actions closed and snap caps so I can discharge the spring tension.
 
I switched to Break Free CLP and never had another problem.
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That's all I've used for as long as I can remember. I've run 10s of thousands of rounds through my 1100s and 11-87s and Breakfree CLP has always given me excellent results.
 
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