I sent this to Customer support but wanted to share it here to see of this is a common issue. I did try searching but found limited results.
I purchased a Weatherby Element on 3/15/25 for my son who just started his high school trap season. He’s put about 200 rounds through it so far, single loads. The firearm was cleaned and lubricated out of the box.
This past weekend we shot skeet and 5-stand which requires 2 shells for each shot. On about 50% of his second shots, the shell would get jammed when the lifter activated. All loads properly ejected. I was concerned at first that the trap loads were the issue.
When we got home, I cleaned/lubed it and used a few inert shells to discover that the shells were rattling around in the lifter area after leaving the mag tube. I noticed that the shell was bouncing off the shell stop and the rim is not getting caught/locked into the notch. When shouldering the gun, the shell would bounce forward and strike the underside of the chamber when the lifter lifts. On my bench, I’m able to manually push the shell rearward where it engages and stays put. It’s not a practical solution in the field. It’s not a reliable semi-auto. I loaded 4 shells to see if it was a mag spring tension issue, but the gun exhibited the same jamming. It did not matter if the gun was upside down on the bench or shouldered. Shouldering tended to cause more issues since the shell lifter is in a downward forward position. When firing, I think the rapid cycling of the action forces the shell forward into a jammed condition. The power of the load does not seem to make a difference since this is not a recoil dependent operation.
I compared the same function on my Stoeger M3000 and found the Stoeger to have a firmer and more positive engagement to the shell rim. The lip on the Stoeger felt slightly sharper and deeper, but just fractionally.
Is there something that can be done to ensure that the shells catch properly and the gun doesn’t jamb regularly when used as a semi-auto?
Thanks!
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