doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Stevens 311 20ga not cocking

Help please.Bought a Stevens 311 20 ga and when you close it seems to lock tight. But the top snap lever is over to the right a bit instead of being lined up straight. Also its not decocking. If I break it open and lift up the decocking lever with a screw driver it decocks. Also if I take a screw driver push down the tab in front of the top snap lever it will line up straight. But if open the top snap lever to close the barrel its still over to the right. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum, Mr. Csonka. I'm not sure I understand the problem with your explanation, but but I'd bet a good cleaning and reassembly would fix it...Geo

Its hard to judge your issue from the post ,

You would want the top lever to the right its usually an indication of a lack of wear at the bolt ,centered when the bbls are off is because the bbl lug is not there to interact with the bolt

De cocking as you put it with these guns is accomplished by pulling the triggers - advisable with snap caps in the chambers ,or disassembled with a block of wood or something similar held over the firing pins to absorb the impact ( snap caps and the wood is used to negate dry firing damage )

If these points don't help and you decide to disassemble- a little warning,if its your first go round ...those stevens,they can be a real bugger to get back together once disassembled

Thanks guys.Sorry guys I was rambling. Basically after I pull the triggers the firing pins are still sticking out. And hammers are still forward. And I had the same model growing up ( traded for a fender Stratocaster) But seems like when I would break open the barrels to put in 2 more rounds the firing pins would be recessed. I cant remember it was the early 80s. And I did take off the buttstock clean the inerds with almost a whole can of PB blast and let it soak in a bucket.
I've looked at the schematic numerich website the cocking plunger on the barrel maybe something is wrong with it. Because with the barrel off push the cocking lever and it resets the hammer and the firing pins go back in. I forgot I know a fella with a 20ga 311. I'll put his barrel on mine break open the the barrel and see if it resets.

Bet that only happens when you dry fire it without snap caps. The firing pins are free floating and sound gummed up. Usually with caps or spent shells, the head of the shell will mash the firing pins back into their proper position when you open the gun...Geo

Thanks guys, ordering snap caps an will get back with yall.

Snap caps should be in tomorrow.Took to the range shoots where I point it, but ejectors no work. the shells stay flush in the barrel. Now the ejector isn't stuck you can slide it in and out with ease, But its not lifting the shells to where you can grab them with your fingers. And still not resetting the firing pins they are sticking out, so I have to take the barrel off and lift the cocking lever it resets the firing pins back in the holes. I put 6 shells through it but had to break it down each time.

I think your problem is with the barrels, the fact that it won't extract or cock the gun when it opened there is a problem with parts that perform these tasks and they are all located in the barrel lump and fore end. Go to gun parts corporation and check out the schematic for a stevens 311 note parts 9, 35 and 39 then make sure your gun has these installed in the gun.

The Stevens 311 is not an ejector gun. They have extractors. What the OP describes seems to be that the extractor is not lifting the spend shells after firing. Something is wrong there, but the firing pins not retracting is not a problem, I don't think...Geo

First, be sure you are not using 3" shells in a 2 3/4" gun.
Mike