Totally Frustrated

[unit1069]

I bought a NIB 715T about 24 hours ago. Yesterday afternoon, last night, and this morning I watched at least half a dozen "how to" videos on disassembly/assembly as well as read the manual that came with the gun.

This morning I spent three hours trying to disassemble the gun so I could clean out the barrel and mechanisms before shooting for the first time. I cannot get the shell to separate and try as I may I can find no more screws holding the two pieces together. The manual has photos of a different version of the 715T and unlike the videos I've seen I do not have screws holding the barrel shroud together at the edges where the two plastic shells come together, but rather three lateral screws on the sides of each part, which seem to me not to be holding the pieces together but just keeping thin plastic strips in place on the shroud. I took those two lateral strips off anyway and sure enough, the two shell pieces won't come apart. I am able to tell everyone that it looked to me that the main housing area surrounding the trigger/bolt area was free but the barrel shroud would not budge and I wasn't going to force anything. And yes, I had removed the two screws holding the sight "tower" and the short Allen bolt.

Adding to the frustration was that neither the manual nor videos warned me about the spring-loaded catch on the magazine release and being the all-thumbs mechanical guy I am I was panicking until I used a screwdriver to hold the catch back while I reinstalled the mag release (after I had given up trying to disassemble). Would really like to know what I did wrong in the removal process. Does Mossberg regularly issue new model styles while continuing to issue outdated manuals? The gun already is extremely difficult to figure out without running into worthless manual information.

I would greatly appreciate any information anyone can provide. I want to give this new .22lr rifle a fair chance but I had no idea the maintenance would turn out to be so complicated.

 

[tractorboy]

Funny you posted this actually... I did the same thing last night... took me like 15 minutes to finally see that on the front of the gun, there are 4 more screws that are hard to see. They are buried down in the plastic of the foregrip, 2 near the body of the gun and 2 near the muzzle (just before the sling attachment point)
Hope this helps.
FYI, I discovered you don't have to remove the 2 side rails on the foregrip... the screws don't go all the way through.

 

[unit1069]

Funny you posted this actually... I did the same thing last night... took me like 15 minutes to finally see that on the front of the gun, there are 4 more screws that are hard to see. They are buried down in the plastic of the foregrip, 2 near the body of the gun and 2 near the muzzle (just before the sling attachment point)
Hope this helps.
FYI, I discovered you don't have to remove the 2 side rails on the foregrip... the screws don't go all the way through.

Thanks for the information. I will take another look and let you know the results.

 

[unit1069]

Well, tractorboy, I'm totally embarrassed! There were the four screws right where you told me, but my embarrassment stems more from seeing these pointed out in the videos before I started this thread, amplified by your having to point them out again. Well at least I've gone through the initial steps and not being mechanically inclined I do think it was a valuable learning experience.

So now let me ask for some more opinions on what I should do next. First of all, did I do something incorrect that caused the mag release spring to snap down when I removed the mag release? The part I'm referring to looks like a half-moon or trigger situated right in the middle of the housing.

Next, when I saw I wasn't going to disassemble the gun I decided to run some Hoppe's solvent down the barrel and swab it in the open bolt. I took dry patches and swabbed that out then applied a thin film of Hoppe's gun oil in the barrel and sprayed some RemOil into the bolt, swabbing out the excess.

Another new 715T owner wrote that he didn't follow the manual and shot his rifle right out of the box to determine the quality of the Mossberg. I'm a guy who likes to follow the manual but since I hesitate when it comes to mechanical issues do forum members think I'm okay to go now or should I do a complete disassembly/assembly and cleaning before shooting?

Another thing I noticed: after the mag release issue I decided to unpack the 10-round magazine and test function, which went as designed. The mag holds firmly, the bolt and trigger operate fine, and the mag release works. What I wonder about is that the mag was covered in gun oil. Is this normal? I took a dry paper towel and removed the excess, but if it should be oiled then please let me know. I should emphasize that the oil was already on the magazine before I put it into the mag well, not a result of my putting oil into the bolt area and then seating the mag.

Thanks again, tractorboy, and to everyone who offers advice. I think a lot of my frustration this morning had to do with the trepidation over the time and effort to disassemble/assemble this gun as well as the trial-and-error in finding the right tools. An Allen wrench was NOT included in the NIB cardboard box but I do have the right size. I can see now that I need a Phillips screwdriver with a small head. Luckily I had a size I could use in my power tool but I don't like to use power tools with these small parts.

 

[Homeboyjames]

I shot mine right out of the box never had any issues

 

[unit1069]

I shot mine right out of the box never had any issues

Thanks, that makes me more confident.

It didn't look to me that there was any grease or oil inside the chamber, although the barrel had some black residue. Are these rifles test fired at the factory before shipping?

After I wiped the chamber with a rag dabbed in solvent and wiped dry I sprayed RemOil and sopped upt the excess. I sprayed some RemOil on the outside of the bolt and wiped that off, then worked the slide about two dozen times. It seemed a lot smoother after that process so unless someone comes along to tell me a scary story I think I will plan on shooting several hundred rounds before doing a complete breakdown/cleaning.