As some have suggested I think you need to size your case head down a bit. I would also suggest that you give MEC a call to get their thoughts on what you should be trying. While I am not a fan of some of the supposed "improvements" to the single stage gear my experience with their Customer Service has been all positive. They know their equipment and will usually point you in exactly the correct direction.

BTW, what I don't like in regards to "improvements" is they made things worst. I suspect that the only improvement is a lower manufacturing cost. One is the new 600/Sizemaster primer feeder with the lift off lid. It won't accept a Chedite tray while the older design will. In addition the sweep arm on one of my new style primers feeders sweeps too far past the drop hole and causes jams. Then there is that STUPID rubber insert in the charge bars. It doesn't matter what shot you load with, at some point that insert will get grooved and when that happens it traps shot pellets in that groove and makes shifting the charge bar difficult. There are times when the only way to shift the charge bar is slap it hard enough to make it sound like a 22 short has been fired. The old style was much easier to deal with, if a pellet got crossways all you have to do is back the bar up a bit and give it a light slap. Yeah, I do have spares of that STUPID rubber insert but they only last about a month and are 2 bucks a pop. The final bug with the newer gear is the plastic pre crimp setup versus the old Spindex. Really do miss the Spindex because I almost never had a mis-aligned pre crimp with the Spindex. Now with the new style I get at least 3 or 4 mis-aligned pre crimps per box loaded. BTW these mis-aligned pre crimps make for an EXTREMELY UGLY crimp. Note, I do know that slowing down on the pre crimp stroke can help this issue but I really don't want to have to count off 3 steamboats while doing the pre crimp stroke.

Adjust the chain



Thats when you replace it, it is a wear part. You should try moving a charge bar without the insert.

Steve

Sell the 686 and purchase a Browning 725. Problem will go away.

Well i took the ejectors out and tried dropping shells in. Factory Fiocchi Golden Pheasants fell in perfectly. AA's were good but clearly a touch bigger. Reloads were hit and miss. Some the metal might have been a factor and others the hull.

Seb if Browning would abandon that hideous forend and start filling the pores on their stocks i'd consider it. As it is i strongly prefer Beretta stock finishes and the fit is pretty darned good.

I have my latest Browning (Citori CXS) that has a perfect stock prep and finish on it. Not a single pore visible. This one was made in latter half of 2018, at Miroku, on dark walnut wood (not the blonde wood many 70s to 90s Brownings had).

So, don't know how old your judgement is. But it may not be valid anymore.

Good luck, garrisonjoe

CXS (had one) is the classic Browning gloss finish. For me a non starter on a field gun. No pores visible because it looks like they dumped a 5 gallon can of poly on it. Looks awful after some of the inevitable dings from field use. 725 stocks that i've seen are a more matte finish and that one doesn't compare (imo) to the matte Beretta uses.