I've searched and watched videos on YouTube. I know the limiter should just fall out easily, but mine seems to be wedged between the spring and the wall of the magazine tube. When I shine a flashlight inside, I can see the first o-ring right at the leading edge of the spring about 1 to 2 inches down.

I tried to unscrew the magazine from the receiver, but man is it on there. I tried a nylon strap wrench, and all it does is slip.

How can I get this limiter out? Do I need to take it to a gunsmith?

ben

Try shaking the shotgun with the barrel off while holding the magazine tube towards the floor.  See if you can get the dowel to drop out enough to grab it.  You can also hold it in the same position and try to load the magazine tube.  That should make the dowel move.

Done that. It isn't moving at all. I can't see the tip of the rod. I can only see the outside edge of the first o-ring sticking out on the inside diameter of the spring. It looks like it is between the wall of the tube and the spring at the end of the tube where the barrel nut seats...

ben

Take the barrel and mag cap off and fill the mag with shells (empty or loaded) it will push out the plug.

I took the barrel off. The mag cap looks to be factory peened. Four evenly spaced grooves around the end of the tube, maybe 1/4" long each. There are no knotches or anything that would allow the end cap to be to be turned easily without damaging it from what I can see. Here is the best pic I can find to show you what I mean. Look at the spot just behind the barrel mount.

http://cdn5.thefirearmsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/thunder_ranch-tfb1.jpg

ben

I have never owned a 500, the mag cap doesn't comes off with the barrel? Basically what I meant was to have the front of the mag tube not plugged/covered with the mag cap and then feed  shells in to the mag until the plug is pushed out the front of the mag tube until you can grab it, if it doesn't work that way then sorry.

Overfilling the mag with the barrel off should push the dowel right out the hole that the barrel bolt screws in to. If it doesn't work, pad a pair of vice grips with a piece of leather or rubber and unscrew the mag tube holding it by the end. (don't do it in the middle or you'll crush it) Then you can get the spring and follower out and force it out the other way with a screwdriver or something.

Ok, finally got the magazine tube off the receiver. I had to use the suggest leather glove and vise grips (super tight), and apply heat the receiver where the tube threads in with a propane torch. Even then it took quite a bit of force to turn the barrel. The threads were coated with somekind of white loctite that mostly turned to powder after the tube came off.

I had to pull the spring out with a lot of force. Just as I suspected, the limiter rod was wedged between the spring and tube wall.

Everything is back together now with some blue loctite.

Thanks for the help guys.

ben