11-87... how clean does it need to be?

[Snarlingiron]

Ok, I bought a "new to me" 11-87 Premier online here at THR. Very Pretty. BTW, good seller, 4t5, exactly as represented, and he did exactly what he said he would.

It needed cleaning when I received it. I did so. There were carbon deposits on the magazine tube, and on the piston and the piston seal. I soaked in Hoppe's #9, and scrubbed clean with 0000 steel wool. Today, I shot about 125 rounds through the gun, and when I got home, I cleaned it, as is my custom. There were once again carbon deposits on the magazine tube and piston and piston seal.

My question is, is it necessary to completely remove these carbon deposits every time I shoot the gun? I have no problem doing it, I just wonder if anybody else goes to this extreme?

 

[b.thomas]

I usually do clean it off and it seems to help if you run it wet,,,,,,,,,,,i.e. with a little break-free on the mag tube. Carrying a spare O ring is a good ideal "just in case"!

 

[Fast Frank]

you are going to get varied answers ranging from "Don't worry, be happy" all the way to "Clean it like you are going to eat off of it".

The gun will shoot in all those conditions.

Me? I use my guns, and when I'm through with them I clean them.

I use the cleaning session as an excuse to fondle, inspect, repair, and enjoy my guns.

They seem to like the treatment, and so do I.

your guns will too, if you have the time and energy to do it.

 

[ysr_racer]

I clean mine every thousand rounds or so.

I apply a liberal amount of breakfree to the mag tube, so it's easy to clean the crud off.

 

[Snarlingiron]

Me? I use my guns, and when I'm through with them I clean them.

I use the cleaning session as an excuse to fondle, inspect, repair, and enjoy my guns.

They seem to like the treatment, and so do I.

your guns will too, if you have the time and energy to do it.

Yeah, me too. I was really wondering if it is necessary to remove every spec of carbon caking. Obviously it is not necessary, but a past life as a watchmaker and jeweler won't let me do anything else. I have been trained from a very early age that the most important thing that can be done to keep any machine working is to keep it clean and properly lubricated.

 

[Shell Shucker]

Normally I just spray the mag tube with Rem-oil and wipe it down with a rag. I may use a brass brush to remove the carbon directly under the gas ports. When it's time to strip the action I'll use steel wool on the mag tube and a special brush to clean the gas portion of the barrel (what the hell is THAT called?).

 

[Snarlingiron]

the gas portion of the barrel (what the hell is THAT called?).

Man, that's a good question. Maybe some of the experts can enlighten us.

My best shot would be "Gas Chamber", but that just kind of sounds wrong.

 

[Pete409]

The gas system of an auto shotgun is similar to a cylinder in an engine. The outer portion is called the cylinder, but some people might call it a chamber. Then you have the piece that slides back and forth inside the cylinder. This sliding piece is called the piston.

Some autos have a compensating valve in or on the cylinder. This is usually a series of holes covered by a plate which is kept shut by means of a coil spring. If the gas pressure is excessive in the cylinder, the valve is forced open and the excess gas excapes out of ports in or around the forend piece.

The Rem 1100 also has an O-ring or seal at the front end of the cylinder. Its job is to simply seal the cylinder so that gas doesn't escape between the magazine tube and the front end of the cylinder.

The gas gets into the cylinder by means of two holes (called gas ports) in the bottom of the barrel. Once the shot charge passes the gas ports, the pressure forces some of the gas into the cylinder via these gas holes (ports). This pressure pushes the piston rearward. The rear of the piston acts on the action bar(s) which pushes the bolt rearward, ejecting the empty. The carrier lifts a fresh round into line with the chamber where it is then pushed forward into the chamber by the bolt moving forward. The bolt is moved forward by means of the action spring (a.k.a. recoil spring or main spring) which is usually located in the buttstock on most autos.

 

[Snarlingiron]

The outer portion is called the cylinder,

Cylinder, definitely better than "Gas Chamber".

 

[JNewell]

In my experience, though not optimal, it doesn't need to be very clean to function reliably.

 

[Pete409]

In my experience, though not optimal, it doesn't need to be very clean to function reliably.

I agree with that. Autoloaders are not very fussy about being kept clean. The mistake that some people make is not cleaning them AND not lubricating them. Lubrication is necessary to keep them running well even when they are dirty. An auto shotgun needs a good cleaning only about every 1,500 to 2,000 rounds. Some autos will go even longer than that between cleanings, BUT they generally won't go that long without lubrication.