Remington 1100 vs 1187

[Stevenvalleyky]

Got a buddy thats wanting to get an old 1100 for rabbit hunting. Says he doesnt want the 1187 because of all the issue the last few years with remington. Ive heard those issues have been resolved with new leadership. I told him that he was probably better off buying a new 1187 preferably built in 2016. He wants as old a 1100 as he can find..what say you guys?

 

[eastbank]

i have both 1100,s and 1187,s in 12ga and when kept reasonably clean they run quite well. the only problem i know of first hand is that a friend bought one of the first 1187,s in 3.5 mag and it would jam, he sold it and went to a 1187 in 3 mag and has had no problems with it. one of my 1187,s is a trap model and i run it 400-600 rounds before giving it a good cleaning. i like remingtons. eastbank.

 

[entropy]

Unless it has been kept in pristine condition by someone who knows how to do it, I'd advise him to pass on the really older 1100's. Production started in '63, that's old! (I was born in '63...) My Dad has his he bought in '64, and it still works fine. I got to use it's sister gun he bought later (@1975) for Trap, and had to constantly work on it. It had been abused before he got it, got a bargain on it. That gun is actually responsible for my learning to gunsmith-i had to to keep it working. Problem is, most of the older 1100's out there either were abused, or sat in a closet for 40 years. The latter still need a good cleaning, but you need to be able to tell the difference.
I have less experience with the 11-87, most of the ones I've seen were fine. The ones to avoid there are the ones with Duck Camo painted or stuck on; they've often seen some hard use.

 

[AI&P Tactical]

Quality control issues come and go. The issues you are talking about were people issues. See, Freedom Group came in a gave all the old timers "Golden Handshakes" this took the real pro's off the floor and out of the upper levels of Production and Quality Control. The younger replacements and new hires had a learning curve to over come and they are getting there.

Either model will serve him well as a Sporting gun and I say look at the 11-87 Sportsman as he will be getting a new gun with a limited Lifetime warranty as apposed to an older gun that may work fine now but could result in major $ for repairs should something go wrong.

 

[Virginian]

The 1100 and 11-87 are 99% the same gun. I have a '63 Model 1100 that has been flawless. My duck gun is a '66 Magnum 1100, also flawless. But, if I was looking to get a new gun and didn't already have several shotguns I would go for the new 11-87 because it has the 2-3/4" and 3" flexibility, and a lifetime warranty as AI&P stated.

 

[kudu]

Yes there were a handful of 11-87's that had some problems, if I remember correctly it was a run of them in the mid to early 90's. I have one from between 87 and 90 that has run great, it goes 800-1000 target shells between cleanings. Just last year changed the O-ring for the first time, about 25,000 rounds. This gun has had maybe 2 boxes of 3" mags through it in it's lifetime, all the rest are light target shells.

The Super magnum 3.5" 11-87's have never been known for being real reliable with light loads, I think this is where you get most of the bad press.

I would second AI&P on the Sportsman 11-87, generally a nice looking gun. Nothing wrong with looking for an 1100 either, but older is not necessarily better. I have seen a few nice specimens in the $500 range. Most autos are not shot to the point they are worn out, but neglect is often worse than high round count.

 

[243winxb]

Barrel steel was changed after a class action lawsuit. Google for date.

I have shot both. They break clays. The 1187 seemed heavier then the 1100?

 

[Fleetman]

My favorite is my 11-48. I shot skeet with an 1100 and 11-87. I much prefer recoil over gas.....anyday!

 

[zb338]

I bought an 1100 when I got out of the Army. It still shoots as good as when I bought it.
That was somewhere close to 60 years. I don't know if Remington made the 1100 that
long but I know I'm close. The only thing I replaced was the rubber grommet gas seal.
I clean it at least once every ten years.
Zeke

 

[dieselchief]

I shot a 1187 for the last three years, gun worked well. never could get over the slight differences in handling. got a hold of a new classic. the same old feeling is back. just saying,

 

[entropy]

I bought an 1100 when I got out of the Army. It still shoots as good as when I bought it.
That was somewhere close to 60 years. I don't know if Remington made the 1100 that
long but I know I'm close. The only thing I replaced was the rubber grommet gas seal.
I clean it at least once every ten years.
Zeke

They came out in '63, when I was born, and I ain't 60 yet!

 

[Armored farmer]

I'm partial to my 1100s

 

[Clark]

I have two 1100s and one 11-87

I got the 11-87 Police for $400 and bought another barrel for it.
I got the new 1100 for $275
But the 1100 I got for $120 was so full of gunk it would not function. I got home from the gun show and scrubbed and scrubbed with a toothbrush and oil. It had a message under the butt.

 

[SwampWolf]

The 1100 and 11-87 are 99% the same gun.

Other than chamber length, what is/are the difference(s) between the two?

 

[kudu]

The gas system on the 11-87 was redesigned to meter from super light 2 3/4" shells to 3" magnums. And for the most case does quite well at it.

 

[Virginian]

The barrel and barrel gas ring are different, and the magazine tube is stainless on the 11-87, and the extractor is larger on the 11-87.

 

[SwampWolf]

Given the helpful information submitted by the two previous posters, could the Model 11-87 be considered an "improved" Model 1100? Or merely "different"?

 

[Virginian]

The 11-87 was an evolution of the 1100 design. Almost all the parts are the same. Is was an improvement in that it allowed 2-3/4" and 3" shells to be fired interchangeably with no adjustments. It was one of the first, if not the first, semi auto to have this feature.
The RemChoke barrels were introduced almost the same time as the 11-87. They were heavy. Therefore the 11-87 did not feel or handle like an 1100 and earned the everlasting enmity of 1100 fans. Remington quickly got after the issue but the damage was done. The grand plan to have the 11-87 replace the 1100 was cooked. The 11-87 went on to become a fine gun, but the 1100 is still rolling along,too.

 

[Clark]

I bought the rem choke reamer, tap, and bushings. Maybe I could convert my 1100s

 

[eastbank]

i think sometimes we get caught up in the choke wars and buy all the fangled super tight chokes to try and get that prefect pattern at 80 yards, i know i had that happen to me when i started shooting my browning BT-100 at trap. after going that route i settled on a imp-mod choke and shoot as well as i can. at a pratict round af trip i put a imp-cly choke tube in and shot a 22-25 at the 16yrd line. even my trukey choke is now a imp-mod choke and i have not missed a turkey at my set range of 35 yards. eastbank.

 

[AI&P Tactical]

The Difference is that 11-87's have Pressure Compensated Barrels, this is why under the old serial numbering system the serial number starts with "PC". Model 1100 barrels are not pressure compensated. Also, the 11-87 Police Barrels are not pressure compensated even though the serial numbers still started with "PC". Anyone wanting an 11-87 Police should jump for it now as they are to be discontinued this year or next.

 

[IMtheNRA]

What is a "pressure compensated barrel"?

 

[jmr40]

There is a huge difference in pressure between light 2 3/4" field loads and heavy 3" turkey or waterfowl loads. Prior to the 11-87 if you wanted a semi-auto shotgun to shoot both you needed 2 different guns. The older 1100 could be had in a standard version, but it wouldn't shoot the high pressure loads. You could buy the magnum version, but it would only function with higher pressure loads and would not cycle light loads.

The 11-87 was meant to replace both versions of the 1100 with one gun that would shoot all 12 ga loads at the time. This was prior to the introduction of 3 1/2" shells. The barrels are designed with a variable system that controls how much pressure is used to cycle the action.

Others have pointed this out, but the 1187 came with a barrel threaded for choke tubes which meant thicker barrel steel compared to the older 1100. Lots of guys complained about excess weight and poor balance compared to the 1100. After a few years a "light contour" barrel was introduced that still allowed choke tubes to get the weight and balance down.

Also all 11-87's with barrels shorter than 26" do not have the pressure compensated barrel. This is for 2 reasons. All of those guns were either turkey, deer, or self defense style guns. The thinking is that most who buy a gun for those purposes will be using high pressure loads anyway. Plus the system depends on pressure inside the barrel to build up enough to cycle the action. Even if they designed the those barrels with the pressure compensating system they would not be as reliable because the pressures would not be consistent in short barrels. In fact even the 26" barrels were somewhat less reliable with light loads than the longer 28" barrels for the same reason.

 

[f451]

My favorite is my 11-48. I shot skeet with an 1100 and 11-87. I much prefer recoil over gas.....anyday!

Try a Benelli. The Super Port is the way to go for intertia in Skeet and Trap. I used my M1 90 Super and everyone sneered cause, "Benellis are this and if its not a Browning or Kriegoff then its week". I shot 4 trap tournaments, informal in our club and only shot below 47 once, I shot a 44 (wish I was that consistant today!). So I kind of don't listen to what people say about inertia guns. If you like Interia, I like the Benellis. If you Like gas, I like the Remingotn and Berettas.

 

[Fleetman]

I have a Benelli (actually two, both 12) and a Win 1400.....I'll still take the 11-48 anyday.