Remington 1100

[dak0ta]

Hello,

I'd like to own a Rem 1100 for clay games and upland birds. I'm looking into the older vintage models as they are more affordable and probably just as nice as the new ones for cheaper.

Most of the ones I find are 70s era with a 30'' no VR fixed full choke. How much do these usually go for in very good+ condition?

Are the barrels thick enough to be opened up to modified or even install choke tubes?

Is it worth owning a Rem 1100 for clay/game hunting or is it better to just get a Benelli/Beretta/Browning instead for the improved reliability and load versatility?

The older guns are 2 3/4'' guns, can they handle normal target loads up to high brass pheasant loads or does the gas system need to be adjusted to prevent damage to the gun?

 

[dak0ta]

Is the 11-87 worth the upgrade? I heard the Premier is decent, but the Sportsman models aren't as reliable. The new Field model looks nice, not sure with Rem's current QC.

 

[Kayaker 1960]

1100

I have an older Rem. 1100, I bought it in the late 70's or early 80's. It's handled everything from heavy pheasant loads to light quail loads perfectly. I recently bought a 26" vent rib barrel with Rem chokes for it, it will now handle 3" steel shot too. The barrel cost me as much as I paid for the gun though.

 

[oneounceload]

The barrel should be able to handle being opened up or having choke tubes installed - it is also going to depend on what type of hunting. While good guns, they tend to be HEAVY - good for a goose blind, but really sucks chasing chukar uphill - so you may need to think about what will constitute the majority of your usage. If it is clays and stationary hunting, go for it. If you are more into lot of walking, something a lot lighter - like a Benelli - will be better from the hunting perspective

 

[Fishbed77]

Is the 11-87 worth the upgrade? I heard the Premier is decent, but the Sportsman models aren't as reliable. The new Field model looks nice, not sure with Rem's current QC.

The 11-87 Premier is a fantastic shotgun. I've had mine for 20 years now, and I don't recall it ever malfunctioning.

That said, unless you need to shoot 3" shells, there is no reason to replace your 1100 with an 11-87.

 

[BlisteringSilence]

I have several 1100's and 1187's.

Unless you have a real need to fire 3" shells, there's no burning reason to get an 1187.

For the cost of opening up a barrel, you're better off getting an 1100 barrel that's already threaded for chokes. New from midway or used from ebay, either will be a better investment.

An 1100 in proper working order will run just about any 2 3/4 load you put through it. If you only shoot *normal* factory ammo, you shouldn't have any issues.

None of mine like extremely light loads (nothing less than 1 oz shot, for example), but I don't know of any autoloaders that do.

Price wise, a good used one will set you back $500 or so, and prices go up from there. If you're not picky about condition (can handle rub spots and other hunting love marks), you can get in around $300 or so.

 

[DammitBoy]

1100's are great shotguns and can be had all day for $500-600, just check all the pawnshops and you'll find a decent one in no time.

 

[dak0ta]

$500 for a 1100. Does an extra $350-500 to upgrade to a Winchester SX3, Browning Maxus etc. give you $500 worth of advantages?

 

[BlisteringSilence]

I personally don't think so. If I'm going to spend in the $1K range on an autoloading 12 gauge, I'll buy a used Beretta A391.

It all really depends on what you're looking for, and what you want to do with it.

Are you looking for clays? If so, what game(s)?

For the field? Are you thinking about uplands birds, duck, goose, deer, moose, or something else entirely?

Will you also be using it for home defense?

Do you care about engraving? What about the stock? Is synthetic OK? Do you like wood? Do you care about the quality of the wood?

I'll do my best, but I need some direction.

 

[dak0ta]

Mainly trap, sporting clays, grouse, pheasant.

I will use my Benelli Nova for waterfowl and 870 Wingmaster with deer barrel for slugs.

I think the 70s era 1100s with the scrollwork and nice walnut furniture fit the bill. Just need to find one with a Mod choke or open a full to Modified or Light modified?

 

[BlisteringSilence]

Mainly trap, sporting clays, grouse, pheasant.

I will use my Benelli Nova for waterfowl and 870 Wingmaster with deer barrel for slugs.

I think the 70s era 1100s with the scrollwork and nice walnut furniture fit the bill. Just need to find one with a Mod choke or open a full to Modified or Light modified?

For what you describe, finding an 1100 with a modified barrel sounds like the right prescription. $500 should do the trick, unless you're in a big hurry, in which case, you'll likely have to pay a little bit more.

If you're planning on getting serious about sporting clays, I'd spend the extra money on the a391 with a 30" barrel. That way you can shoot clays, trap, and handicap trap, as well as all your hunting, by swapping out some chokes.

That being said, I made A class as a junior in english clays shooting an 1100 with a 26" fixed modified barrel. And it's still my go-to gun for uplands birds today.

 

[Virginian]

I am down to five 1100s at present. Funny thing, when I first started shooting them no one ever said they were heavy. Now people are supposedly bigger and stronger and yet many have become obsessed with gun weight. I shot mine this past weekend, and though I am far from the man I once was the 1100 is as good as ever.
Mike Orlen can fit choke tubes cheaper than getting another good barrel with or without choke tubes, and he does excellent work. But, if you are a barrel junky like me that works too.

 

[Esoxchaser]

I have an older Rem. 1100, I bought it in the late 70's or early 80's. It's handled everything from heavy pheasant loads to light quail loads perfectly. I recently bought a 26" vent rib barrel with Rem chokes for it, it will now handle 3" steel shot too. The barrel cost me as much as I paid for the gun though.

If it is not a magnum reciever, do NOT run 3" shells in it. From Remingtons web site at the bottom of the 1100 barrel chart:

‡ NOTE: Model 1100 Steel Shot Barrels are designed for use with 2¾" or 3" in Magnum receivers; ONLY 2¾" steel or2¾" lead in non-magnum receivers.

http://www.remington.com/en/pages/s...emington-original-factory-barrels-tables.aspx

 

[Virginian]

Remington has changed their minds on that issue a couple of times. I had a Steel Shot barrel that said 3" steel was okay on 2-3/4" receivers. I ran everything - lead, tungsten, and steel 3" through it - but I did keep a close eye on the buffer. If you can pick up a magnum action sleeve and use it with the Steel Shot barrel you have an 1100 Magnum. Receivers are identical.

 

[oneounceload]

None of mine like extremely light loads (nothing less than 1 oz shot, for example), but I don't know of any autoloaders that do.

I have 2 Beretta A400's - 1 is the target model and the other a 3.5" field gun and both function perfectly with my 3/4 oz 12 gauge reloads running 1210 fps - no malfs of any kind

Since the OP says mostly clay games, the 1100 will fit the bill - just make sure to get a T&S shell catcher for trap singles so your empties don't hit the guy (or his gun) on your right

 

[dak0ta]

Do the Vent Rib barrels add much value or the plain rib are good enough?

 

[oneounceload]

Most folks like a VR on a target gun - not only for the initial sighting plane but also for what they were originally designed for - eliminating heat mirage

 

[BlisteringSilence]

I'm not sure what you mean here. Vent Rib barrels are pretty much the standard for any gun that uses them, they're more intuitive to sight down than a plain barrel. The only shotgun I own that doesn't have a vent rib is an old A-5 I got from my dad who got it from his dad, and it can't have a vent rib.

When you ask if they add much value over a plain barrel, the answer is, no. A plain barrel would remove value from the numbers you've been quoted. So if $500 is the going rate for a gun with a VR barrel, the same gun with a plain barrel I would value at $425.

Remington has sold millions of 1100's, so they're available in every barrel configuration known to man. Length, contour, fixed and remchoke, finish, engraving, etc.

Truly, you need to just get it and shoot it. Stock fit is going to make a much bigger difference than whether or not the barrel has a vent rib on it.

 

[Kp321]

+1 on stock fit. I shoot an 1100 because it fits me and I can hit with it out of the box. Other brands take a lot of stock tinkering to fit me. Shotgun fit is very individualized, one size does not fit all.
On chokes, the earlier 1100 barrels are sometimes not thick enough to take RemChokes but will be OK with TruChokes. Could be reamed to modified with no problem.
I will PM you with details.

 

[oneounceload]

Briley makes thin wall chokes and can install them in just about ANY gun. Contact them for details

 

[DammitBoy]

Most 1100's don't have vent ribs, at least in my experience...

 

[Virginian]

The vast majority of 1100s have vent rib barrels. They quit making the plain barrels about 30 years ago, and they actually started falling out of favor big time by the early 70s. Of course deer or defense barrels are a different situation.
Briley does excellent work, but Mike Orlen is on a par with them workmanship wise, and for less money and usually a quicker turnaround. Mike cannot do everything Briley can because he doesn't have the tooling, but he can definitely install chokes in an 1100. Briley and Mike are the only two barrelsmiths I would personally vouch for. I am sure there are other good ones, i just don't have any experience with them.