[unclepaddy]

I have a chance to buy 70's-era model 1100 Magnum model with a 30" barrel. It's in pristine condition, and even has nice wood grain and impressed checkering. Also has a rib. I'm wondering about the opinions of anyone here that has experience with this moel. Is it reliable, and worth-while having? I've never had one or hunted with anyone who has one, so any info helps.

 

[Gil Martin]

Good choice

I have several Model 1100s and really like them. I use one for pheasants and will use it again this week. All the best...
Gil

 

[DaveT]

I also have an 100 28 inch modified that I use for dove and quail, and occasionally deer...I bought it new back in the early 70s and its a great gun...never a problem...just keep it clean and oiled properly....

 

[O'Connersun]

I believe the 1100 is one of the best semi-autos ever made but it has been outclassed now by more diverse guns, like the 11-87. Occassionally you do find a lemon but I have seen many more that provided a lifetime of reliable service to their owners.

An 1100 3" gun is just that, a 3" shell shooter (some 2 3/4" magnum loads will function in some guns) and that is why Remington came out with the 11-87. People wanted guns that shoot more diverse loads. If you need a 3" gun and don't care about using lighter shells in it (it may have issues with some steel loads too), then buy it if you like but don't expect it to do what it wasn't intended to do. In the 70's I owned a 2 3/4" 1100 with 2 barrels and an 1100 3" Magnum. More than once I found myself holding one gun and needing the other so when pumps started coming out with 3" chambers that could handle shorter shells too, I bought one and sold the 1100s.

We have a 20ga 1100 in the gun safe, which belongs to my better-half. There are 2 11-87s, one for me (12ga Primier) and one for my daughter (20ga), alongside an 870 and vintage Model 11. Guess we are a Remington family!

 

[m141a]

O'Connorsun touched on the one 'weakness' [bad word] in the 1100....most are designed for 2 3/4 shells.
I have one, an early 80's uplans special, with a english stock. I'd never get rid of this gun.
The 1100 will do every function you desire of it, short of super high flyer geese.
I've deer hunted, duck hunted, bird hunted, small gamed, clays, and wore with mine, it just runs and runs. The most maintenance you'll do is to clean it, and on the rare occasion, change the o rings on the mag tube.

FYI, I bought an 11-87 too, and it got sold in favor of the 1100

Buy it.

 

[unclepaddy]

O.K., I just wanted to know if they were junk. I test fired this one and sure enough, it doesn't want to cycle the odd dove loads I had lying around. It handles the three inch waterfowl loads just fine. If I get it I'll have to have the choke let out for steel. The main reason I am interested in this one is the drop in the stock is about perfect for me, and I'm tired of the pumps I have hammering my shoulder in the duck blind. It was quite comfortable with my hottest loads. Thanks for the input.

 

[MikeG]

You should be able to to put a 2 3/4" barrel on it. The main difference between the barrels (other than the chamber length) is that there are two gas ports in the 2 3/4" barrel and only one in the 3" barrel.

If you are shooting trap with 2 3/4" loads in a magnum barrel, it keeps the gun from flinging the empty at the guy on your right!

 

[Marshal Kane]

While there are newer designs on the market, the 1100 is similar to the 1911 in that it was designed right, stands the test of time, and is still very popular. Won't be able to say the same for the newer designs for a few years yet. If it fits you, and the price is right, seriously consider buying it.

 

[Water-Man]

Bought mine, 2 3/4 12ga., around 1969 and used it for ducks, geese, grouse, deer, black bear and clays. It misfired once when it was brand new and never again. Couldn't ask for more. All I ever did was clean it. Good luck with yours.

 

[O'Connersun]

The main difference between the barrels (other than the chamber length) is that there are two gas ports in the 2 3/4" barrel and only one in the 3" barrel.

In my experience with guns from the 70's, the spring behind the bolt was stronger than the standard guns and even with a short chamber barrel I had problems with ejection, especially with field loads. Perhaps this changed but it was my experience. I wanted a gun I could shoot ducks with in the morning and then take into the dove field or quail woods afterward so I tried changing barrels. Didn't work for me.

 

[MikeG]

Hmmm. Thanks for the feedback. I did the opposite, found a 30" magnum barrel that I wanted to be able to shoot 2 3/4" loads out of (on a gun that was originally set up for a 2 3/4" barrel). So, we drilled a second gas port and it works like a champ.

Didn't think about the recoil spring....... ?

Good info.

 

[Virginian]

I have had about 9 1100s and 11-87s so you might say I like them more than a little. Heaven knows how many I sold. I thinned the gun collection a couple of years ago and cleared about $20,000, so cost was not a factor in buying some replacement guns. I got a cherry 1966 1100 Magnum to allow me to "retire" my 1963 2-3/4" 1100 (bought new) with a 3" Steel Shot barrel to clays only duty, and the new gun is the designated waterfowl gun. I already had a 20 gauge Magnum 1100, so I got a 1970 28 gauge 1100 to replace two other 28s and I consider myself all set.
If you put a 2-3/4" barrel on the 3" gun it will work fine with just about any 2-3/4" load you can find, but if I was going to shoot a lot of heavy 2-3/4" loads I would watch the buffer or get a standard action sleeve to go with the 2-3/4" barrel. The 1100 design was balanced in that the Magnum guns have a heavier action sleeve to go with the single gas port barrel. The longer pressure pulse got the heavier sleeve moving just right. You can pick up a lot of very useful information on a long flight with Wayne Leek.
The actions springs have all been the same since day one. The early 11-87s had the early RemChoke barrels and were heavier and handled different than an 1100, and a lot of 1100 lovers did not like that difference. I don't think the 11-87 ever fully recovered from that misstep, even though the newer ones feel as good as an 1100 to me. And now Remington has started marketing the 11-87s as more utilitarian (and cheaper) hunter's guns, and the new 1100s are all dolled up for the target ranges.
A lot of people dog the 1100 because Remington hasn't changed the design, but there is really nothing wrong with it. A Model 12 is a classic, as is a Browning Auto 5, but Remington just has no innovation. A little bias perhaps?
BTW, I have owned Berettas, a Benelli, some Brownings, and some Winchesters, and while there was basically nothing wrong with any of them either, I just prefer the Remingtons and the others are now all gone.

 

[Oberndorf]

Good gun

I used my 12 gauge 2 3/4" Model 1100 today on a great pheasant hunt. It has never failed me and is my go to small game gun. Take care...
Oberndorf

 

[rushbay]

I have 2 1100 s, 12 & 20 G mag 3 inch, and have never had a problem using 2 3/4 in loads in either, as long as you don't go down to the really low brass shells. I too am a Remington fan, as there are 7 in the family.