Got myself a Remington and an H&R Today...

S.F.S · September 8, 2002, 04:54 PM

Well I went to to the gun shop to get an H&R Slug Gun the one wth the fully rifled barrel and noticed 3 Remington 12ga. 1100's in nice condition 2 were the Premier's with the 30" fixed choke barrel the other was the 1100 Special Field model with the straight english style stock and a 21" full choke barrel. The wood is flawless on it...
So I handled all 3 and found that the Special Field model was quick to mount and point and felt natural and comfortable to handle so I put it on lay-away.
After doing a search I have found very little about this particular model
How long ago was this particular model made and for how long? Im figuring it was manufactured sometime before 86 since it has a fixed choke. Any of you guys have one?
I was able to get it for $300.00 and can always get a longer field barrel in the future for it.
This is my first autoloading shotgun and cant wait to shoot it

Scott

Al Thompson · September 8, 2002, 05:32 PM

That's a super price for one of Remington's better efforts. You can always have a 'smith put choke tubes in the SG for $50 to $75 dollars. Perhaps less, Dave will know the good ones in your area.

S.F.S · September 8, 2002, 06:48 PM

I was just thinking of having that one reemed out to a modified tube. But thats even a better idea you had.
There is one gunsmith Dave recommended to me by the name of Greg Wolf who is in Easton Md. that has done a couple things for me I may go ahead and give him a call to get a price.

Scott

Dave McC · September 9, 2002, 04:42 AM

Congrats, Scott. An outstanding shotgun, it was under-publicized during its heyday. I never saw one with a Full Choke, tho.

This looks like a good candidate for Greg.While he's got it, you may want him to do the forcing cone.

I'm not sure the Special Field bbls were interchangeable, later on I'll check Kuhnhausen.

HTH...

S.F.S · September 9, 2002, 06:14 AM

Dave,
Please let me know about the barrels. I was under the impression all 1100 barrels interchanged with one another except for the 20ga. that were produced prior to 1977.
When were they in production?
I was under the impression having the forcing cone done was to just help felt recoil, or does it also help patterning of the shot?

Dave McC · September 9, 2002, 03:47 PM

OK, Scott, you're fine. No separate bbl assembly listed in Kuhnhausen, so it's interchangeable.

Special Field 1100s were introduced in 1983, in both 12 and 20 gauges and with three different chokes. So, your full choke is probably original and kosher.

Any 2 3/4" bbl for the 1100 should work fine. A couple of options are....

One,get Greg to install the thin wall chokes.

Two, have him just ream out that full to whatever constriction you want.

.010 to 015 constriction is very versatile...

Three,leave the bbl alone and get an aftermarket 1100 bbl with Remchokes et al.

Four, do the cone on either. The recoil reduction may be hard to notice, but the patterns will have more pellets in them and fewer flyers. Small shot isn't so obvious, but anything larger than 4s up to #3 buck should show an improvement. You know I'm no fan of mods/addons for mods/addons sake, but there's no downside to a longer cone. Optimum is about 1 1/2", IMO.

S.F.S · September 9, 2002, 04:14 PM

Dave,
Is .010 to .015 the constriction of a full choke? Also is steel shot safe to use in a fixed choke barrel of any constriction?

I was told that Remington has the most less constrictive of all full chokes.

When I get it I will go out and shoot it the way it is and go from there with it on what I will do.
Im not sure what Greg will charge for the installation of choke tubes but the gunsmith over at Smyrna Sporting Goods where I bought the gun will ream the barrel to a modified or what ever I prefer for about $25.00.

Have you ever had choke tubes added to any of your 870's? If so how much was it?

Scott

Dave McC · September 10, 2002, 04:31 AM

The numbers vary, Scott, but .010" to 015" is generally considered IC to Light Mod.

Full chokes used to be considered around .040", but now anything over .030" is called Full.

Steel shot can hurt older guns with tight chokes, but it's not common om modern ones. I'd use a little less choke than Full for steel, myself. The point's a bit moot anyway, this 1100 is not a good candidate for waterfowl due to its' light weight and short bbl.

Greg did Frankenstein, and IIRC it ran about $100 for the cone and tube setup, Tubes were extra. That was early in the 90s.

HTH...

S.F.S · September 10, 2002, 03:54 PM

Dave,
If I went with just reaming the barrel what would be the best constriction to go with, .010 to.015?
I will be mainly using the gun for shooting the 5 stand and a round of sporting clay every now and then and possibly some bird hunting.

The barrel may be a little short for some shotgun sports, but for now it will work just fine till I get another barrel. I just couldn't pass this gun up. I have never handled a shotgun with a straight grip before this one, but sure glad I did, I never would have thought she would fit, swing and handle like that.
Have you ever handled them before, If so what did you think of the straight grip stock?

P.S.- I use my 870 for waterfowl hunting, I was just curious about using steel in it.

Scott

Dave McC · September 10, 2002, 07:09 PM

Six of one, half dozen of the other, Scott. .015" constriction will give you 5 more yards at best, and less spread at closer ranges. Call .010" best to 25 yards,.015" best to 30 yds.

All things equal, I'd go with .010. With a long cone, this will give good patterns(with suitable loads) at common hunting and 5 stand ranges. A suggestion, pattern a few loads and see which one is least patchy at say, 25 yards. Use that.

As for straight grips, I've read Brister, Gene Hill, Steve Smith and so on. I've had a couple straight grips, both factory made and home made on SXS shotguns. I can use them but haven't found any great advantage over the standard, US style semi pistol grip. Maybe newer shooters can. IMO, the straight grip lessens the purchase of the strong hand, and this emans the wepon is pointed more with the support hand, which some techo-gunners claim is just plain better.

The jury's still out on straight vs curved grips, and any input you can give on this will be valuable on this BB, I'm sure.

Or, I might just take that much abused piece of walnut that was Frankenstein's first stock, remove the PG knob, refinish it and add a coupla spacers to make it the right length. Then, try a few rounds of something to see how well it works. What time allows, but not now, I regret.

S.F.S · September 15, 2002, 05:14 PM

Dave,
I will definately post about the 1100 after shooting it to let you all know my opinions on the straight stock.
My wife decided she wants to get it for me as a Christmas gift so its gonna be awhile before I shoot it.

The dealer told me the other day when I was in there hanging around that since Im talking about having the barrel reamed I could exchange the barrel for a longer one with either an I.C. or modified fixed tube. What do you think I should do? And would the I.C. still be best If I go that route?
Also the gun presently does not have a recoil pad just a butt plate should I have one installed? I know Im not gonna need it for recoil purposes since its an auto but it will help prevent it from falling if leaned against something.

Scott

Dave McC · September 16, 2002, 05:01 AM

BBl length has nothing to do with choke effectiveness, Scott. An IC is an IC is an IC, all else equal.

Of course you can buy a longer, fixed choke bbl, the biggest difference you'll notice is less noise and a slightly more weight forward feel to the swing.

As for a pad, I recommend them on everything.

September 8, 2002, 04:54 PM	#1
S.F.S Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2001 Location: Delaware, USA Posts: 469	Got myself a Remington and an H&R Today... Well I went to to the gun shop to get an H&R Slug Gun the one wth the fully rifled barrel and noticed 3 Remington 12ga. 1100's in nice condition 2 were the Premier's with the 30" fixed choke barrel the other was the 1100 Special Field model with the straight english style stock and a 21" full choke barrel. The wood is flawless on it... So I handled all 3 and found that the Special Field model was quick to mount and point and felt natural and comfortable to handle so I put it on lay-away. After doing a search I have found very little about this particular model How long ago was this particular model made and for how long? Im figuring it was manufactured sometime before 86 since it has a fixed choke. Any of you guys have one? I was able to get it for $300.00 and can always get a longer field barrel in the future for it. This is my first autoloading shotgun and cant wait to shoot it Scott __________________ My Wife Yes, My Dog Maybe, My Guns NEVER!!!

September 8, 2002, 05:32 PM	#2
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	That's a super price for one of Remington's better efforts. You can always have a 'smith put choke tubes in the SG for $50 to $75 dollars. Perhaps less, Dave will know the good ones in your area. __________________ http://www.scfirearms.org/

September 9, 2002, 06:14 AM	#5
S.F.S Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2001 Location: Delaware, USA Posts: 469	Please Check on that... Dave, Please let me know about the barrels. I was under the impression all 1100 barrels interchanged with one another except for the 20ga. that were produced prior to 1977. When were they in production? I was under the impression having the forcing cone done was to just help felt recoil, or does it also help patterning of the shot? __________________ My Wife Yes, My Dog Maybe, My Guns NEVER!!!

September 9, 2002, 04:14 PM	#7
S.F.S Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2001 Location: Delaware, USA Posts: 469	Dave, Is .010 to .015 the constriction of a full choke? Also is steel shot safe to use in a fixed choke barrel of any constriction? I was told that Remington has the most less constrictive of all full chokes. When I get it I will go out and shoot it the way it is and go from there with it on what I will do. Im not sure what Greg will charge for the installation of choke tubes but the gunsmith over at Smyrna Sporting Goods where I bought the gun will ream the barrel to a modified or what ever I prefer for about $25.00. Have you ever had choke tubes added to any of your 870's? If so how much was it? Scott __________________ My Wife Yes, My Dog Maybe, My Guns NEVER!!!

September 10, 2002, 03:54 PM	#9
S.F.S Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2001 Location: Delaware, USA Posts: 469	Dave, If I went with just reaming the barrel what would be the best constriction to go with, .010 to.015? I will be mainly using the gun for shooting the 5 stand and a round of sporting clay every now and then and possibly some bird hunting. The barrel may be a little short for some shotgun sports, but for now it will work just fine till I get another barrel. I just couldn't pass this gun up. I have never handled a shotgun with a straight grip before this one, but sure glad I did, I never would have thought she would fit, swing and handle like that. Have you ever handled them before, If so what did you think of the straight grip stock? P.S.- I use my 870 for waterfowl hunting, I was just curious about using steel in it. Scott __________________ My Wife Yes, My Dog Maybe, My Guns NEVER!!!

September 8, 2002, 06:48 PM	#3
S.F.S Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2001 Location: Delaware, USA Posts: 469	Good Idea you had!!!! I was just thinking of having that one reemed out to a modified tube. But thats even a better idea you had. There is one gunsmith Dave recommended to me by the name of Greg Wolf who is in Easton Md. that has done a couple things for me I may go ahead and give him a call to get a price. Scott __________________ My Wife Yes, My Dog Maybe, My Guns NEVER!!!

September 9, 2002, 04:42 AM	#4
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Congrats, Scott. An outstanding shotgun, it was under-publicized during its heyday. I never saw one with a Full Choke, tho. This looks like a good candidate for Greg.While he's got it, you may want him to do the forcing cone. I'm not sure the Special Field bbls were interchangeable, later on I'll check Kuhnhausen. HTH...

September 9, 2002, 03:47 PM	#6
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	OK, Scott, you're fine. No separate bbl assembly listed in Kuhnhausen, so it's interchangeable. Special Field 1100s were introduced in 1983, in both 12 and 20 gauges and with three different chokes. So, your full choke is probably original and kosher. Any 2 3/4" bbl for the 1100 should work fine. A couple of options are.... One,get Greg to install the thin wall chokes. Two, have him just ream out that full to whatever constriction you want. .010 to 015 constriction is very versatile... Three,leave the bbl alone and get an aftermarket 1100 bbl with Remchokes et al. Four, do the cone on either. The recoil reduction may be hard to notice, but the patterns will have more pellets in them and fewer flyers. Small shot isn't so obvious, but anything larger than 4s up to #3 buck should show an improvement. You know I'm no fan of mods/addons for mods/addons sake, but there's no downside to a longer cone. Optimum is about 1 1/2", IMO.

September 10, 2002, 04:31 AM	#8
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	The numbers vary, Scott, but .010" to 015" is generally considered IC to Light Mod. Full chokes used to be considered around .040", but now anything over .030" is called Full. Steel shot can hurt older guns with tight chokes, but it's not common om modern ones. I'd use a little less choke than Full for steel, myself. The point's a bit moot anyway, this 1100 is not a good candidate for waterfowl due to its' light weight and short bbl. Greg did Frankenstein, and IIRC it ran about $100 for the cone and tube setup, Tubes were extra. That was early in the 90s. HTH...

September 10, 2002, 07:09 PM	#10
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Six of one, half dozen of the other, Scott. .015" constriction will give you 5 more yards at best, and less spread at closer ranges. Call .010" best to 25 yards,.015" best to 30 yds. All things equal, I'd go with .010. With a long cone, this will give good patterns(with suitable loads) at common hunting and 5 stand ranges. A suggestion, pattern a few loads and see which one is least patchy at say, 25 yards. Use that. As for straight grips, I've read Brister, Gene Hill, Steve Smith and so on. I've had a couple straight grips, both factory made and home made on SXS shotguns. I can use them but haven't found any great advantage over the standard, US style semi pistol grip. Maybe newer shooters can. IMO, the straight grip lessens the purchase of the strong hand, and this emans the wepon is pointed more with the support hand, which some techo-gunners claim is just plain better. The jury's still out on straight vs curved grips, and any input you can give on this will be valuable on this BB, I'm sure. Or, I might just take that much abused piece of walnut that was Frankenstein's first stock, remove the PG knob, refinish it and add a coupla spacers to make it the right length. Then, try a few rounds of something to see how well it works. What time allows, but not now, I regret.

September 15, 2002, 05:14 PM	#11
S.F.S Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2001 Location: Delaware, USA Posts: 469	Dave, I will definately post about the 1100 after shooting it to let you all know my opinions on the straight stock. My wife decided she wants to get it for me as a Christmas gift so its gonna be awhile before I shoot it. The dealer told me the other day when I was in there hanging around that since Im talking about having the barrel reamed I could exchange the barrel for a longer one with either an I.C. or modified fixed tube. What do you think I should do? And would the I.C. still be best If I go that route? Also the gun presently does not have a recoil pad just a butt plate should I have one installed? I know Im not gonna need it for recoil purposes since its an auto but it will help prevent it from falling if leaned against something. Scott __________________ My Wife Yes, My Dog Maybe, My Guns NEVER!!!

September 16, 2002, 05:01 AM	#12
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	BBl length has nothing to do with choke effectiveness, Scott. An IC is an IC is an IC, all else equal. Of course you can buy a longer, fixed choke bbl, the biggest difference you'll notice is less noise and a slightly more weight forward feel to the swing. As for a pad, I recommend them on everything.