Rem 1100 for Police work.

[AMT8951]

The Police Department that I work for lets us carry our own privatly owned shotguns on patrol. This is a good thing since most of the Dept's guns are older S&W 3000's, and are not particularlly well maintained. I was thinking of getting an 870 or a Nova Tactical rtop carry, however, I was recently given a Rem 1100. Right now the gun is set up for deer hunting with slugs. It sports a 22in barrel and a 4x scope. It appears to be in pretty good condition, but I don't really need another sporting slug gun.
Here are my questions:

Would an 1100 be suitable for Police work? I know Remington makes a "Tactical Model 1100", but are they considered to be reliable enough with a variety of ammo?

Is a 22in barrel considered too long for police work? Is it feasable to shorten the barrel? Or should I buy a replacement 18in bbl. I'vew looked around a little and can't seem to find any thing shorter than 21in.

Finally, the gun is blued, has wood stocks, and rifle sights. What other modifications will I need to make to the weapon? I would like to be able to convert it back to a sporting weapon without much difficulty.

[liliysdad]

I love the idae of an autolader for police work. However, I have yet to see one that I would trust as much as an 870. There are simply too many variables to contend with, such as maintenance, O-rings, load selection, etc.

For me, I dont think I could go from an 870 that will cycle anyhting, every time, to an 1100 that most likely will.

[Dfariswheel]

Possible reliability issues aside, it seems that once you get under 21" on the 1100 the gun may need alterations to the gas system to insure normal operation.
That's why you don't see 18" barrels for the 1100.

Remington does make an 11-87 Police model with an 18" barrel, but I don't know if they need any modifications for shorter barrel use.

In your particular case, 22" is NOT too long for police work.

About all you'd need to set your gun up better, would be to install a magazine extension.
One option to look at is an "easy load" device. This is a lever that replaces the small factory carrier button, and makes reloading much faster:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...p=5796&s=13888

If you wanted to spend the money, you could also have the metal parkerized, and replace the wood with synthetic.
All that would be needed to convert back to sporting use would be to remove the extension.

Semi-auto shotguns generally have reliability issues due to a dirty gun in which the lube has dried up, and a failure to experiment to find a brand of shells THAT specific gun "likes".

For the first problem, simply keep up on the maintenance and keep the gun properly lubed.

For the ammo issue, just buy several brands of ammo and shoot enough to verify the reliability of your gun.

[Lycanthrope]

Really.....I use my 1100 for 3 gun and I had to tweak it a bit to run 1oz. loads and 2 and 3/4 DRAM powder charges.

But..never.....ever.....ever....has it failed to run with buckshot or defense loads.

I just don't see these guns failing to run with self defense loads.

[timothy75]

Being that your a profesional treat yourself to a new police 870 or 1100. Even if you have to charge it. You need the best gear avalible since lives will be depending on it. Be safe and good luck.

[AMT8951]

Thanks Guys. I guess i'm going to put a mag extension on the gun, and make sure it still feeds reliably. Any idea what size extension (ie 4-shot, 5-shot) I'll need? Are there any brands I should avoid?

[liliysdad]

I think you will find that a 22" barrel is too long for most things we do. I know that I often curse my 18.5" tube. Building searches and the like will be a apin, even bordering on dangerous with such a long barrel. Depending on how your patrol car's rack is setup, it will be a tight fit. My overhead rack barely stows my 18.5" Remington.

[Dfariswheel]

About the only brand of extensions to avoid are the ATI plastic units.

As for length, an extension that ADDS 4 shots should do it.
A +3 extension is even with a 20" barrel so I "think" a +4 will do it.
Note that as far as I know, only Choate and Tac-Star make extensions longer than for a 20" inch barrel.

USE A CLAMP. If the one you buy doesn't have one BUY one. There's more info on why below.
I recommend the Uncle Mike's.

Here's some info I posted on another forum about brands:

The Remington Factory is the best.
The extension is expensive and can be hard to find.
Now that Remington is installing them on the Express gun, I think you can buy them direct from Remington.
Most any dealer can order you a police version from a Remington Law Enforcement distributor, IF he wants to. Some local FFLs just don't want to.
The factory barrel clamp is the best, and interlocks with a groove in the extension tube, preventing the clamp from moving under recoil.

Choate, available from Choate or Brownell's, is the "best buy".
It's high quality, proven over 30 years, and comes in blue-black sulfate, or parkerized.
It come in lengths from 7 shot to 10 shot, and comes as a complete kit with the tube, spring, heavy duty follower, sling swivel, and a barrel clamp.
www.riflestock.com/
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...ZINE+EXTENSION

Tac-Star.
Tac-Star is a lesser quality then any other steel unit.
They have a past history of quality problems including egg-shaped, out-of-round tubes and mounting collars brazed on crooked, making the extension out-of-line.
Does not normally come with a clamp.
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...spx?p=13101&s=

Wilson/Scattergun is good.
Quality is good, but it doesn't come with a clamp.
Some people don't like the sling swivel setup.
www.wilsoncombat.com/index_sgt.htm

Hans Vang.
Very good quality, but expensive. Does not come with a clamp.
https://www.vangcomp.com/

Tank's Rifle Shop.
I personally rate this one as second only to the factory unit.
A direct copy of the Remington factory minus the extended cap for mounting a bayonet, and doesn't have the interlock groove in the tube to lock the clamp in place like the factory version.
VERY good and high quality.
www.tanksrifleshop.com/remshotgun.htm

ATI plastic.
Junk, but if it's all you can afford or find it's OK.

Couple of points on the clamp.
It doesn't matter HOW strong the extension is, it can be a solid steel bar.
The extension is screwed to the GUN's magazine tube, and the deep, square threads of the magazine tube weaken an already thin tube.
An unsupported extension is a handy lever to be used to break the extension off the gun.
All it takes is a bump.
This invariably damages the gun's magazine threads, and this means an expensive trip back to the factory to have a new one brazed in and the receiver refinished.

USE A CLAMP. There's NO valid reason not to use one.
If your extension does not come with a clamp, the best aftermarket is the Uncle Mike's direct copy of the Remington Factory.
It's doesn't interlock with the tube, but due to the design, it does stay put better than any other type.
http://www.unclemikes.com/adtemplate...catky2=2000180

My "best buy" is the Choate extension kit due to the combination of quality/reputation/price/finish. It's easy to get, and is more affordable.
It's a complete kit, and they offer many lengths and make a version for most guns.

[9mmMike]

Regarding ease of loading....

The CM 1100's use a lifter with a longer release thing-a-ma-bob. I installed one of these in my old 1100 and it works great. Makes a big difference (for me) when topping off the mag. It is also scary black instead of chrome so it must be tactical!
FWIW, my 1100 wears a 21" or 22" (ish) barrel with a +3 factory mag and clamp. On occasion, I change it to an 18" or 19" (ish) barrel (cut down) and a factory +2 and clamp. It works fine in both configurations with elcheapo bulk bird shot.

Mike

[ocharry]

hi AMT,, just to help you a little,,, i have the 4 shot extention on my 1100, it comes to the end of a factory remington smooth bore slug barrel,,, also i have a 3 shot extention on my 870 and it comes to the end of a factory smooth bore slug barrel,,, i think remington calls the 870 barrel 18.5,,,, and the 1100 barrel 22..... both of my extentions are made by choate,,, i like them and they seem to be made very well.... one came from brownells and one from sportsmans guide,,, sportsmans guide had the kit on sale not to long ago for $29 something,,, the one from brownells was areound $40,,, like dfariswheel said about "best buy" i have to agree,,,, i think they are made well and they look good too,,, i have two clamps on my guns,, the secound one is a mount for the light..... just my .02 YMMV

ocharry