Can someone help me identify this classic?

scott0 · July 3, 2008, 03:12 AM

hello everyone, my dad recently passed down to me an old shotgun that was his dads, he didn't know much about it so i am hoping that you guys might!

from what i can tell its either a browning a5 or a remington model 11

i took some pictures in hopes that someone will be able to help me with their knowledge. Other than what i have pictured i did not see any markings anywhere else on the gun. i know absolutley nothing about thses guns so any help would be appreciated.

it appears to be missing some parts as well.. does anyone know where i could locate them? from what i can tell its missing the action tube and action spring.

thanks in advance, Scott

nate45 · July 3, 2008, 03:26 AM

Looks like a Rem Model 11 here is an article by TFL's own Tamara.

Remington Model 11: A very belligerent fowling piece.

scott0 · July 3, 2008, 03:47 AM

any idea on how to decode the serial number to find a mfg date?

nate45 · July 3, 2008, 04:01 AM

Is there a letter or two letters on the left side of the barrel. For example PP or MM or similar?

scott0 · July 3, 2008, 04:02 AM

i don't see any markings on the barrel at all

Lavid2002 · July 3, 2008, 04:06 AM

The markings could be imprinted on the 9 o'clock or 8 o 'clock space. Try removing the handguard and check if you havnt done so. Im sure you have.

nate45 · July 3, 2008, 04:14 AM

I can't find serialization for the model 11 except by the letter code.
They were made between 1905-1948 with approximately 429,000 produced.

Here is a place to get parts for it.

www.gun-parts.com/remingtonshotgun/

eastbank · July 3, 2008, 02:21 PM

it,s a rem-11 semi auto, with military marks. either a roit gun( does it have a short barrel with cylinder choke?) or a trainer for aircraft gunners, or may be a shotgun used for hunting on off duty time, issued from special severices to GI,S for sport. eastbank.

scott0 · July 4, 2008, 02:51 AM

eastbank, the barrel measures 31" from the face of the bolt to the end of the muzzle.
are there any publications that i can look at online, or buy in a bookstore that will let me learn more about this shotgun? disassembly, how the friction rings work for different types of loads.. etc.

i would really like to make this relic functional again, put a few rounds through it and put it on a shelf.

eastbank · July 4, 2008, 09:12 AM

scotto,with the long barrel it was a trainer for aircraft machigun training to learn leed, or a special services gun for sport use by the Gi,s. try and find a 1988 gun digest,42nd. annual edition. page 20- artical by eric archer on military shotguns of ww-2. on page 31 there is a picture of navy men shooting model 11,s on the deck of the uss yorktown in 1944, the guns are long barreled rem. 11,s. the nra book on dissasemling shotguns will have the take down and care of the rem 11. hope this helps,eastbank.

scott0 · July 4, 2008, 11:24 AM

eastbank, i googled "eric archer on military shotguns of ww-2." and came across this article. could my gun possibly be a Savage 720?? it shares the same markings as mine, only my barrel has nothing on it.. ( http://ugca.org/03mar/savage.htm )

jentb737 · July 4, 2008, 02:36 PM

The SAVAGE 720 is a copy of the BROWNING A5. The Remington Model 11 is a copy of the BROWNING A5. They are all very very good shotguns. Browning A5 parts can be altered and adjusted to fit your SAVAGE 720. You can get synthetic butt stocks and fore ends that are made for the Browning A5 and adjust them to fit your SAVAGE 720. I am very sure that your SAVAGE 720 is a 12 gauge but check and make sure that it is a 12 gauge. Good Shooting To You, jentb737

eastbank · July 4, 2008, 03:13 PM

scotto, yes it could be a savage, i over looked it because you thought it was a rem. 11 and i never looked any father. sorry for my over sight. eastbank.

mikenbarb · July 4, 2008, 05:20 PM

Its proably not a Savage, Its most likely a Remington Model 11 military training shotgun. Its the same as a Browning A5 and under the same patent. I have the same one with almost identicle markings. I also have the original armorers book that came with it on the take down and Military uses from the 5th batallion in Bayone NJ. I got mine from a Vet that had since he was issued it. The one you have looks to be standard Military. I have one with the same markings plus an anchor that would make it issued for the US Navy. It has the same parts just about as the A5 and you can still get parts for them. The gun operates on a recoil system that when the gun is fired, the barrel recoils into the reciever ejecting the spent hull. Its for 2 3/4 only and you have to flip the rings to shoot light loads.
PS- The barrel on it is aftermarket. If it was original, It would be shorter and have some of the same markings as the reciever. All the military barrels had markings depending what branch they were sent to.

eastbank · July 5, 2008, 07:20 AM

scotto, i believe you gun be a savage 720,the lowist serial number was 68540 and the hightist number was 88210 accepted and your serial number(80472) falls in between them. the first rem. 11 serial numbers were 455273 to 499431 and the second group were 701669 to 711086. both rem. 11 groups were to high for your gun to be a rem.11. i just assumed your gun was a rem.11 with out going any father. eastbank.

Tom Doniphon · July 5, 2008, 01:54 PM

The serial number is too high for a WW2 Military Remington Model 11, but is in the correct range for a 720.

The real give-away is the martial markings. Those are the type found on Military 720s. The Remington Model 11s and Sportsman Models have slightly different martial markings on them.

HTH

Jeff Mulliken · July 5, 2008, 09:32 PM

Looks like a Savage to me.

Be careful about the assurances that Auto 5 parts will fit.

Some can be made to fit if you have the skills.....but other than a couple of springs the parts are not interchangable with factory Auto-5 parts.

Jeff

mikenbarb · July 6, 2008, 10:23 AM

I may be wrong but its cool no matter who made it.

If you need any parts for it, Let me know. I think I may still have some assorted items from one I rebuilt.

scott0 · February 5, 2009, 11:43 AM

i was able to track down all the parts i need for this thing with the exception of a action spring tube. if anyone has one of these guns and can give me some photos of the action spring tube and the length of it i would be truly greatful, that way i am able to make one for my gun. thanks! -Scott0

armsmaster270 · February 5, 2009, 11:58 AM

Eastbank
I saw your info on serial numbers is that for military only as I have a model 11 S/N 114117 I got from my grandfather.

scott0 · February 14, 2009, 04:09 PM

anyone able to get me a picture/specs of the spring tube

July 3, 2008, 03:12 AM	#1
scott0 Junior Member Join Date: July 3, 2008 Posts: 10	Can someone help me identify this classic? hello everyone, my dad recently passed down to me an old shotgun that was his dads, he didn't know much about it so i am hoping that you guys might! from what i can tell its either a browning a5 or a remington model 11 i took some pictures in hopes that someone will be able to help me with their knowledge. Other than what i have pictured i did not see any markings anywhere else on the gun. i know absolutley nothing about thses guns so any help would be appreciated. it appears to be missing some parts as well.. does anyone know where i could locate them? from what i can tell its missing the action tube and action spring. thanks in advance, Scott

July 3, 2008, 03:26 AM	#2
nate45 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,746	Looks like a Rem Model 11 here is an article by TFL's own Tamara. Remington Model 11: A very belligerent fowling piece. __________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."- Thomas Jefferson ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ (>_<)

July 3, 2008, 04:01 AM	#4
nate45 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,746	Is there a letter or two letters on the left side of the barrel. For example PP or MM or similar? __________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."- Thomas Jefferson ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ (>_<)

July 3, 2008, 04:06 AM	#6
Lavid2002 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2007 Posts: 2,568	The markings could be imprinted on the 9 o'clock or 8 o 'clock space. Try removing the handguard and check if you havnt done so. Im sure you have. __________________ Math>Grammar

July 3, 2008, 04:14 AM	#7
nate45 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,746	I can't find serialization for the model 11 except by the letter code. They were made between 1905-1948 with approximately 429,000 produced. Here is a place to get parts for it. www.gun-parts.com/remingtonshotgun/ __________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."- Thomas Jefferson ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ (>_<)

July 3, 2008, 03:47 AM	#3
scott0 Junior Member Join Date: July 3, 2008 Posts: 10	any idea on how to decode the serial number to find a mfg date?

July 3, 2008, 04:02 AM	#5
scott0 Junior Member Join Date: July 3, 2008 Posts: 10	i don't see any markings on the barrel at all

July 3, 2008, 02:21 PM	#8
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	it,s a rem-11 semi auto, with military marks. either a roit gun( does it have a short barrel with cylinder choke?) or a trainer for aircraft gunners, or may be a shotgun used for hunting on off duty time, issued from special severices to GI,S for sport. eastbank.

July 4, 2008, 02:51 AM	#9
scott0 Junior Member Join Date: July 3, 2008 Posts: 10	eastbank, the barrel measures 31" from the face of the bolt to the end of the muzzle. are there any publications that i can look at online, or buy in a bookstore that will let me learn more about this shotgun? disassembly, how the friction rings work for different types of loads.. etc. i would really like to make this relic functional again, put a few rounds through it and put it on a shelf.

July 4, 2008, 09:12 AM	#10
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	scotto,with the long barrel it was a trainer for aircraft machigun training to learn leed, or a special services gun for sport use by the Gi,s. try and find a 1988 gun digest,42nd. annual edition. page 20- artical by eric archer on military shotguns of ww-2. on page 31 there is a picture of navy men shooting model 11,s on the deck of the uss yorktown in 1944, the guns are long barreled rem. 11,s. the nra book on dissasemling shotguns will have the take down and care of the rem 11. hope this helps,eastbank.

July 4, 2008, 11:24 AM	#11
scott0 Junior Member Join Date: July 3, 2008 Posts: 10	eastbank, i googled "eric archer on military shotguns of ww-2." and came across this article. could my gun possibly be a Savage 720?? it shares the same markings as mine, only my barrel has nothing on it.. ( http://ugca.org/03mar/savage.htm )

July 4, 2008, 02:36 PM	#12
jentb737 Junior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: Virginia Posts: 6	Remington Model 11 = Savage 720 = Browning A5 The SAVAGE 720 is a copy of the BROWNING A5. The Remington Model 11 is a copy of the BROWNING A5. They are all very very good shotguns. Browning A5 parts can be altered and adjusted to fit your SAVAGE 720. You can get synthetic butt stocks and fore ends that are made for the Browning A5 and adjust them to fit your SAVAGE 720. I am very sure that your SAVAGE 720 is a 12 gauge but check and make sure that it is a 12 gauge. Good Shooting To You, jentb737

July 4, 2008, 03:13 PM	#13
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	scotto, yes it could be a savage, i over looked it because you thought it was a rem. 11 and i never looked any father. sorry for my over sight. eastbank.

July 4, 2008, 05:20 PM	#14
mikenbarb Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2007 Location: N.J. Posts: 1,111	Its proably not a Savage, Its most likely a Remington Model 11 military training shotgun. Its the same as a Browning A5 and under the same patent. I have the same one with almost identicle markings. I also have the original armorers book that came with it on the take down and Military uses from the 5th batallion in Bayone NJ. I got mine from a Vet that had since he was issued it. The one you have looks to be standard Military. I have one with the same markings plus an anchor that would make it issued for the US Navy. It has the same parts just about as the A5 and you can still get parts for them. The gun operates on a recoil system that when the gun is fired, the barrel recoils into the reciever ejecting the spent hull. Its for 2 3/4 only and you have to flip the rings to shoot light loads. PS- The barrel on it is aftermarket. If it was original, It would be shorter and have some of the same markings as the reciever. All the military barrels had markings depending what branch they were sent to. __________________ Mike B. Gun control= Being able to hit your target. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pifinnercircle

July 5, 2008, 07:20 AM	#15
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	scotto, i believe you gun be a savage 720,the lowist serial number was 68540 and the hightist number was 88210 accepted and your serial number(80472) falls in between them. the first rem. 11 serial numbers were 455273 to 499431 and the second group were 701669 to 711086. both rem. 11 groups were to high for your gun to be a rem.11. i just assumed your gun was a rem.11 with out going any father. eastbank.

July 5, 2008, 01:54 PM	#16
Tom Doniphon Member Join Date: February 4, 2008 Posts: 27	It's a US Military marked Savage 720 The serial number is too high for a WW2 Military Remington Model 11, but is in the correct range for a 720. The real give-away is the martial markings. Those are the type found on Military 720s. The Remington Model 11s and Sportsman Models have slightly different martial markings on them. HTH

July 5, 2008, 09:32 PM	#17
Jeff Mulliken Senior Member Join Date: July 13, 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 250	Looks like a Savage to me. Be careful about the assurances that Auto 5 parts will fit. Some can be made to fit if you have the skills.....but other than a couple of springs the parts are not interchangable with factory Auto-5 parts. Jeff

July 6, 2008, 10:23 AM	#18
mikenbarb Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2007 Location: N.J. Posts: 1,111	I may be wrong but its cool no matter who made it. If you need any parts for it, Let me know. I think I may still have some assorted items from one I rebuilt. __________________ Mike B. Gun control= Being able to hit your target. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pifinnercircle

February 5, 2009, 11:43 AM	#19
scott0 Junior Member Join Date: July 3, 2008 Posts: 10	i was able to track down all the parts i need for this thing with the exception of a action spring tube. if anyone has one of these guns and can give me some photos of the action spring tube and the length of it i would be truly greatful, that way i am able to make one for my gun. thanks! -Scott0

February 5, 2009, 11:58 AM	#20
armsmaster270 Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2008 Location: California Posts: 1,951	Eastbank I saw your info on serial numbers is that for military only as I have a model 11 S/N 114117 I got from my grandfather. __________________ http://www.armsmaster.net-a.googlepages.com http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/f...aster270/Guns/ Retired LE, M.P., Sr. M.P. Investigator F.B.I. Trained Rangemaster/Firearms Instructor & Armorer, Presently Forensic Document Examiner for D.H.S.

February 14, 2009, 04:09 PM	#21
scott0 Junior Member Join Date: July 3, 2008 Posts: 10	anyone able to get me a picture/specs of the spring tube