Remington 1100 Magnum missing gas piston?

[Cheapshooter]

I have a Remington 1100 Magnum that I bought new around 1980. I used it somewhat for a couple years, but it has just been sitting most of the time since. It always functioned fine. I did buy an additional 28" modified choke barrel, and the gun functioned fine with 2 3/4" field loads with that barrel. I haven't shot it for a while, but did shoot it with the 28"barrel a few years ago for some informal clay bird shooting. It worked good then. I used it with the 30" full magnum barrel for a meat shoot, and it wouldn't eject the shells. I just figured it was the field loads they used, and the Magnus barrel. But then I did some more clay shooting with the mod. choked shorter barrel. This time it would not eject the shells as it did before. I looked into it, and read the problem was probably the O ring gas seal. I ordered one, and when I went to replace the old one it wasn't even there. Guess it just disintegrated. But now the real mystery. Looking at the schematics they show a gas seal, and piston which are also missing! I can't remember taking them off, or anything falling off. I looked in the gas ring on both barrels to see if the parts were stuck in there, but no lose parts. I looked in the barrel sleeve in the side of the case I use for it, and again, no parts.
Nobody else has ever used, serviced, are cleaned this gun. Did something fall out without me noticing? Were there ever any 1100 magnums that didn't use the metal seal, and piston?
On another note, the O ring is what I would call slightly snug on the magazine tube, but losens up quite a bit when it fits in the grove for it. Is this normal?

[joe45c]

cheapshooter, you had to have taken the o ring and piston rings off sometime during the barrel change. Not saying you have to take them off to change a barrel, just saying you must of done it and forgot. No way the gun would have functioned correctly without the piston in place. I have never heard of a 1100, or 1100m being made without the piston assembly installed. Yes my o ring is a little loose , so yours is probably normal.

[Pahoo]

Cheapshooter
This is going to be a cheap shot (sorry about that) but, have you checked inside the barrel cylinder or piston housing? When they get dirty, they can get stuck up in there. .....

I once bought a spare barrel and as usual, I was cleaning it when I discovered these piston parts stuck in the housing. Got it out and cleaned everything out. Took the spare parts to the LGS where I bought the barrel and asked them if they knew who sold the barrel. NOPE !!!. I offered them the parts and they said they had no need for them. Told them if whomever came back looking for them, to phone me. That was about 15yrs. ago. .....



Be Safe !!!

[Cheapshooter]

have you checked inside the barrel cylinder or piston housing?

Yup. Didn't know exactly what to call it.

I looked in the gas ring on both barrels to see if the parts were stuck in there,

[Cheapshooter]

No way the gun would have functioned correctly without the piston in place.

Figured that was the case, just wanted to check before I ordered parts.

[Virginian]

Your O ring fit - slightly loose in the groove - is normal. For all the hoopla the uninformed throw about O rings, I have one that has been in service since about 1967 and is still going strong. Unless you get one made out of the wrong material or get ham handed with it, they should go forever.
When you get a new gas piston and piston seal, try to get one of the old style with the beveled mating surface. They do work better than the new snap together style.

[4V50 Gary]

Worked on one 1100 that wouldn't extract. The old "O" ring disintegrated. The build up of gases bonded the other parts together and I had to knock them free from the underlug. That allowed me to separate the two and to clean them. The gas seal and piston may be unitized with the underlug (that has the gas port). After the cleaning and installing of a new "O" ring, it worked fine.

[Dixie Gunsmithing]

The 1100's piston has a set of action rods connected to it, that goes into the frame to work the bolt, and it wraps around the magazine tube, underneath the forearm. The Sportsman 58 had the piston inside the magazine tube, at the front, and the action rods were connected to it with a rivet shaped pin, that went through a slotted hole in the top of the magazine tube. That is the only two variations of gas operated shotguns that I know Remington to have made.

Anyhow, when a Remington wont eject, it is generally the o-ring going bad, but it can also be the gas port, going into the barrel, getting stopped up with carbon, and you have to clean it out with a small drill bit in a tap handle. The drill has to be the same size as the hole, it can't be any larger.

Last, if you were shooting Wagner 2-2-10's at a match, no gun will hardly eject them. They have 2 oz. powder, and 2 oz. of #10 shot. That's a low dose of powder.

[Cheapshooter]

Last, if you were shooting Wagner 2-2-10's at a match, no gun will hardly eject them. They have 2 oz. powder, and 2 oz. of #10 shot. That's a low dose of powder.

Nope. It's a private organization fund raiser meat shoot. We do invite the public, but don't advertise. To keep the "pros" with their speciality guns from just taking everything home we use #6 low brass "field" loads. As we understand, the scoped, long barreled, extremely tight choked guns lose most of their advantage with field loads of larger shot.

Ordered a complete piston, seal, O-ring set last night. But gonna do a little more searching around to try solve the mystery of where the original ones went.
I don't remember recently changing the barrel in the field where they could have stayed in the gas chamber when I removed the barrel, and then fell on the ground without being noticed. If that's even possible.

[Virginian]

The Remington VersaMax and the new V3 use a different type of gas action than the 58/878 and the 1100/11-87. V3 doesn't have a spring in the buttstock, either.
Hope your new parts get you up and running again.

[4V50 Gary]

I should have asked you to post pics before you ordered parts. Post pics anyway.

[Cheapshooter]

Are there different parts based on the age of the gun that are incompatible?
This 1100 was bought by me, NIB around 1981.

[Dixie Gunsmithing]

There's no part changes that I can think of. If there were, Numrich would show the different versions of the piston. There's nothing about it in my Remington gunsmithing manual either. When Remington made a change, they give it a new model.

[4V50 Gary]

If you check the parts list, if the numbers don't change, they're the same. Post a picture.

[Cheapshooter]

Where is the "I feel like a fool" smiley? FOUND 'EM!!! Stuck in the gas chamber of a barrel I thought I had already looked in. At least now I know I'm not crazy, just dumb! And will have a spare gas seal, piston, and O rings.

As a side note, I also learned something, or rather experienced something about my cleaning, lubricating, and rust prevention product that I have defended against critics here on TFL. They are right! I have been using Remoil for many, many years. Never had a problem with it turning into a sticky, gooey coating like others have claimed it does. However, the other guns I use it on get shot, and cleaned a lot more often than my 1100. The outside of the magazine tube,and the inside of the gas chambers on both barrels were coated in sticky goo. Dried Remoil? thinking I'm not taking any chances on it. No more Remoil
The gas chamber that had the parts stuck in them was a bit sooty but more sticky. gonna clean everything up real good, and try to get to the range later this week.

[Dixie Gunsmithing]

I'm glad you found it. I would replace the seals, since you have them coming, and put the new piston up.

I'd try something like Naphtha, (lighter fluid), to clean out the gunk. Don't get it on the wood, though. Next, lightly oil with a good oil. I use 3 in 1, and apply it by rubbing it in with a rag, so it goes on in a very light coat. Several guns I have, I have used it on them, and they've been in a vault for a good while, with nothing turning into gunk on them. I've not spotted any rust, either.

[Cheapshooter]

Cleaned the gunk off with Kroil, and gave everything a very light coating of Breakfree CLP. Installed the new O ring that I got a while back. Before I realized other parts were missing.

[4V50 Gary]

It is as I suspected. Glad you found them.

[Pahoo]

Where is the "I feel like a fool" smiley? FOUND 'EM!!! Stuck in the gas chamber of a barrel I thought I had already looked in.

Well, I guess it wasn't a Cheap-Shot" on my part. I really don't know much about shotguns but when it comes to the 1100's, I can say that I've seen my share of problems. That is not to say that they are bad and in fact, they are still my favorite. ....

The outside of the magazine tube,and the inside of the gas chambers on both barrels were coated in sticky goo.

That was another hard lesson; When on one cold Midwest winter morning the RedOil turned my 1100, into a single-shot. After that, I really went dry, during the winter months and stopped using it ever since. ....

Happy for you and;
Be Safe !!!

[Virginian]

WD-40, RemOil, and in fact most light oils will dry up and get thick if you slather it on and leave it. That's also a good way to catch and hold dirt and dust. That is not the way to do it. I spray and wipe off the excess and have never had a problem in 53 years. And plenty of my guns sit for 8 or 9 months at a time.

[pete2]

I have a couple 1100 guns and an 11-87 and clean maybe once a year. I use Breakfree CLP and wipe the excess off the tube and the rings. i've not had a problem with the rings sticking in the cylinder. Prolly shot 2000 rounds of skeet loads thru the 12 ga 1100 gun between cleanings.

[4V50 Gary]

Lightly oil only. Oil will attract dust and if left uncleaned, will attract moisture (rust). Definitely do not use WD-40. That isn't a lubricant. It will leave a film that will gum up the action. The one thing they taught us at Remington Armorer School is to stay away from the stuff.

[Cheapshooter]

Lightly oil only.

Pretty much what I did. One drop of Breakfree CLP on the seal, and piston. Spread around the entire circumference with a thin cloth. Same on the outside of the magazine tube.