Remington 1100 Trouble

matthewjade · March 28, 2009, 02:07 PM

Hey guys, I just acquired a Remington 1100 from my dad. He said that it was only a single shot in its current condition. Upon inspection I found that it was missing the rubber o-ring, mag spring, spring retainer and spring cap. I replaced all of the said parts and lubed it up with Castrol Synthetic gun oil. The bolt is only cycling half way now. Do you think I need to replace the two metal rings as well? This is the only thing that I can think of to replace it. I cleaned out the gas ports and made sure the action cycled easily on the magazine tube and it did. Any ideas?

Ruger4570 · March 28, 2009, 02:12 PM

My first guess would be to check out the recoil spring in the gunstock and see if it is ok or gummed up with something. My second thought would be to check and see if the action arms are bent. Good luck with it though.

zippy13 · March 28, 2009, 03:02 PM

Sounds like Ruger4570 is on the right path. But, there's a possibility of misunderstanding here: By "cycle halfway" do you mean that the action is failing to fully eject the freshly fired round, or the ejection is complete, but the bolt doesn't close properly? One tends to be a gas system problem, the other a weak action spring.

Any experienced Remington operator knows, the first thing to look at when a freshly serviced 1100 misbehaves is the positioning of the metal rings (piston and piston seal). There's 8 ways to install them, and 7 are wrong!

Here's a link to a downloadable Remington 1100 illustrated booklet with a trouble-shooting section.

Good luck,
Pete

matthewjade · March 29, 2009, 07:05 AM

I appreciate your timely responses guys! Ill look into each problem that you and Ruger listed. The action bars appear to be straight though. I also believe that I have the rings in the right config. But I will look at the link you provided me. Thanks again, Matt

Gazzmann · March 29, 2009, 10:57 PM

See if it cycles with Magnum loads.
Mine won't shoot standard 2 3/4" game loads. Only magnum or high velocity shells.

zippy13 · March 30, 2009, 03:21 AM

matthewjade

Please keep us posted as to the outcome of your trouble shooting and fix. You may come up with something not commonly encountered. Gazzmann is correct, some 1100s can be finicky about the loads they'll shoot. This if often due to the specific barrel and not the gun. FYI: Remington uses various gas port areas depending on the anticipated use of the gun. If you try to use light target loads in a water bird barrel, your 1100 may not cycle without modifying the gas port(s) size. Or, there may be some deposits in the ports that are restricting the gas flow.

Badger Arms · March 30, 2009, 07:12 PM

You say you "Cleaned" the gas ports? Did you use a pipe cleaner or something metalic? If you get a #49 or #50 drill bit and run it through the gas ports, it will clean up all the caked on gunk that a paper clip or other such improvised port cleaner will not get. Don't put it in a drill, just run it through straight in and out with your fingers. If it's difficult to get in there, you know what your problem was.

This, of course, assumes that you have the piston, piston seal, and "O" ring installed right. Also, make sure they are smooth and absolutely free of rust. Don't line up the grooves in them either.

Next step would be to check yoru action spring as another had suggested. I really think it's a gas port issue, though. That should be more than enough to cure the problem.

March 28, 2009, 02:07 PM	#1
matthewjade Junior Member Join Date: June 9, 2008 Posts: 2	Remington 1100 Trouble Hey guys, I just acquired a Remington 1100 from my dad. He said that it was only a single shot in its current condition. Upon inspection I found that it was missing the rubber o-ring, mag spring, spring retainer and spring cap. I replaced all of the said parts and lubed it up with Castrol Synthetic gun oil. The bolt is only cycling half way now. Do you think I need to replace the two metal rings as well? This is the only thing that I can think of to replace it. I cleaned out the gas ports and made sure the action cycled easily on the magazine tube and it did. Any ideas?

March 30, 2009, 07:12 PM	#7
Badger Arms Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2000 Location: Harnett County, NC Posts: 1,700	You say you "Cleaned" the gas ports? Did you use a pipe cleaner or something metalic? If you get a #49 or #50 drill bit and run it through the gas ports, it will clean up all the caked on gunk that a paper clip or other such improvised port cleaner will not get. Don't put it in a drill, just run it through straight in and out with your fingers. If it's difficult to get in there, you know what your problem was. This, of course, assumes that you have the piston, piston seal, and "O" ring installed right. Also, make sure they are smooth and absolutely free of rust. Don't line up the grooves in them either. Next step would be to check yoru action spring as another had suggested. I really think it's a gas port issue, though. That should be more than enough to cure the problem. __________________ We may or may not worship God, but John Moses Browning made sure we can choose.

March 28, 2009, 02:12 PM	#2
Ruger4570 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2005 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 2,136	My first guess would be to check out the recoil spring in the gunstock and see if it is ok or gummed up with something. My second thought would be to check and see if the action arms are bent. Good luck with it though.

March 28, 2009, 03:02 PM	#3
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Sounds like Ruger4570 is on the right path. But, there's a possibility of misunderstanding here: By "cycle halfway" do you mean that the action is failing to fully eject the freshly fired round, or the ejection is complete, but the bolt doesn't close properly? One tends to be a gas system problem, the other a weak action spring. Any experienced Remington operator knows, the first thing to look at when a freshly serviced 1100 misbehaves is the positioning of the metal rings (piston and piston seal). There's 8 ways to install them, and 7 are wrong! Here's a link to a downloadable Remington 1100 illustrated booklet with a trouble-shooting section. Good luck, Pete

March 29, 2009, 07:05 AM	#4
matthewjade Junior Member Join Date: June 9, 2008 Posts: 2	Thanks Guys! I appreciate your timely responses guys! Ill look into each problem that you and Ruger listed. The action bars appear to be straight though. I also believe that I have the rings in the right config. But I will look at the link you provided me. Thanks again, Matt

March 29, 2009, 10:57 PM	#5
Gazzmann Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2007 Location: South Florida Posts: 133	See if it cycles with Magnum loads. Mine won't shoot standard 2 3/4" game loads. Only magnum or high velocity shells.

March 30, 2009, 03:21 AM	#6
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	matthewjade Please keep us posted as to the outcome of your trouble shooting and fix. You may come up with something not commonly encountered. Gazzmann is correct, some 1100s can be finicky about the loads they'll shoot. This if often due to the specific barrel and not the gun. FYI: Remington uses various gas port areas depending on the anticipated use of the gun. If you try to use light target loads in a water bird barrel, your 1100 may not cycle without modifying the gas port(s) size. Or, there may be some deposits in the ports that are restricting the gas flow.