[GI Joe]

I picked one of these up today and have a few questions:

Is it safe to keep the magazine fully loaded or will that damage the springs? Should I just download by 1 or 2 rounds?

My local gunshop has a lot of Remington Reduced Recoil Buckshot. I've heard that autoloaders like this one may not reliably cycle such loads. Will that likely be the case with this one?

Any replies are appreciated.

[Dave McCracken]

First, go shoot it. After a couple hundred rounds, then try various ammo to see how it functions for "Serious" use.

If I were posting a semi for life and death crisis management, I'd shoot at least 200 rounds of duty glitchless before depending on it.

Also, I've kept an 870 loaded most of the time since 1980 with one round less than capacity. I may have changed the mag spring, but that was just a precaution.

HTH....

[L-2]

Less than a year ago, I bought an 11-87P, also.
Keeping the magazine loaded should/will not damage the spring. It's just like any other shotgun mag spring, so you might check on the spring in ~10 years. Really just shoot the shotgun every once in a while, which will provide a test to determine whether your shotgun is continuing to reliably feed.

I usually keep the magazine down-loaded by one round, but this down-loading is to allow loading in a slug or two, should I determine the 00 buck, already in the mag, is inappropriate for my circumstances.

Low Recoil Stuff. I'd like to hear from you as to whether that low-recoil stuff worked or not. I've shot Winchester Ranger low recoil slugs through my 11-87 and recall it cycled fine. I generally have Remington or Winchester 2.75", full-power, 00 buck loaded in my shotguns, and with the 11-87, I have even less of an issue with recoil vs. my pump action guns. Accordingly, I haven't yet taken the time to buy some low-recoil 00 to try in my 11-87, yet.

Oh, before I forget, although keeping your mag tube loaded all the time is fine, just once, I'd clean out the mag tube with solvent, brush, and mop/patches, just like it was your barrel. I found some preservative coated inside the tube when I first got the gun new. After cleaning, the mag tube felt smooth and polished inside.

[sgist]

The Remington Reduced Recoil 00 buck does not cycle my 11-87 police. I will send it to a gunsmith to see if modifications help.

[GI Joe]

Since Central PA got spared the worst of the snow storm the rest of the East Coast got, I took the 11-87 out for a test drive today. Distance was 25 yds and I used silhouette targets.

Slugs: I fired 15 rounds each of Remington 2 3/4" Sluggers, Brenneke 2 3/4" Low Recoil, and Brenneke 3" Magnum. The Remingtons cycled reliably without a hitch but shot just a little high. Nothing that would prevent me from buying more. The Brenneke 2 3/4" had 3 stovepipes which I sort of figured being the reduced recoil loads would do. They too shot high. Recoil was definitely much less than the Sluggers. The Brenneke 3" Magnums cycled perfectly and I felt provided the tightest group. All of them were just about chest high. Recoil was definitely noticeable, but I could have fired more.

Buckshot: I used the same type targets and since no one else was at the range, distance fired was approximately 12 yds. I fired 4 loads of Buckshot: Federal Power Shok 2 3/4" Magnum 12 pellets, Winchester 2 3/4" Unplated 12 pellets, Federal Premium Magnum 1 Buck 20 pellets, and Remington Managed Recoil 2 3/4" 8 pellets. As I suspected, the Managed Recoil loads had a hangup, but ironically, they patterned the best for me. The Winchester and Federal 1 Buck patterned the worst. The Federal 00 Buck was right behind the Remington. To be fair, I only fired 10 rounds of each and in a rather steady wind at times. And, in my home, any of those loads would hit, but I wanted to see the dispersal pattern.

My conclusion: I've been neglecting my shotguns and after today, I could kick myself wondering why. I had a good time and gained some experience in patterning. I agree with the members who say a shotgun must be aimed. I always believed that and having put 95 rounds of slugs and buck downrange, I wholeheartedly agree. I need more extensive testing of buckshot as I had other types that didn't got shot, but it was getting late and I ran out of targets. It was only my first outing with the 11-87, but I am most impressed with this firearm and once I determine the ideal buckshot load, it will most likely be by my bedside at night.

[Preacherman]

I'd recommend against sending it to your gunsmith if it won't cycle with reduced recoil loads - just shoot full-power loads and be done with it. Install a better recoil pad to absorb the extra kick (either Kick-Eez, or Limbsaver - or the Remington equivalent, the R3 - or Pachmayr's Decelerator).