[hometheaterman]

Asking about a Remington 1100 Magnum. It's a 30" vent rib barrel with a full choke. The pictures make it look like it's in amazing shape and the owner says it's barely a scratch on it. Haven't seen it in person yet but would before buying it. Is there anything that should be checked with it before buying? Is there any reason not to buy one of these? What are the pro's and con's of them? The price is $450 for it. Is that a good price? What are these worth?

[ArmedBear]

Is it a 3" barrel?

If so, what's it good for? Lead-only, full choke, 3" chamber?

Yes, it will probably cycle hot 2 3/4" field loads, but they have to be hot.

I've seen them offered for that, if they're like new. Then again, nobody was buying them. And those had more useful barrels on them.

I'll sell you mine for a lot less, with a 30" 3" full and a 28" 2 3/4" mod barrel (no vent ribs, though).

[bearmgc]

Considering the glut in shotguns right now, I'd say that's a little high. I had one like it, bought used for $300 3years ago, when people still had money. Nobody's buying shotguns right now. Bet you could negotiate that price down. A guy here on the forum, just within the last hour, sold a Rem 1100 tactical with 3 screw in chokes, and all the bells and whistles for $400.

[hometheaterman]

I as well as a friend have been looking for one for quite a while and haven't been able to find one locally. The ones on GunBroker seem to be about that high by the time I pay FFL fee's and shipping and I don't get to see them in person.

BTW It's the 1100 Magnum I'm assuming it's the original 3" barrel. It has magnum written on the receiver.

What do you want to sell yours for? What kind of shape is it in?

Honestly, it just seems like a great deal because I can't find one and when I do find one they want $5-600. Shops have the 2 3/4" versions for around $500 around here.

How much should I offer if I was to make an offer for it?

[hometheaterman]

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=138715688

That's the kind of stuff I'm seeing on Gun Broker and you don't get to see the gun in person first.

[Virginian]

I'd buy it if i needed one, in fact I did. I bought one in excellent shape last Summer for $450 on GunBroker. Fixed full choke 3" vent rib barrel. Mine will cycle anything down to 2-3/4" 1-1/4 ounce high velocity loads. I had one that wouldn't work with less than 2-3/4" Magnums, and another that would eat Wally World cheapies all day long. So, you never know on that score until you try.
I would not shoot steel or original Hevi-Shot out of that barrel. If you buy it of course, you can do whatever you like. You can get steel rated choke tubes installed, or get a Remington Steel Shot barrel with RemChokes and shoot anything then. With the original barrel and tungsten matrix loads it is a waterfowl machine in my opinion.
I love the guns. Have never had a hint of a reliability issue in 46 years with 1100s (and 11-87s), and I like they way they feel, and I hit what I am aiming at. They tame stout recoil as well as anything I have ever shot.
Depending on the year, you may need to replace the fore end support, less than $6, and make sure someone didn't replace the old style gas piston and piston seal with the new and not improved variety.
I'd deduct $100 minimum for a damned peep sight mount. Jeez.

[hometheaterman]

How can I check to see if the fore end support needs to be replaced or if the old gas piston has been replaced? I'm not sure what all to look for on these.

[rcmodel]

What do you want the 3" Mag for anyway?

It is not needed for 95% of upland hunting, or any HD use.

That one can't handle steel shot for waterfowl hunting.

It's the wrong choke for rifled slugs and deer hunting.

SO, besides turkeys, what's the purpose?

rc

[hometheaterman]

Deer hunting with buckshot. I just want the magnum edition. I have a hunting buddy that has one with the 30" barrel and full choke and it shoots Winchester 3" 00 buckshot like a dream. Everyone that has used his has fallen in love with them. I have 2 or 3 friends that are also looking for one right now so if I decide I don't like it I'm pretty positive I could easily sell it for more than $450 pretty quickly.

[JohnBT]

In that case go for it. Otherwise, who needs a full choke and a long barrel that doesn't come with a trap stock and high rib?

They're nice guns, I just haven't found a use for one. Well, a friend shot steel and Hevi-Shot through one for part of a duck season, but I stayed waaaay far away from him in the floating blind. I don't believe he even bulged the barrel, but it could have gone at any time.

John

[ArmedBear]

Ah. A buckshot gun. Now that is a whole different ballgame.:)

[CajunBass]

I had one years ago, and that thing was deadly with 000. I never had any trouble with it, but the only thing I ever shot in it was 3" buckshot, so I can't tell you how it did with other shells. (I had two other 1100's for the light stuff.)

At the time, I was told the key to keeping them running was to keep the gas port clean. The 3" barrel only has one where the regular barrels have two IIRC. I used a pipe cleaner and some Hoppes and never had a problem.

It was a FINE looking gun too. Wish I still had it, but like a nice guns I've owned over the years, I traded it off for something or other. :banghead:

[Virginian]

The updated forend support is a one piece stamping. The original design was a fabrication and the spot weld tended to break. The old style gas piston and piston seal nest together on a bevel, the new style one piece snaps over the other. Here goes a try at a couple of pics of the correct parts..

[Gordon]

I'll tell you what I used my 1100 Magnum for! I sold my 1100 full on 3 gun match shottie about 10 years ago. So I was in the market for another 12ga. 1100 when I found a 1979 3" Magnum like new for $350. It had the usual 30" full choke fixed vent barrel. I bought a new 21" RS deer barrel with Rem choke from cabellas for about $180 with a rifled and Imp cyl choke. It was chambered 2 3/4" which turns an 1100 mag into a gun that shoots all the shells that length. I mounted a Weaver detachable side mount and used the gun for Eastern States deer hunting (and some bird shooting too with the scope off) visiting Ohio and New Jersey relatives. Lately I found a like new full on adjustable butt high grade Remington trap fore end and butt stock for an 1100 for a $100. I had this brain storm to mount the 30" full choke heavy long barrel after I had the gas port opened up some (I don't know how big, but it cycles trap loads 100%) figuring the forcing cone was already long from the 3" chamber. I put the trap stock on and went trapping! The only other trap gun I have is a very old Remington 3200 that I was scared of breaking , It never shot that great for me and was not soft kicking like the gas 1100. The 1100 Trap is performing well, I been shooting Wobbles with it in San Jose for a few months now. So Armed Bear, there IS something that the old 30" magnum barrel is good for!

[hometheaterman]

Quick question. On the butt pad. I guess that's what you'd call it. The pad part on the end of the stock did it come with a hard plastic one stock or did it come with the rubber one stock like the newer shotguns have? The one I'm looking at has the rubber but pad. Is this what they came stock with or was this added?

[hometheaterman]

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh272/flightdog2008/Mobile%20Uploads/utf-8BSU1HMDAwMzQtMjAwOTA4MzEtMjMxO.jpg

That's what I'm talking about. That's the picture of the one I'm looking at. Is that how it came from the factory or was that added?

[ArmedBear]

That looks like a factory 1100 Magnum buttstock.

The regular 2 3/4" 1100 came with a plastic buttplate.

[1KPerDay]

That's factory for the magnum. Mine has one.

[CajunBass]

Yep. The Magnun had a recoil pad installed, the standard 1100 had the hard plastic ones.

[bearmgc]

I'd offer $375 for it, telling him the fixed full choke limits it as a multi use shotgun. Additionally, it would cost you to retrofit chokes or add a new barrel, bringing up the total cost to that comparable to a new Rem 11-87.