Changing a Remington 1100 to...

[hayden911]

I have a Remington 1100 shotgun that was produced sometime in the 80's. It will only shoot a 2 3/4 inch shell. I would love to be able to use this gun for duck hunting. Is it possible to change out parts and allow for a 3 inch shell? Remington says no. But a gunsmith I talked to says I could change out the barrel and be ready to go. A little help?

 

[jmr40]

If I remember correctly at one time Remington did offer 3" chambered barrels specifically for the 2.75" 1100 with the stipulation that they only be used with steel shot. I have not kept up with them, but would not be surprised if they discontinued the practice after someone shot 3" turkey loads through one and ruined their shotgun.

I would probably just use 2.75" shells or buy a gun designed for the 3" ammo

 

[hayden911]

I have an 887 that shoots three inch but this gun has a lot of history and means a lot. I don't really want to buy another one. Thanks for the reply though.

 

[Virginian]

They still sell the Model 1100 3" Steel Shot barrels in 26" and 30". I got one back in the '80s and I also got a magnum action sleeve and shot everything made in 3" thru my formerly 2-3/4" 1100 since then, because at that point it was exactly the same as a 3" Magnum gun. You can no longer get the Magnum action sleeve. If I was to shoot 3" loads other than steel I would keep a real close watch on the buffer.
I am not telling anyone else what they should do.

 

[oneounceload]

IIRC, there's more than just swapping barrels, as the pressure would be too harsh for the gas system

 

[hayden911]

Three...

Yeah, the gunsmith I talked to said not to go bigger than a three in because of the gas consideration. Also, steel would be all I would use, as it's going to be for duck hunting. But can you get steel shot for clays?

 

[oneounceload]

You COULD, but the cost would be prohibitive

 

[mnrivrat]

Well - Since the Remington 1100 has the 3 inch modifications built into the barrel ( 3 inch chamber - 3 inch ejecter - single hole gas control vs the dual hole in the 2&3/4 inch barrel) ) perhaps someone can explain "exactly" what the difference is between a magnum receiver and a standard receiver that makes it a problem to just switch the barrel and that's all .

Or in other words - what specific part or parts in the receiver are different between a 3 inch and a 2&3/4 inch Model 1100 , and what is the difference between those parts.

 

[Virginian]

The specific parts that are different are the barrel, and the action sleeve, the word MAGNUM rollmarked on the receiver and the letter 'M' at the end of the serial number, and a recoil pad on the stock. That is it. All the tales of longer ejection ports, heavier receiver, different springs, etc. are wrong. Way back in the '70s I spent more than a a few hours with several 1100s and a dial caliper and an industrial lab scale that weighed to the thousandths of an ounce finding out exactly what the differences were.
The gas system is balanced. With 2-3/4" shells, the two gas holes get the lighter action sleeve moving as fast as it needs to go to finish the cycle quickly so you have reliability with light loads and fast powders, without pounding the receiver. The longer higher gas pulse from the 3" Magnums got the heavier action sleeve going as fast as it needed to, also without pounding the receiver. Having the opportunity to talk with Wayne Leek for several hours once was also a very informative experience.

 

[hayden911]

Awesome answer, thanks. So this may be a stupid question but what is an action sleeve and would I have to replace it to shoot the three inch shells? Also, why exactly did some say I can only shoot steel? It's harder than lead so how does it hurt the barrel?

 

[mnrivrat]

Thanks Virginian - I had heard the action bar aka sleeve assy was a little beefier on the magnums. Frankly, I had just put the 3 inch barrels on my standard receivers and did not experience any functioning difficulties , no breakages, or noticed any pre-mature wear.

Perhaps if I had used them more, I might have noticed some longer term effects, but for the amount I did use them, they exibited no problems using the standard action bar assy and the 3" chambered barrels.

 

[Virginian]

The 3" Steel Shot barrel is exactly the same as a regular 3" 1100 barrel, except it has RemChokes. Steel and tight fixed chokes is not a good idea. The reason they say to only use it with steel shot is because the steel payload is lighter, and yields a faster lower pressure pulse and will not tend to get the action sleeve going as fast as a real stout lead load.
The action sleeve is the metal cylinder that slides on the magazine tube that the piston and seal sit in front of. The action bars run back into the receiver from that. The Magnum model does not have the weight reducing turned down sections the regular one has.
The chamber is in the barrel so you would definitely need to replace the barrel to shoot 3" shells.

 

[CajunBass]

Well, I don't know if you should do it or not, but I know back when I was deer hunting with my old club a lot of fellows DID do it. I ever heard of any of them having any trouble. Of course you don't usually shoot a lot of buckshot shells, releativly speaking.

 

[hayden911]

Okay, one last question. If I want to shoot skeet, would I be okay using lead if it's only a 2 3/4 inch shell on the new 3 inch barrel? Or would I need to swap back to the older 2 3/4 barrel?

 

[chas08]

The short answer is yes. All you have to do is buy a "Steel Shot" barrel and put it on the gun. I did this before last season and it is that simple. The ejector lug is positioned a 1/4 inch further back on the steel shot barrel so the ejected shell will clear the ejection port. So lengthening the chamber of a 2 3/4 inch barrel won't do you any good. All that I have mentioned I have experienced first hand, not hearsay. I bought mine mainly for the Remchoke feature but it is nice to have the 3inch capability. Mine will reliably cycle 3 dram 1oz lead loads. I havent tried, nor do I own, any loads lighter than that in 12 ga.

 

[Virginian]

Well, I have had three different 3" Magnum models, and my advice for reliably shooting light 2-3/4" loads is to swap back to the 2-3/4" barrel. I had one that would reliably shoot 1-1/4 ounce loads, but the other two bot needed stouter stuff for reliable functioning. The 3" barrel is great for trap - no shells hitting the guy to your right.

 

[chas08]

You need to test your gun and barrel to the point of "failure to cycle" because all guns are somewhat different. Mine cycled the 3-1's reliably. They were the Remington game loads. (black hull) My 1187 Supermag won't cycle them without the barrel seal activator installed. I bought my Remington "Steel Shot" barrel on-line at "The Gun Barrel Store" for $199 + shipping last summer before hunting season started. An extensive Google search found them to be the cheapest at the time. My advice is to "Go for it" you won't be sorry. The Remchoke feature is worth the price. I wished that it came in the 28" length like my fixed modified barrel, but the 26" handles really well also. I shot a couple of limits of dove with it last year to get the feel of it and overall I'm very pleased. Best wishes,

chas

 

[ArmedBear]

I looked into the steel shot barrels - and I had a 3" 1100 Magnum. For what the barrels cost, I figured that selling the 1100 and buying a Wal Mart 390 made more sense: it's got a better gas system, comes as a 3" self-adjusting gun that will work for anything, is easier to clean, weighs less than the Remington beast did, and with a matte finish and plastic stock, makes more sense for waterfowl in the mud. As a bonus, it's built better internally, it's shim-adjustable for fit, and the shell handling and trigger are a lot nicer in the field. The safety is more of a reach, though.