Picked up a Rem 1187 yesterday

Nice gun. How much did it cost ya?

I'd say you did pretty good indeed for near mint condition. I have a couple of 1187's (below is my tactical model) and they're both rock solid reliable (though even when new I had to polish the chambers due to bad extraction).

Congrats on what many consider a true America Classic shotgun (nothing fancy but it just gets the job done ).

wbwanzer said:

Very nice, PT.

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Thx--Yours is essentially the same gun absent the extended mag.

-Cheers

The idea of a used 11-87 has crossed my mind more than once, though I'm not sure I'd trust it as much as a used 870.

spotch said:

The idea of a used 11-87 has crossed my mind more than once, though I'm not sure I'd trust it as much as a used 870.

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Spotch,

Can you clarify as I don't follow how the 1187 is not as "trust-worthy" (though I'm assuming you're referring to reduced-recoil ammo perhaps)? Just curious.

-Cheers

Now clean it and go shoot it!

With a 21" ribbed barrel I wonder if it was ment to be a Youth or Turkey gun. How long is the stock?

FYI, an adult stock is 14", Youth is 13", and a Junior is 12".

Besides the Youth model they had something called the Special Purpose Turkey, or something, with the 21" barrel. Probably others I don't know about. I think LOP is measured from the heel to the trigger.

I think a Youth gun is good for HD. There are advantages to a shorter gun, especially indoors, and most guys don't even notice the difference in LOP.

I have a 870 Compact Junior 20 gauge with 18 3/4" barrel. It's a short gun, like 36". Put on a Choate 2-shot extended mag, 4-round Blackhawk side saddle, steel Tru-Glo rifle sites that attach to the vent rib, rifled choke tube (I shoot Remington Buck Hammer slugs), swivel-stud (wood stock) and nylon sling. It's my mini home defense shotgun.

Only real difference with a Youth model is the length of the buttstock. If you do have a short one the full length ones are hardly rare. Remington used to make a Special Field model with a 21" or 23" barrel and they were fairly popular among upland hunters.

PT92:

Sorry I didn't respond to this *way* sooner lol. I just came across this thread again as I continue to kick around the idea of an 11-87.

I probably should've been more clear in my post... I guess what worries me about it is that I've read about increased sensitivity to trap-type loads over other guns.

Still, all these months later and the remington rebate on 1187s has me *awfully* tempted... It's still a hair more than I'd like to spend, and a longer barrel than I'd like (I'd like something that could double for HD duty and 26" is a tad long), but still... I'm quite tempted.

spotch said:

PT92:

Sorry I didn't respond to this *way* sooner lol. I just came across this thread again as I continue to kick around the idea of an 11-87.

I probably should've been more clear in my post... I guess what worries me about it is that I've read about increased sensitivity to trap-type loads over other guns.

Still, all these months later and the remington rebate on 1187s has me *awfully* tempted... It's still a hair more than I'd like to spend, and a longer barrel than I'd like (I'd like something that could double for HD duty and 26" is a tad long), but still... I'm quite tempted.

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Yeah I know what you mean as far as finding the 'perfect' all-purpose shotgun. It can be done but I always recommend a HD shotgun and a separate skeet/trap/hunting shotgun. And this can be done absent breaking the bank as well.

I have heard many people complain about the 1187P's inability to reliably cycle bird-shot and I too as an owner of one can attest to this. But I did not buy my 1187P with any 'dillusions' of running bird-shot--On the contrary I planned on using heavy-duty ammo only and as such I could not be happier. And as previosuly mentioned, I have other shotguns for other purposes.

good points, thanks for the response!

spotch said:

good points, thanks for the response!

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No problem--Keep us posted as to how things go.

If I still had my 11-87, I'd give it to you for nothing.

Not trying to start a 1187 deabte, as I know some owners have had problems, but my experience with the 1187 and light loads was quite different. I borrowed a coworker's 1187 super mag to use in a sporting clay shoot earlier this year and out of 100 shots of 2 3/4" 1oz #8s it cycled every shell except one. That could have had something to do with the fact the gun was used for duck hunting and wasn't really as clean as it should have been. Anyway, if you're looking at a used 1187, shoot a few light loads through it first and if it cycles them buy it and don't look back.

soonerfan85 said:

Not trying to start a 1187 deabte, as I know some owners have had problems, but my experience with the 1187 and light loads was quite different. I borrowed a coworker's 1187 super mag to use in a sporting clay shoot earlier this year and out of 100 shots of 2 3/4" 1oz #8s it cycled every shell except one. That could have had something to do with the fact the gun was used for duck hunting and wasn't really as clean as it should have been. Anyway, if you're looking at a used 1187, shoot a few light loads through it first and if it cycles them buy it and don't look back.

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I don't doubt you in that my 1187 is the Police tactical model (much shorter barrel, gas diff. etc.). I likes the heavy stuff but that's why I bought it.

-Happy Holidays

The 1100/11-87 shotgun family single-handedly destroyed the reputation of the semi-automatic shotgun within the police community to such a degree that currently they are rarely considered or adopted. That's a fact.
The only glimmer of hope for the future of the autoloading shotgun in police work is the fact that the military, and most enthusiastically, the Marine Corps, has adopted the Benelli M4 and some progressive departments like the LAPD have followed suit. I predict that eventually the pump gun will go the way of the revolver within police organizations, but I'm not sure I'll live long enough to see it.
There's nothing wrong with the 1100/11-87 system if the individual owner properly maintains it, as evidenced by the experiences of some even in this thread, but it is nowhere near robust enough for the long-term heavy use and abuse weapons typically have to endure in a military/law enforcement application.
Hopefully, police departments will give guns like the M4 and Remington's Versa Max a fair shake and, if they do, I think we'll see the tide begin to change.

The 1100/11-87 shotgun family single-handedly destroyed the reputation of the semi-automatic shotgun within the police community to such a degree that currently they are rarely considered or adopted. That's a fact.

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Hey, you're not giving the Ithaca Mag-10 Roadblocker anywhere near enough credit.

Get a setof Hi-Viz sights and mount them on the rib. Great for HD. A little busy for clays or those feathered covered animals.