Remington 1100 upgrade

You have a Remington Model 58. The gas piston system occupies the space where the other 2 rounds in an 1100 would go.
In the top of the magazine cap, there is an adjustable setting for light or heavy loads.
A 15 year old boy I shoot Trap with has been shooting 25's with his Model 58. He likes it better than his SKB trap gun.

It is not 'upgradeable' as you put it. It is a 3 shot gun, and that's what it was and always will be.
Enjoy it, they are good guns!

Or it could be an 1100 with a plug in the magazine. Make sure of what you have 1st. If it is an 1100, simply removing the plug gets you to 4 rounds in the mag +1 in the chamber. They do make extended mag tubes that will give you 2-3 more rounds. They also make shorter barrels, but that isn't going to be cost effective. You could buy a decent pump with a shorter barrel for less money than another barrel for an 1100.

Cutting the existing barrel shorter is also problematic. The gas system is tuned for a longer barrel. You could probably cut it to 26" without problems. Any shorter and you could run into reliability issues especially with lighter loads. If it were cut to around 20" which is popular on most SD shotguns it might function with slugs and buckshot but would probably not with field loads. It is a lot easier to cut a barrel on a pump since they function well at any length.

As advised by my local gunsmith…ANY 1100 in todays market has value - if for parts only. Parts for the 1100 are tough to get.

Download an owner's manual. Read it.

The 1100 has a moderately unique operating system and will not cycle as expected if you are trying to hand-cycle shells through it. The inertia of the shell exiting the magazine tube hits a trip at the back of the shell lifter, to trigger the action to close, lifting the shell and chamber it. This is hard to make work hand cycling.

If it is an 1100 and only holds two in the magazine it has a plug in the magazine tube. Take the magazine cap off and look I think you will find a wood or plastic dowel in the magazine limiting capacity. You can increase capacity with after market parts, mine holds 10+1

@Virginian is right download the manual and read it and learn how your shotgun works. I would attempt to shoot it before I go mucking about on the insides, especially with your limited exposure to this type of firearms. By all means take it apart and learn how it works but don't change anything until you have had a chance to shoot it and see if it works.

I have four 1100’s, 12, 12 Trap, 20 and .410. Despite its age and quirks, that design is my all time favorite.

Also, get a set of O-rings for the action. They are cheap and will keep it running if your gun has old/cracked ones. Be sure to reassemble the gas rings in the proper manner, if the metal one is reversed you will now have a single-shot.

For HD use, you can find used or aftermarket barrels in the 20-22” range, often with rifle sights. They’re not cheap, but adding one can double the usefulness of your new-to-you 1100 without having to buy a whole new gun.

Stay safe.

Was the 1100 ever made in a "Sporting Clays" model like the 11-87SC with a short 2 round mag tube and special barrel ring for the short tube?

Like MCB, I've found cycling Remington autoloaders is never the same as shooting them. It takes a pretty good hit from the next shell to hit the carrier lifter and hand cycling the action doesn't always get it tripped. If it doesn't cycle when you shoot it, you may need a new carrier dog spring and a good cleaning on the trigger plate assembly.

Get the manual online and read it. Make sure you have the rubber O Ring in place and its intact. If not buy one from brownells or midway usa. Very lightly oil the gun wipe it with an oily rag. Very light oil no grease! If you slather it in oil or grease it will malfunction! The spring is in the stock you should disassemble and clean it eventually.

Remove the magazine tube plug, spring and follower, it has a wood or aluminium rod inside that restricts the tube to 2 shells for hunting, remove it and its now 4 shells.

Do not cut the barrel the modified choke is built in the end of the barrel. Get a used slug barrel instead.

Once you have cleaned it go shoot it with some standard 3 dram shells.

My pops had an 1100 barrel cut to 18.5 with a extended tube. Held 7 if I’m not mistaken. Ran fine with buck shot. Never tried light loads. Was his home defense shotgun. And that joker was fast. First time I shot it pulled trigger as fast as I could only counted three shots. Thought it jammed. No it was empty. Neighbor came out and asked that thing full auto? Was pleasant to shoot. Felt like a heavy 20ga recoil wise.

This is the gas orifice size for different length barrels if you decide to cut it shorter...

My old 1100 still shoots although I have moved on to better choices.

Milkmaster said:

My old 1100 still shoots although I have moved on to better choices.
View attachment 1102706

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Better?

Don't see how anything could be "better" then that. Fantastic.

I am LONG past the point of shooting for a score, I am now shooting for the pure fun of it. And in that I am going to shoot what I have fun shooting.....and I would have fun shooting that.

I generally drift to the old. I was shooting an auto 5 for sporting clays, am I insane, well no but a bit crazy like Waylon Jennings said.....but I have fun.

I am a retired skeet shooter, gun dealer, and gunsmith. I ain't retired from hunting and casual clay shooting.... yet. I have owned somewhere upwards of 45 semi auto shotguns, and shot many others. I have two left, both 1100s. The first is my 1963 model with somewhere north of 115,000 rounds thru it. It still has the O ring I installed in 1967 so I wouldn't lose the original metal V ring, and the only part I have ever had to replace was an extractor in 1982. I don't know how people manage to do it, but I have replaced about every part on other peoples' 1100s. It still works fine, and I never did join the spring changers guild.
There have been many changes since the 1100. Opinions vary as to whether they were improvements. Guns have gotten lighter because although people have gotten bigger, they have apparently gotten weaker. Many newer designs will go longer between cleanings, and will shoot a wider range of loads, but I never found a more reliable platform than a properly maintained 1100, or one that shot better, for me.

jmr40 said:

Or it could be an 1100 with a plug in the magazine. Make sure of what you have 1st. If it is an 1100, simply removing the plug gets you to 4 rounds in the mag +1 in the chamber. They do make extended mag tubes that will give you 2-3 more rounds. They also make shorter barrels, but that isn't going to be cost effective. You could buy a decent pump with a shorter barrel for less money than another barrel for an 1100.

Cutting the existing barrel shorter is also problematic. The gas system is tuned for a longer barrel. You could probably cut it to 26" without problems. Any shorter and you could run into reliability issues especially with lighter loads. If it were cut to around 20" which is popular on most SD shotguns it might function with slugs and buckshot but would probably not with field loads. It is a lot easier to cut a barrel on a pump since they function well at any length.

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I cut a 28" 20 gauge 1100 to 20" and shortened the stock for my wife. Shotgun is still 100% with the lightest cheapest field loads up through 2 3/4" Federal # 3 Buckshot.

I have two 1100s, down from five. Now my kids have one each. Mine are a Monte Carlo Trap 12 with five (I think) barrels (full step rib, full flat rib, mod, skeet and rifled) and a field 20 (upgraded to straight trap wood) with a mod and a skeet barrel.
I use the skeet setups in our late season combo league.
Great guns.
I don't see synthetic stocks as an improvement unless for ducks.

Virginian said:

Many newer designs will go longer between cleanings, and will shoot a wider range of loads, but I never found a more reliable platform than a properly maintained 1100, or one that shot better, for me.

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My dad gave my brother and I an 1100 each for Christmas in 1983. We couldn’t believe it and I thought that was the prettiest shotgun I’d ever seen. After many years, I don’t shoot it as much, but it still looks stunning. I have Benelli’s and a Browning 725 that get more attention, but mostly because they clean up easier. They don’t shoot a bit better, for me, than the the old 1100, though.