Question about Remington 11-48 and similar designs.

[WinchesterAA]

I have an 11-48 with a 28 inch barrel. I've been wondering for a while if cutting the barrel down to 20 inches would still allow it to cycle properly.

There's a lot of pressure required to make that mechanism cycle, but then again.. the 12 gauge shells generate a lot of pressure.

I really like this shotgun, but it's too long. It used to be used for duck hunting, but I preferred my 870 with 18.5" barrel for duck hunting for some reason, and I did well with it.

So, in theory, cutting down the barrel shouldn't have any adverse effects to my ability to hit something, but I need it to work, you see.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes it should work.
The 11-48 is a bastardized Browning long-recoil operated action.

As such, pressure has nothing to do with making them work, as it would on a gas operated shotgun.
The long-recoil action is entirely dependent on the recoil of the shell driving the barrel back and overcoming the friction piece on the magazine tube.

As such, shortening the barrel will make it lighter, and increase the velocity of the recoiling barrel against the friction piece, bolt, and action spring in the stock.

If anything, it should work better with a lighter barrel, but I can't guarantee that.
The 11-48 was not known for being a reliable shotgun, even under the best of circumstances.

Heres more:
http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional_info/remington_1148.htm

rc

 

[kentucky_smith]

From personal exerience, it will work fine. Mine is perfectly reliable as well.

 

[WinchesterAA]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info.

As to my 11-48 being unreliable.. I've no such observations in the thousands of rounds I've put through it, and my grandfather talked well about it with the tens of thousands he put through it.

Maybe I just got lucky huh =)

 

[Virginian]

I have never heard anyone call the 11-48 unreliable before. They would rattle your teeth with heavy loads, but they went bang pretty regularly. It is not a bastardized Browning long recoil design, it is a Browning long recoil design action.

 

[ArmedBear]

It's bastardized, all right.

That doesn't mean "bad", but it does mean that John Browning never had his hands in it.

The Franchi 48 is also a bastardized Auto 5, isn't it? Nobody would call it a bad gun, either.

 

[kentucky_smith]

The 11-48 uses a different type of spring, there's no adjustment for light or heavy loads. There's also a spring at the rear of the reciever in the stock. FYI, the 870 was designed as an 11-48 with a pump-action.

I'd rather run it than an 1100 or 11-87. Much more reliable than the last 11-87 I owned.



http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=464352

 

[rbernie]

FYI - I've cut down barrels for Browning long-recoil action shotguns. As the barrel gets lighter, the shotgun needs more friction to compensate for the loss of inertia in the barrel assembly. At some point, you simply cannot cut the barrel any shorter without battering the action terribly.

I have a 19.5" Auto5 and it demands that the friction rings be set for heavy loads in order to properly cycle light field loads and LE/reduced recoil buckshot.