Rem 11-87 Premire LC

[jonesjj]

Greetings All,
I was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback on this shotgun ? neg or pos. I am looking at maybe getting one down the road in a few weeks in a 28" barrel. I would be using it for an all around gun, some trap, some hunting.

I dont know much about auto shotguns, I have always had a pump. Are they hard to up-keep like cleaning and such? and reliable as far as the action? should I be aware of cirtain things with an auto?

I am finding cost around $640.00 for new one at the guns stores around my area, is this fair price from what others see?

Thanks in Advance for any feedback

Jeff

 

[HSMITH]

I have had 3 of them. I own NONE of them anymore. Two of mine would not run, they jammed quite a bit. The other was a sporting model, it ran well but was limited to 2 3/4" target loads. Nice gun but limited utility. An 11-87 needs to be down in the $325 price range to be a good buy IMO.

For the money you are talking about take a good hard look at the Beretta 391, Browning Gold Hunter, and the Winchester Super X2. I prefer the X2 out of them, it has a higher rib and fits me well. The 391 is a darn nice gun, run a case or two of field loads through it and from there on they run really well. I have seen a couple browning Golds that jammed, but I have a feeling it is maintenance related. Mine ran like a swiss watch, it jams on the guy I sold it to so I took it and went through it and no more jams for the rest of the season. If you can stick with 2 3/4" shells an 1100 is a good gun too, the one I have is great.

My X2 does not need cleaning very often, I tend to wipe it down on the outside every time out, and clean the inside ever 2-3 thousand rounds. Basically I treat it like an 870 and it runs like an 870, it never misses a beat.

I would not buy an 11-87, there are much better shotguns for the same or less money.

 

[romulus]

HSMITH, what is the functional difference between an 1100 and 11-87? I heard they were pretty much the same, but the only complaints I hear are about the 11-87...

 

[HSMITH]

The only functional difference I have found is a metering gas piston, the 11-87 will vent the excess gas of 3" or other heavy loads and the 1100 has a fixed gas requirement. Gas holes in the barrel are significantly different due to the piston of the 11-87 being able to vent excesses. I too find it strange that the 1100 is so solid and the 11-87 is miserable given they are so close in design and execution. Some of the small parts are different as well, but they are not parts that will cause cycling problems. The parts of the 1100 and the 11-87 will interchange easily, although you should never shoot a gun assembled with the wrong parts.

 

[jonesjj]

Just got back from shooting a what was NIB 11-87 Premire LC. A freind of mine picked one up at the gun shop today so we set out to see what it would do.

We both reload for trap so we had 100 rounds each, we both had 2 3/4" shells with 1 1/8 Oz loads, I reloaded with Nitro 100 and he with ??.

We put 200 rounds through it and it ran them all with no malfunctions or jams. We shot some doubles in there to.

Did he luck out and get a good one? or have you seen most of the problems with 11-87 after a certain number of rounds shot through it ?

I did like the fit of the 11-87, I am shooting a BT-99 for trap and I had to get a comb cut in it which I have as far to the R as it will go and had the stock bent some to get it to fit me properly.

Seems most stock shotguns I pick up don't fit me, I am looking down the left side of the barral on almost every one when I mount them.

 

[HSMITH]

There have been some that run really good, they are not all bad but I hope you have better luck than I do if you buy one.

Try out a few more guns before buying, that would be my best recommendation.

 

[romulus]

HSMITH, I'd be more than happy to go for a Super X2, but I have trouble getting over the aluminum thing...a steel receiver would be nice...

 

[jonesjj]

I am going to look for a Winchester Super X2 this week and see how it fits. I don't know anyone who has one that I can shoot though. So the Super X2 is alum rec, has this been around for awhile ? has there been any draw backs to this ?

Another freind of mine has a Browning Gold that I may be able to try out, I know he had to send it out for something to be done to it, I think it was some triger work but not positive at this point. I do know it didnt work very good out of the box.

 

[HSMITH]

The X2 and the Gold both are alloy recievers. It makes no difference, they will both go over 100K rounds EASILY, and have done so. The reciever only holds the parts and supports them during operation, it is not needed for structural strength. Properly maintained an alloy reciever will outlast you and me both. A steel reciever would change the balance of the guns enough that they would get really whippy feeling without increasing the barrel weight to bring the entire gun up to 9.5 pounds or so..... Also remember that the Gold Sporting is one of the most popular autos on the national sporting clays scene, those guys go through ammo like most people go through water. If it did not hold up there would be scores of reports, it is not uncommon at all for those guys to shoot 1000 rounds a WEEK!

Jones, I see you are in N. IL somewhere, I am in SE WI and would be more than happy to let you wring out my X2. Mine is the 3.5" mag model, so it will be a little more front hand heavy but not much. Mine also has over 30K rounds through it, I would be more than happy to tear it down so you can see the extent of the wear on the alloy reciever, it will also blow your mind how simple it is and how few parts there are. There are a couple of clubs close by here, and I would need it to be a sunday afternoon. I would also prefer that you put less than 1000 rounds through it that day, need to keep the wear down! As far as your buddies Gold goes, the reports I see of problems are 25 to 1 Gold vs X2. They are nearly identical in function, but the Gold has more "features" that complicate the mechanism, that is the only reason I can come up with for the difference. I have heard of some Golds that were "lemons", but they are pretty darn sparse. The one I had was great.

Romulus, I don't know what to tell you other than the alloy is just not a big deal at all, they hold up fine. Check out the track record of the Beretta, browning and Winchester alloy recievered guns, the record speaks for itself.

 

[jonesjj]

HSMITH,
I was un aware that the Gold was that popular with the Clays games, I thought most used O/U. I had a Browning Ultra XS Skeet that I let go and have been :banghead: eversince,
that was another gun that fit perfect right off the shelf.

I would like to take you up on that offer to take a look at the X2 and I will try and not run more than 1000 rounds through it

I only have about 400 rounds loaded at this time looks like I will have to get busy and get another few hundred done. It dont take that long with my MEC 9K, I have thought about getting a Hydrolic down the road, Used a freind of mine and it is a nice set up and FAST.
I have sent you PM regarding getting together with you.

My freind must have got one of the lemons with the Gold, but since he had it reworked he seems to like it

 

[HSMITH]

Email back at ya!!

 

[romulus]

Romulus, I don't know what to tell you other than the alloy is just not a big deal at all, they hold up fine. Check out the track record of the Beretta, browning and Winchester alloy recievered guns, the record speaks for itself.

I believe it...it's just an aesthetic thing, steel and wood...

 

[HSMITH]

I believe it...it's just an aesthetic thing, steel and wood...

OK, to each his own, I like matte and synthetic these days....

 

[ENC]

I'm going to voice my opinion simply because I think I disagree with the majority.

When I was 14 my b-day present was a brand new 11-87 LC premier. Maybe I was one of the lucky ones. But this gun has shot every everything I have ever fed it with absolute perfection.

I can shoot light loads without jams or FTE's all day long. I can shoot 3in steel. And I have even shot a few rifled slugs. This gun has never even had a hiccup. I bought a new super mag 870 two years ago and have had way more problems with it.

I have only cleaned the gas port holes once. I have never replaced the rubber o-ring. I would highly reccommend this shooter to anyone. But there does seem to be alot of adverse comments floating around so take my advice with a grain of salt.

However, you said you usually have problems mounting shotguns naturally and correctly. But the 11-87 you shot seemed to feel better I think you should already have your answer.

 

[akanotken]

Another satisfied 1187 user...

Got to admit that this board is the first place that I've ever heard complaints about the 1187 not running. Mine has run great, I shoot 1 oz and heavier loads without problems. I've taken some advice from others on the net, and always run mine wet with CLP. Makes cleaning a snap.

You might poke around over at shotgunreport.com Wealth of clay/hunting knowledge over there. I can summarize Bruce's take on the Beretta vs Rem question. He strongly prefer's the beretta. His major complaint with 1187's was longevity, but he shoots a lot more than I. His major praise of the 1187 is the "out of the box" ergonomics. They tend to fit more shooters better (though they don't have the shim system for customizing).

That sight is my favorite concerning shotguns, lots of info on shotgun subjects from the forcing cones to recoil to technique to choke choice to ..... well you get the idea.

You now owe me 2 cents

 

[HSMITH]

Check the waterfowling sites for info regarding the 11-87 too, they are WAY more critical of the 11-87 than the guys here. Hardcore waterfowling is darn hard on a shotgun.

 

[CWL]

Wish I had one. Just finished a shoot last weekend where a stock 1187 was holding up to a Vang Comped Mossey in patterning. In two days, we fired 313 buck shells and 80+ slugs.

Don't know about hunting, but in HD/SD applications, I'd rather use it for headshots w/buck at 20yds than my 870 or my Beretta.

 

[HSMITH]

To each his own, you could not give me an 11-87 for SD/HD.......

 

[scottsw1]

1187

I must have a good one because my 1187 has never failed. I bought my Remington in 1995 because I was shooting skeet and wasn't very quick on the doubles with my 870 Express. My 1187 is also a LC model. My gun has never failed to eject and will even feed all of my reloading goofs, the ones that you doubt will feed.

On a side note, I clean my gun after shooting session, because I will not put a dirty gun back in the safe. I don't know if keeping them clean is the difference or not, I can only say that mine has performed flawlessly.

 

[45auto]

My experience is mostly with the 1100 and not the 1187, but the 1100 is a great shooting gun- IMO. Great balance, feel and soft recoiling are trademarks for the 1100.
I have not found an automatic that shoots as nice as the 1100, for me, but the other manufacturers passed bye Remington years ago on durability and design.
I would still buy a Remington over the other brands, but reconcile myself to more maintanence and parts replacement , if you shoot a lot of rounds.
However, they are very reliable guns in that they feed and function well.

Good luck

 

[akanotken]

For HD/SD you should

definitely stay away from any weapon you don't trust, you got to have trust.

Having said that, I'm not sure what your preference is HSMITH. I prefer auto (heat of the moment short shucking seems like a goof I might make). I am impressed with the many options you can get for the 1187, esp the mag extensions. In my opinion that makes it a pretty good choice for HD. If you want to dedicate it for HD, you can always drill out the gas ports. Increase reliability, and most folks don't put enough rounds through a HD gun, so very unlikely you'd break the reciever.

Anyway, it's fun to think about.

 

[jonesjj]

I went to the Gander mountain (sports Store) and found an X2 field in 28" there, the fit was great also. With the sale they had going on and the rebate from Winchester the gun only cost me $499.95, I couldnt pass that up. So now I have an X2

They were still running the sale when I went back to pick it up and they had the 11-87 there also like I shot last week when I started this thread. I still like the way it fit and how my freinds shot with our reloads for trap, so I bought it too, cost $549.95.

So now I have both and will hopfully get out this week to shoot them at the range. I will know for sure then which one will work for me the best and if they both work fine I will have to just keep both and decide if I want to play X2 or 11-87 when I go out shooting, decisions, decisions