Rem 1148 refurbishment begins...

[Milkmaster]

I did as suggested and left the metal insert alone during the stripping process. I detect a glue like substance around the edges of the metal and suspect it would not have come out anyway. Turns out to be a good thing. The harsh stripper did a great job and cleaned the light rust off the metal portion. It's clean as a whistle now. I can already tell the grain is pretty on these pieces. They are ready now for some 0000 steel wool and 3-4 light coats of polyurethane.

 

[Red Cent]

WardenWolf, you may have been misled as to the reliability of the 1148. I have posted this before but......My Dad purchased this shotgun new in about 1950. The 1148 has been a dependable shotgun taking many squirrel, quail, and a few grouse. A passel of pigeons (clay) was laid in pieces (most) over the last 50 years plus.
The blowback design is similar to the Brownings of that day. With low velocity loads I catch the movement of the barrel recoiling into the receiver. With the blowback design, what can go wrong? Heavy flat spring wound around the mag tube. Barrel actually follows the bolt for a short piece. Another round coil spring catching the recoil of the bolt. No lugs, no gas, and the sucker kicks.

Receiver chromed, barrel deep beautiful blue, stripped wood, and bout six coats of TruOil.

That 410 would be fun on the skeet range. Keep up the nice work on that shotgun.

 

[Red Cent]

Got out of the shade.

 

[Milkmaster]

Thanks for sharing the pictures of your nice 1148. I sure like the finish on the receiver.

I think maybe Wardenwolf misinterpreted the read that he sent me. Those article are the same for every model in that they describe the gun and then describe common problems and what people do to repair them. I read more of "Steve's Pages" on other models like the Remington 1100. The information is great, but it doesn't mean every gun has a problem. It just tells you what to do when it has a problem or excessive wear etc.

 

[Milkmaster]

First coat of polyurethane is drying. Gonna be purty I think!

 

[single stack]

I think you're right! Your stock has a good looking "wave".

It looks like your project is comming together well.

SS

 

[chas08]

Gonna be purty I think!

I think it already is!!!
Is that .410 2 1/2" & 3" capable or just 2 1/2" only/ The reason I ask is because I recently ran across an 1100 in .410 that was 2 1/2" only. It looked like brand new and I would have loved to own it, but the $700 asking price was too steep for me. For some reason people really place a high value on anything in .410.

 

[Milkmaster]

.410 up to 3" is what the barrel says

 

[Milkmaster]

The old butt stock end cover pieces are not broken, but they have seen better days. It looks like they might have had some type of solvent on them in the past. After all my work to make the gun look nice, I just hate to put them back on the gun looking bad.

Does anyone out there have these pieces that still look nice and would part with them?

I haven't looked real hard until tonight. Can these pieces still be bought new? They are common to many Remington shotguns. I wouldn't mind buying a new set.

 

[chas08]

Other than Numrichs I wouldn't know where to look. But you might be able to buff them with a wheel and jewelers rouge to a nice new luster again. Just be careful not to burn them.

 

[rehorne]

Give me a little time and I will dig around in my shop. I may have a butt plate, I'm pretty sure I don't have a pistol grip cap but I will look. BTW what did you use to reblue the metal? it looks GOOD!!

Robert

 

[Milkmaster]

I didn't reblue the metal at all. I just used some Kroil on it and the rust lifted right off about the second swipe of the 0000 steel wool. The slight speckles where the rust was located are barely visible now.

It isn't gong to be a new gun when I am finished, but it will be functional, clean , and attractive. That's all one can ask of an old 54 year old shotgun or shooter

I will put one more coat of polyurethane on the wood tonight. Then it can sit a few days to harden up good before I put it back on the gun. Sometimes I let the wood sit in my welding rod heater for a few days. That also seems to help it harden up without damaging the wood. It is about 110-120 degrees F in that heater to keep moisture out. I should be ready to take some pictures of the final assembly by this weekend hopefully.

The buttstock, buttplate, and grip cap, had some sort of coating on them. It looked like a previous owner had sprayed a laquer or rubbed some sort of wax/polish on the stock areas. The stuff would be pinkish in color when you scraped it with a fingernail. This morning I discovered that rubbing alchohol would soften the coating. I used that and a tooth brush to get it off without marring the plastic. The covers have a few legit scratches still on them, but are 100% better than they were before. I can still use them if I don't find replacements right away.

Thanks for looking! Let me know what you find.

 

[Tom Held]

refinishing dvd

Midway has a very good DVD called Gunstock Refinishing and another called Gunstock Checkering, might be helpful to you. Personally, I like the 11-48s.

 

[Sam1911]

Sorry, late to the party! I've had recurring trouble with the bolt handle on my 20 ga. 11-48 (Actually, Sportsman 48) and once blew the detent ball and spring right out the back of the bolt slide trying to free up that little ball. I got a replacement slide from Numrich, oiled it up well, and reassembled...and it seems to have stuck fast again.

I've not been tempted to force the issue and disassemble it again since. $22 for a new slide each time I clean is a problem!

 

[WardenWolf]

Apologies to the OP. Reading DPrice's post, along with other peoples' reports on these guns, definitely made them seem like highly tempermental beasts fraught with problems. The 11-48 was the prototype of the series of guns that would eventually evolve into the 1100 and 11-87, but just like any prototype, there were major problems.

I'm not saying it's not a very nice looking gun. It's beautiful after what you did to it. But personally I'd rather clean up an older 1100 than mess around with a gun that's going to continue having problems no matter what I do to it. That's just my perspective. I love older guns, and I love seeing them restored, but if I'm putting my effort in, I at least want it to be something good when done.

 

[35Rem]

The 11-48 was NOT a prototype of any gas operated gun. It was an evolution of the long recoil Browning action. It was made from 1948 to 1968, well into the 1100 production (started in 1963). It wasn't that bad.

 

[Milkmaster]

You are correct 35Rem! My 1148 is indeed recoil operated. And since it is a .410, it does not have the friction ring assembly that the larger 1148 shotguns used. Mine is a simple matter of two opposing springs. I am looking forward to seeing it all reassembled and taking it out for a round of trap. I haven't shot trap with a .410 before. I am sure those high scores will be a little harder to achieve. The price of the .410 shells won't allow much trap shooting with a .410

 

[WardenWolf]

The 11-48 was NOT a prototype of any gas operated gun. It was an evolution of the long recoil Browning action. It was made from 1948 to 1968, well into the 1100 production (started in 1963). It wasn't that bad.

What I meant is that it introduces many of the components and concepts that would eventually be used in the 1100, even though the 1100 was gas-operated.

 

[Milkmaster]

The wooden forearm is finished. The buttplate/trigger grip cap cleaned up to an acceptable level. The last coat of finish is on the buttstock. Almost there...

 

[Dave McCracken]

Nice lumber. I can't wait to see the final pics...

 

[chas08]

Very Nice!!! Looking forward to seeing the final assembly.

 

[Milkmaster]

Final pictures. Nice little .410 semi-automatic shotgun if I say so myself! Most of the investment was just time.

 

[Milkmaster]

And a few more final pictures of my Remington 1148 project gun from 1958.

 

[Milkmaster]

One last picture and all done.

 

[TurtlePhish]

You did a VERY nice job. Congrats!