Remington 48 Questions

[kyoung05]

Remington 11-48 Questions

Hello all. I am looking into getting my first shotgun (shot my first one today, actually, a 12ga Mossberg 500 w/ 18.5-20" barrel), and am looking for a relatively inexpensive used one. I checked out my local gun shops and found a Remingon 48 semi-auto with 30" barrel. I plan on using it for home defense, range, and I hope to get into clay shooting as well. How well would a low capacity semi-auto compare to a higher capacity pump for home defense? Also, while the longer barrel would be ideal for sporting, it seems a bit cumbersome for the home-defense aspect. How hard are shorter barrels to find for this particular gun? How are they in general? If I could come across a used Mossberg 500 or an 870 I'd probably get that, but they seem far and few between in my area. How hard are semi's to disassemble and maintain as opposed to a pump? Lastly, the guy at the shop tells me that it can only shoot 2 3/4" shells, but says that should be good enough for most things. Are good defense loads (eg. 00 buck) available in 2 3/4"? Anyone with any info. on this particular shotgun please fill me in. Oh, before I forget, the asking price is $175 which is why I thought it might be a good deal. It's a possibility that I may get that one to use for clay and get another one for HD, if the 48 isn't workable for that purpose.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Not long ago I bought a Mohawk 48, which is the same thing essentially, for $145. It has a 28" fixed choke (modified) plain barrel.

The long tube IS a bit much for maneuvering in tight spaces, an 18- 20" barrel would do better for HD. It would be a shame to chop off a foot of that classic Remington barrel without seeing how it patterned, it might be a jewel in disguise for claybirds and game.

Were I you I'd keep looking for a good used pumpgun for the HD role, used 870s and 500's turn up pretty often around here. Maybe you should broaden your search area a bit, maybe visit some gun stores in larger cities. And don't overlook pawn shops too. A pump gun is IMHO generally a better bet for HD than an autoloader, and an old autoloader, no longer supported with parts by the manufacturer, is not necessarily a good bet if you are not already intimately familiar with the design. And five rounds should be plenty, no need to get carried away with magazine capacity on a bedroom shotgun.

The 2 3/4" loads are all you need for HD, there are plenty of usable variations available.

Stay safe,

lpl/nc

 

[kyoung05]

Lee, thanks for the info and advice. I was kind of thinking something along the same lines. Even if it is too long for HD, I was still considering it for just clays, but it the lack of parts/support is what turns me off. Is there any interchangability with the 1100's? I think the 48 was the predecessor to the 1100 series, correct?

 

[Fred Fuller]

You got it. The 11-48 is a long-recoil design and was the successor to Remington's long famous Browning designed Model 11. The 11-48 was part of the 'family' of designs that included the 870 and there is a certain degree of parts commonality (from the manufacturing standpoint) with the 870. I recently bought a Mohawk 48, essentially the same gun manufactured in the early 1970s. I haven't had a chance to get the Mohawk and my one and only 1100 together, the 1100 is four states away right now. So I can't speak for parts commonality there.

The factory doesn't offer support for the 11-48 any more, but that is not to say parts aren't available. Several dealers have parts, but they may be more difficult to get or more expensive than if the factory still stocked spares. The factory does list suggested sources at
http://www.remington.com/support/parts/others.htm .

Not a lot is apt to break on these guns, they hold up pretty well. Any long recoil action tends to split fore-ends, some preventive measures like fiberglassing or repairs aloing the same lines will help that. Using the lightest loads that will function the gun lead to more longevity. I find long recoil guns pleasant to shoot, the 'double shuffle' action seems to throw off a lot of people though. The guns tend to kick more by 'feel' IMHO, just because they move so much metal when the trigger is pulled and the round fires. Gas guns seem mild by comparison. I'm not saying it is painful by any stretch of the imagination, it is all a matter of 'feel' for the most part and very subjective.

The action type in general seems to hold up well, I have an older Browning, a very old Remington Model 11, and now the Mohawk and all of them are shootable, though the Model 11 needed some parts when I got it (it was a $50 'box' gun, i.e. a buncha parts in a box).

If the 11-48 you're looking at is in good shape, I wouldn't be scared of it for a claybird/field gun. One of my 'old men' used to have an 11-48 in 16 ga., and he owned a good deal of farmland near home. He was always neighborly about hosting dove shoots after he harvested his field corn, he enjoyed busting caps at the speedsters himself but never did very well. I used to get tickled when he would ask me to come over to his stand, take his gun and shells, and finish his limit for him. I was always happy to do it, what cocksure teenager could turn down an offer like that? He enjoyed doves'n'rice as much as the next person. It was because of Mr. Herman R. that I bought that Mohawk as much as anything, even though this one is a 12 bore.

Gee, two trips on memory lane in the same day... gettin' geezerish my own self here.

lpl/nc

 

[kyoung05]

So, the Remington 11-48 is the same as a model 48/your Mohawk? That would explain a lot in that I've been able to find near NOTHING searching under just Remington 48. From what you say it seems the guns are reliable, except for the forends. What is fiberglassing? Also, when you say that light loads ensures longevity, which I take to be true with all guns, how bad would shooting defensive loads like 00 buck be for them? Lastly, how hard are these to maintain? Again, I only have experience with pistols thus far, so have no idea what is involved in long-gun care. Thanks again.

 

[Smoke]

Maintenance on these guns is pretty easy.

I have a 20ga Remington "Sportsman" 48. It was my granddads. I've never done anything other than an occasional: wipe down, light lube (no disassembly) and cleaned the bore.

Still functions flawlessly.

Smoke

 

[kyoung05]

Smoke, good to hear. I just read every thread on THR and on TFL pertaining to the 11-48 and it seems like it got good reviews all around, with the exception of the fore-end cracking (which I'm still unclear on, eg. how it happens, what can prevent it, and what loads are considered to be too strong for it, etc.). The more I read the more I want to get it, not only because it seems like a pretty good deal, but because it seems somewhat unique in that it isn't the run of the mill 1100 (at least not today it isn't).