Semi auto short barrel search - Any Rem V3 variations coming?

[danez71]

I'm interested in a semi auto shotgun.

I really prefer barrels in the 18"-20" with 22" being the the hard max

I also really want a cross bolt safety. I'm used to it there since a kid.

I also need a LOP no more than 13". I'd like even shorter to accommodate an extra recoil pad and/or heavy jacket.

The Remington V3 looks like it would fit the bill except the barrel length.

I also like that the cross bolt safety is on the near side of the trigger gaurd. Short arms come with short fingers. But that's not a deal killer.

The new recoil system is shorter and thus would allow a lot more stock alterations or replaced.


So...

Anyone now if the V3 will be released with shorter barrels or youth models?

Anything else that fits the bill?

I've looked quite a bit but quite find what I'm looking for.


I was never into shot guns much. I got a coach as my 1st just because about 6 years ago. Then I got a Mav88 security and bought an extra 20" barrel with chokes a out 2 yrs ago.

I'm thinking it may be time to invest in a semi.

 

[I6turbo]

Take a look at an Auto-5. Meets your requirements, eats everything you stuff into it without fail, and is a work of art build-quality wise. Here's my 1954 model with an 18.25" barrel, screw-in sporting clays chokes, and a hard butt plate to replace the factory rubber one for a LOP of 13.5" which is pretty short for a shotgun. Of course you can trim the stock if you really want it shorter.

 

[Kookla]

You can get a Remington 1100 with a shorter barrel.

That A5 pic above looks sweet.

 

[jmr40]

Many, if not most gas operated semi-autos need longer barrels to be reliable with a wide variety of loads. Once you get into the shorter versions barrels guns like the 1100 and 11-87 will only function with either very heavy magnum level loads, or can be set up for lighter field loads. But not both. Sorry, but I don't know anything about the V3.

Recoil and inertia operated guns will handle a wider range of loads regardless of barrel length.

 

[PBR Streetgang]

Take a look at the Mossberg 930 series........I have a 930 SPX and love it ...there is a aftermarket stock that will give you aa 12 1/2 LOP

 

[PabloJ]

I looked over something like what you're looking for. It was older vintage (fixed IC choke barrel plastic butt plate instead of recoil pad) 12ga Remington 1100. The barrel length was about 20". Specs were VR IC barrel, straight grip stock with cut checkering. The price for used gun in excellent condition was $600. The $500 to $600 is going rate for 1100 "Upland Special" with Remchoked barreled guns bringing little more.

 

[Virginian]

Recoil and Inertia guns will NOT digest a wider range of loads than a gas semi auto without any modifications. If you go shortening the barrel considerably on a gun like an 1100, with the gas ports a good ways down the barrel, you will have to resize the ports to continue to shoot a wide range of ammo.
The V3 is selling well, and down the road there will no doubt be variants, but it is likely to be a while. They haven't gotten caught up enough to have a wood stocked 12 gauge yet. You can cut the barrel on a V3 with small chance of impacting the functioning because the gas ports are very close to the chamber, and there is no spring in the buttstock so you can cut to whatever length you prefer. An 1100 will only go down to 12" LOP because of the spring in the buttstock (and you have to get a little creative to hit 12") . I don't remember how short you can go on an Auto 5 because of their spring.

 

[I6turbo]

You can shorten the Auto 5 stock quite a lot if you want. As you can see at about the 2:15 mark in this video that the spring housing isn't overly long.



However, I suggest you not shorten it very much before testing the fit. Upon recoil, the square back of the receiver will be getting kinda close to your cheek by the time you get down to about 12 inches or so.

I leave my Auto 5 spring/friction ring setup alone at the standard load setting and have never had a failure to cycle nor seen any damage to the inside of the receiver after firing a variety of 2 3/4" field, target, and buckshot loads.

While on the subject of shortening Auto 5 barrels, don't be mislead by the internet myth that shortening the barrel will interfere with proper action cycling due to the lost weight. That is a myth. The facts are that a foot of vent rib Auto 5 barrel will weigh approximately 7 ounces (I've weighed it, but I don't recall exactly the weight at the moment), while the spring and friction ring tension that the recoil must overcome to cycle the action is over 900 ounces (57.4 pounds on my gun). The missing 7 ounces of barrel is inconsequential.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Just yesterday I put a Benelli M2 12ga with a 21in VR barrel on lay-away.

I too like the shorter barrels and this little beast is sweet handling---was also deeply discounted because apparently no one else feels the same way about the shorties

My 20ga Youth Express is another nice little shotgun along those same lines.

 

[rodinal220]

l6turbo is spot on. Love your A5. I have done some in the Remington Model 11 flavor and some Savages.I found the 1100 series more finicky to set up.You need a really good Remington Smith to set the ports up for your application and ammo.

 

[Gordon]

Benelli Super 90 work well at 20" , The 1100 can work well down to 19" with 2 3/4" High Brass loads if Hans Vang works on it, trust me ! The 21" Factory Rifle sight barrel works well with same loads. I have built a few Beowning A-5 type combat shot guns, they are reliable down to 18" is you know how to set one up spring and friction piece wise. An easy cutting off stocks of A-5 and 1100 down to about 12.5 and you can buy 13" 1100 stocks. The Super 90s are hard to get to 13" unless you find and old HK wood stock one, then you can go shorter. I like short stocks for CQB. I do NOT like them much under 13" unless you have a raid vest on . 12.5"
smacks you pretty hard on the cheek

 

[1KPerDay]

Take a look at an Auto-5. Meets your requirements, eats everything you stuff into it without fail, and is a work of art build-quality wise. Here's my 1954 model with an 18.25" barrel, screw-in sporting clays chokes, and a hard butt plate to replace the factory rubber one for a LOP of 13.5" which is pretty short for a shotgun. Of course you can trim the stock if you really want it shorter.

Coolest thing I've seen today.

 

[rromeo]

Here's my version of the humpback trench gun. The barrel is 18.5", but if I had gone 21.5" I could have fit 8 shells in the tube.

 

[holl]

What do you guys use your A5s for with the18.25" and 18.5" barrels? I may have to do this due to some barrel damage.

 

[rromeo]

I bought mine with the shortened barrel, I added the mag extension. It's my bedside gun now, I may drill and tap the receiver for a scope mount and try to shoot a deer with it.

 

[I6turbo]

What do you guys use your A5s for with the18.25" and 18.5" barrels? I may have to do this due to some barrel damage.

They are perfectly useful for essentially anything that a semi-auto with a longer barrel is useful for. An 18" barrel on a pump or semi-auto provides approximately 24" of sight radius, similar to a normal 26" over and under or side by side. That's plenty of sight radius for a half-decent shooter, and in some cases can be an advantage due to the quick-swinging nature.

I have some over and unders and side by side guns, and have had a number of other pumps and semis over the years. I do not feel significantly disadvantaged using the above Auto 5 for clay targets or wing shooting. For snap-shooting like quail, rabbits, or other instances where the target pops up as a surprise, the shorter gun is an advantage for me. For a lot of general blasting and plinking, I much prefer the shorter gun vs. one with a longer LOP and 10" more barrel because it's just more FUN!

EDIT (same as in the other thread): This goes without saying, but you WILL need to install some type of choke(s) if you want the gun to be highly useful with regular ammo at distances greater than a few yards. The cylinder bore will throw a very wide pattern at a very short distance with standard ammo. If you load with flite-control wads you can stretch the useful range, but with regular wads it'll open up very quickly. At least mine did. My Auto 5 (shown in the other thread) has Colonial Sporting Clays screw-in chokes and a lengthened and tapered forcing cone (and polished chamber but that doesn't impact patterning). Michael Orlen did my choke and chamber work. http://www.randywakeman.com/shotgunMikeOrlen.htm

 

[Gordon]

I have a Remington made A5 clone that is marked Riot on it's 20" barrel, it throws the same type pattern my 18 1/4" 1965 Browning Lt.12 A5 I cut down as the end of the barrel was bulged from dipping in duck blind mud. That Browning went to a Lewis Awerbuck shotgun course and wowed the class speed feeding into the chamber the open pattern is ok for CQB purposes. I have a factory Browning A5 from early 70s with a 22" rifle slug barrel and it shoots a much more uniform pattern like a good skeet barrel wood. It is also sighted in for slugs which is a plus, bless it's made in Japan heart. On my 20 guage magnum 3" Browning A5 I cut the barrel to 24" (from 28") and had Colonial chokes installed. I shoot steel shot in that Japanese made gun which is mandated for everything in Ca. It gives me a decent payload of shot in a smaller framed gun and is my go to hunting gun except for turkey and wildfowl.