Action On Remington Model 11

T

The Rattler

New member
I have owned my used Remington Model 11 since my high school days, around 53 years ago. While it was regularly used a couple or 3 bird seasons in the early 1990s, it was basically unused from the 60s until 3 years ago when I started shooting clays, although I shot it sparingly due to its age.

Last week, I tried to open the action on my Remington Model 11, but I could not make the bolt slide back. I could not make the bolt handle move. I tried it for multiple days unsuccessfully. I started to use a hammer mallet, but did not for fear of harming something. I took it to my gunsmith and he manually got the action open right away. That was somewhat embarrassing. After he opened it, I could open it without any problem.

Now, during routine cleaning, the action was open. I did not remove the bolt. I unwisely tried to see if I could control the speed of the bolt closing like can be done with my Benelli Montefeltro. I depressed the button on the side of the receiver with my right hand while restraining the bolt handle with my left hand. I heard a click, but when I let up restraining of bolt handle, it did not budge. The action did not close.

Now, I can't close it at all. Depressing the button again does not help. Pulling back on the bolt handle & releasing again does not work whether or not I depress the button again. I want to avoid taking it back to my gunsmith and having him close it by doing something simple again.

Is there something I can try that won't risk harming the gun? Do I just need to "man - up" and force the bolt handle forward as hard as I can, or perhaps strike it with a mallet designed not to harm metal? Or, should I take it back to my gunsmith again with my tail between my legs? Of course, if that is the wisest thing to do, I am more than willing to do it.

Does all of this suggest that something is mechanically wrong with the gun?

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.
 
It sounds to me like the gun is really dirty and maybe full of old grease that has caked up. Do you know how to take the gun down? I don't mean fully apart, just take off the fore end and barrel and hose down the magazine tube and inside the receiver with a good solvent, like G96 Gun Treatment. Let it drain forward, don't get it into the buttstock.

If that doesn't work, come back and we can see about other things that could cause a problem.

Jim
 
I have two I am going to assemble, I have an extra receiver I was thinking about using and then there are all those vats. I took them apart to blue, the receiver has a flaming ball arsenal stamp. Problem; the arsenal stamped receiver is not period correct.

If I had one that would move not slide back I would brace the receiver then reach around and grab the barrel with both hands and then pull back. Then there is You tube, everything you ever wanted to know about getting the Model 11 Remington apart and back together.

F. Guffey
 
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Remington 11

I appreciate your help and comments.

The problem is corrected, at least for now. After field stripping the gun, I was in the process of cleaning it, which I regularly do each time I shoot it. The receiver was as clean as I can make it without removing the bolt & seriously risking my fingers by the bolt accidentally closing (the prior owner lost the tip of his finger that way on this gun). I used CLP, brushing, rags wrapped around the brush, & Q-tips. After cleaning the receiver, I was trying to see if I could control the speed of the action closing with my left thumb. That is when the action got stuck and wouldn't close. I did this to see if I could use my fingers safely inside the receiver while cleaning.

In any event, I started reinstalling the barrel, but could not make it depress as required before installing the forestock and magazine tube cap. I pulled the barrel out when all hell broke loose. As the barrel was being extracted, the action slammed shut jarring the magazine suppressor loose. The magazine spring then came out with great force shooting across the room. It was over before I realized it was happening. Thankfully, I always try to keep my face away from the opening of the magazine tube. Doing that may have well prevented me from injury.

Should depressing the bolt release button while holding the bolt open when the barrel was removed cause it to stick open? Is it likely that something is wrong mechanically. It has fired no more than 500 rounds since my gunsmith cleaned & lubed the gun about 2 years ago.

Thanks.
 
Short tutorial on the Auto 5 and similar guns:

The Auto 5 is long recoil operated. That means that when it is fired, the barrel and bolt, locked together, recoil fully into the receiver. After the bolt reaches the back of the receiver, the barrel is unlocked and comes forward under the force of its own spring which is the one around the magazine tube. As the barrel comes forward, the fired shell is stripped off the bolt and ejected.

If there are more rounds in the magazine, after the barrel reaches its forward position, the shell carrier is raised. Then the bolt is released to come forward, strip the fresh shell off the carrier, and chamber it. The bolt then locks into the barrel and the cycle can begin again.

I am sure most of you know all that, and could add details, but my point is that thinking of the Auto 5 like a fixed-barrel gas gun can lead the trouble shooter down the garden path.

Jim
 
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My brother bought a Rem 11 for $50 that had been in a saltwater cabin.
When he took the stock off there was rust.
He put it in Diesel oil [should have been evapo rust].
By the time he got back to it, he forgot how to put it together.

I have a couple Rem 11s and have offered to take one apart and watch this video with him to get it together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAPY84sR1wY
 

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Stuck Action Rem. 11

T. O'Heir: Thankyou for the website citations. One answers my main question. The Instructions For Operation & Care of the Reminton 11 says on page 1: "Caution -- Do not press carrier latch button allowing breech block to spring forward when barrel is dismounted from gun."
 
I don't think you'll get that working, unless you strip the bolt down and clean it. To do that, you have to do as below.

First, remove the forearm and barrel.

Second, remove the stock. The screw holding the stock on this is the rear one on the bottom of the grip.

Third, remove the trigger guard, by removing the two lower receiver screws.

Fourth, remove the carrier, by removing it's screws on each side. Be careful to compress and remove the carrier spring, it is a flat V-spring.

Fifth, there is a spring tube, from the receiver, that reaches inside the stock. On the end of the tube, is a plug, held in with a cross pin, through the tubing. Hold your thumb over the plug, when you drive the cross pin out, as that plug is under spring pressure. Ease the plug and spring out, and let the spring follower fall out.

Last, push the bolt forward, until the round pin at the bottom of the bolt's side, (pin 39 on the drawing), the one you can see through the ejection port, is aligned with the small hole through the left side of the receiver, and the small divet in the right side at the bottom of the port. Take a punch, and from the left side, drive that pin out to the right. That will allow the bolt to come apart, and come out the front. The bolt handle will then slide out the rear of the bolt, as the bolt slides out of the front of the receiver.

After cleaning, especially your bolt, its handle, the breech locking bolt, and the bolt spring tube with spring, re-assemble in the reverse order.

I would give the trigger assembly a good soaking in a cleaner too, to dissolve any gunk, then lightly oil.
 
+1 on the ultrasonic tank. That's why I just put a large one in my shop a few months ago. It is 42" long, will take a whole barreled action. And it really works. I was skeptical at first, but I see enough cruddy guns in here that I have proven it to myself.

As far as the Model 11, sounds like a detailed cleaning is in order. If you can't figure it out, there are people who can. Had a customer bring me a Model 11 that someone had restocked in really pretty curly maple, but it didn't work. Took about $250 worth of parts and 2 hours of work. I got a parts gun for $80 about a year ago, did about 2 hours of work and about $100 of parts, and now it looks great. I used to rebuild and resell Auto-5s, I could take apart or put together a Model 11 or an Auto-5 in my sleep.
 
There are two shotguns that I could take apart and reassemble, blindfolded, and that is the Browning Auto-5, and the Winchester model 12, after I've repaired and cleaned that many of them. I can probably do that with the Remington 11, 870, and 1100 too. Like Scorch, once you've done so many, you can work on them while looking at the new pin-up girl on the tool chest lid, LOL.
 
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