Grandpa's Model 11. Pictures and Questions.

H

Herluf

New member
Here's a shotgun I've had for a year now. Was my my other Grandfather's and after he passed, my father took it knowing that I have an interest in such things.


Seems pretty clean and well cared for. It'll likely never leave my family, but I'd be curious to know the age (serial 727214), and value, if anyone can let me know. In the past 40 years it's may have only been used once, when my dad's brother-in-law brought him to a skeet shoot.





Family lore says that it and some other guns he once had were used fairly regularly for a few years, but that he stopped hunting after being nearly shot by another hunter. No further details have been forthcoming regarding that incident.

It has a few minor dings in the wood.




And I'd be curious if anyone had any idea how these two marks would have come about. It's the only real damage to the metal I've seen.


Any other info about this gun would be appreciated. I'm taking out in a couple hours to put a few rounds through it for the first time and will report back.
 
According to Remington, the Model 11 was manufactured from 1905 until 1947 and some 850,000 were made, including 65,000 for Browning during WWII.

Those marks in the last picture seem to be remnants of rust that got on the gun sometime in its past and were thoroughly cleaned. While it detracts from the collector value, it certainly doesn't affect the working function of the gun. My son has two of those old shotguns, one from each grandfather (and more interesting, one in 20, and one in 12 gauge).

That's a fine old shotgun and a wonderful inheritance. Keep it well and pass it along when it's your turn. That gun should serve your family for several more generations.
 
NICE 11!!!. These are based on the Belgium Browning A-5 series. Very capable shotgun. They have a barrel that slides to work the action and chamber a fresh round. They do kick a fair amount though. Condition is key with these guns as many were used and used a lot. With out handling it, I'd say you could get in the 400-500 range with out a issue. Maybe even a little more depending on your area.
 
I forgot about the friction rings. The Model 11 will shoot both low-powered and high-powered loads, but you might have trouble with extraction and ejection if the friction rings aren't set properly for the load.

There's a YouTube video here that explains it. My Google-fu wasn't strong enough this morning to find the written instructions.
 
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Also, if the friction ring is improperly set, there could be damages to either the forend wood and/or the receiver from the barrel slamming back too forcefully when shooting heavy loads with the friction ring set for low-power loads.


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My Google-fu improved considerably after lunch. You can download the owners manuals for a huge number of Remington firearms, including the Model 11 Shotgun, at this link. LINKY!!

There's nothing like having an owner's manual for your shotgun.
 
Thanks for the info folks,
That manual is a much higher resolution than the version I have, so I can actually read it! To my shame I haven't opened the gun up up to inspect/adjust the friction rings or the coth/fibre pad that apparently these guns need to have in working order. Between that Manual and the Auto5 Manual I've got, I should be able to get it right.

I put three slugs through it today, which was more than enough to convince me that I need a proper recoil pad. Right now it just has a faux-wood plastic cap piece with a few ridges and the company name on it. My shoulder is a bit sore as I type this. Any suggestions for a really, really comfortable and shock absorbing recoil pad? On the positive side, it cycled perfectly with the Remington super-cheap Super X shells.

Anyone know what the year is based on the serial #? So far I've got it narrowed down to '43-'47 based on this site http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=306603
So it looks to be one of the last of the Remington model 11's.

Another neat tidbit. When my grandmother moved from a home into an apartment we were sorting through my grandfathers old things and found the wood plug that came with the gun for limiting the magazine to 3 rounds. It's just a dowel with a knobed end and a sticker indicating it's purpose, but kind of a neat thing to have, even if this gun never gets a chance to take on some birds.

The last picture that wouldn't fit on the first post.
 
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Very nice and in great condition for a gun that could be as young as 65 years old or older than dirt...........:D

Try shooting some nice target loads through it and see how you like it before going to full retina-detaching slugs............;)
 
Thanks PetahW,
I'm glad I posted the barrel. I wasn't even aware that the letters were a dating guide! Looks like Grandpa (Sgt, US army) probably purchased it right after getting out of the service.

Big D,
Do you have a suggestion for a slug with less omph? Here in and nearby Chicago, the only places I have nearby to shoot this thing are slug-only indoor ranges.
 
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FWIW, although it used to be a bad idea to use slugs in a FC bbl (because the older slugs were full 1oz bore-size); it's most likely ok today, because most available slugs from the Big 3 (Rem, Win, Fed) are narrower (in diameter) 7/8oz (in 12ga) slugs, to avoiid choke damage.

I still wouldn't do it, since many shotgun bbl(s) are very thin, comparatively, to a factory slugger.


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I'm not sure what the "full" means. The manual clearly mentions friction ring settings for slugs, but I don't know what that means definitively since there have been so many variants of these.

Should I take measurements of the muzzle opening and compare it to the slugs I have? What numbers should I be hoping for?

As for the firing of slugs, I just have a few that I bought so that I could test the gun (and my Norinco 37 copy) at the local range. I'll probably put a few more once I get some recoil pads, but they won't be seeing much slug use after that.

Thanks for the list of sites. If I ever get interested in trap shooting I'll know where to go. I'd completely forgotten about the West Chicago location. I actually used to play at that park when I was a kid, and remember picking some clays off the field, but I don't think I was ever there when the club was open.
 
Full is the choke designation which is approximately .040 constriction. Slugs can be shot through any choke designation; that said, slugs shot through a full choke typically have very poor accuracy
 
Thanks for that!

I did a bit more research and anecdotaly at least there seems to be no problem putting standard lead rifled slugs through a model 11. Still have to deal with recoil, but doesn't look like it's a danger to the gun.
 
Herluf said:
The manual clearly mentions friction ring settings for slugs, but I don't know what that means definitively
Click to expand...

IMG_39642.jpg


Anyone wanting to adjust the friction ring for heavy or light loads, but unsure of the power of the loads to be used, would be well advised to first fire the shells with the ring set for heavy loads in order to prevent damge to the forend and/or receiver by firing looads too heavy for the "light load" ring setting.

If the gun cycles the loads OK on that heavy setting, they would be safe to continue - if the gun doesn't fully cycle the loads, then a friction ring flip is indicated.


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Thanks for that confirmation. I'm going to check the recoil springs this week. Good to know that the high power setting is the safest to start with.
 
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