Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

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TDodge7
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by TDodge7 »

Hello, I've always been interested in Auto 5's and the Remington and Savage clones. A Remington 11 showed up at the local shop and I was checking it out today, I've been doing some research online but thought I'd swing by here to hear from the model 11 gurus.

The Model 11 is in pretty good shape, the receiver is the non-engraved type, the bluing is actually pretty nice and doesn't look like it's been redone but if it has been redone then it certainly wasn't recently. The wood is is good looking shape and free of cracks. The barrel has been cut to about 22 inches and has a Cutts compensator on it with a spreader choke installed. It has this style of safety..

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I partially took it down while I was checking it out and everything looked dry and a little dirty but otherwise pretty good except that on the side of the barrel opposite of the extractor there was a line of brazing. I looked around online for pictures of model 11 barrels but couldn't find any pictures of one brazed in that spot which leads me to believe it was once broken, though I couldn't see any cracks anywhere or any evidence of a repair.

The brazing was here
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I checked the date code on the barrel and if I checked it right then it's from April of 1941 though the number by the ring on the barrel isn't the same as the number on the receiver (though I'm not sure they're supposed to match). The shop is asking $300 (price tag says $400).

I'm not a huge shotgun guy, the range I go to the most only allows slugs and people usually give you the stink eye for making so much noise there so I wouldn't really be shooting it there much, but occasionally I'd like to take it to the skeet range 2 towns over or if the situation presents it's self perhaps hunting but that's not my main concern, apart from that it would just be for home defense. I don't want a short little home defense shotgun though and I love the old humpback design so this Remington 11 seems like a good fit but I figured I would run it by the experts, anything I should know or find out about this one?
Researcher
Posts: 1080
Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2003 11:06 pm
Location: Washington and Alaska

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by Researcher »

The serial number on the ring matched the serial number of the reciever when the gun left Ilion. The original John M. Browning lever safety inside the trigger guard was replaced with the cross-bolt safetybehind the trigger about 1928. Sounds like a gun cobbled together from parts.
TDodge7
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by TDodge7 »

I went back by the shop and took some pictures of the brazed part, there doesn't appear to have been any damage that I can see, it looks more like they filled that channel with braze for fitting or something , it does have light marking on it from the barrel recoiling, it looked like it was possibly sliding against the "cartridge stop" if I'm reading the parts list correctly (it's the vertical part sticking through the side of the receiver on the left side) though I don't know why. I also measured the barrel, it's cut to 20" and has the Cutts compensator for an OAL of 25"

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TDodge7
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by TDodge7 »

I've looked at a lot of barrels online and it seems some Remington 11 barrels have a groove machined through the spot where the brazing is

like this
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And some where the brazed area is completely filled

like this
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Is it possible that the previous owner was having feeding problems because the new barrel wasn't pushing the shell stop out of the way enough? So by adding more material to the bolt it now can push the shell stop open more allowing the shell to feed?
Virginian
Posts: 685
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:03 pm
Location: Williamsburg, Va.

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by Virginian »

Anything is possible, including that it doesn't work. You are obviously hung up on this gun. Why don't you make them an offer and see if they will let you have it for a 3 day trial?
What could have happened... did.
TDodge7
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by TDodge7 »

It's not that I'm hung up on this one specifically, it's that I've been looking for a suitable auto 5/rem 11/savage 720 project locally for a few years now. Nothing ever pops up in the local stores except pristine auto 5's with pristine auto 5 prices and those don't show up often either. I'm sure I could find a decent Remington 11 online but then I'm also paying for shipping and transfer and I don't get to check it out before I buy it which I feel is a must on a 100 year old gun.
TDodge7
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by TDodge7 »

Well since I last posted I lost a handful of auctions, looked at 2 Brownings, and didn't find anything I really liked that was anywhere near my price range. The other day I swung back by the shop just to see if the pre-11 was even still there and I got to talking with the owner, I told him all the things I had found out about it (played up a little), long story short I ended up buying it, paid $150. I got it home and it cleaned up extremely well, everything that looked bad on the finish wiped right off and it looks fantastic, it's probably been refinished at some point but I'm not worried about collector value. Everything on the inside looks great too and the screws aren't even all wallowed out. So far I'm very happy with my buy, I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet but I have fed a bunch of dummy hulls through it in both fired and unfired length and it fed and ejected them just fine.

I do have a couple of questions though:

1. My pre-11 has a 20" Riot barrel with a Cutts compensator on it, I've read about the friction ring settings and I see there's a third setting just for the Cutts. Does this mean I should use the Cutts setting for everything, even heavy loads?

My main curiosity is that since this is a 20" riot barrel even with the cutts it probably weighs as much as a standard 28" barrel, I would imagine the lightest Cutts setting would just beat the action up even with the light stuff. I've been told by some to always run the heaviest setting and only switch to lighter settings if the ammo is too weak to cycle. I figured I should ask about this before I fire it.

2. My Cutts compensator has a "spreader" choke on it, is it safe to fire slugs through the spreader choke or should I just remove it entirely when I want to shoot slugs?
Adam Lee
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:16 am
Location: Northern Virginia

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by Adam Lee »

Hey TDodge7 -

Try and take a look at the friction ring settings document I have attached. This may be of help. Not sure what to say on a 20" barrel that has a comp attached, but maybe you can get started with this diagram.

Adam
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Wherever you go, there you are!
TDodge7
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by TDodge7 »

Thanks, yes I've seen that diagram, that's what got me confused, is it suggesting that if you have a Cutts compensator that you're supposed to leave it on that setting for both heavy and light loads?
Adam Lee
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:16 am
Location: Northern Virginia

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by Adam Lee »

TDodge7 wrote:Thanks, yes I've seen that diagram, that's what got me confused, is it suggesting that if you have a Cutts compensator that you're supposed to leave it on that setting for both heavy and light loads?
I think I wouldn't worry about the setting - just grab a selection of your favorite "shotgun food", bring along this schematic for reference, and experiment to find what works for you and your gun!

V/R
Adam

hey I misunderstood the first post - thought that grade F was your gun - we need some pics of the receiver and s/n anyway!
cheers
Wherever you go, there you are!
TDodge7
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Re: Looking at a model 11 at the local shop.

Post by TDodge7 »

Here's some pictures, it's a 1908 Remington auto loading shotgun, serial 67XXX. There's no writing or engraving on the receiver at all so it's probably just the standard grade. I realize it's not a numbers matching original collector piece or anything but it's exactly what I was looking for and I think it cleaned up pretty well for a 106 year old $150 shotgun.

Anyone know if it's ok to shoot slugs through a Cutts "Spreader" choke or should I just remove it when I shoot slugs?

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