[4Sale] Remington Model 11

[Matt Giroux]

Sub Category

Shotguns

Is this item for sale?

1. For Sale

Sale Price

375$

Caliber

12

Location

Yukon, Oklahoma, United States

c. 1923 Remington model 11 with the “Suicide safety”. It currently sports a 22” vent rib barrel with a meprolight night sight bead that I had installed. Barrel says full choke but with the cut down barrel it measures more of a modified/improved cylinder. Runs good like the many others I’ve had. Condition is decent with some bluing wear and a few spots where it had a little pitting on the receiver (all pictured). It’s currently got a Wilson +2 extension and spring with a polished follower but will come with original components. Would make a good little upland gun, truck gun or SBS host (my original plan).

I’ve got plenty of shotguns and am looking to find other projects.

 

[Almost Jack Burton]

For some reason I think this is really awesome.

 

[Matt Giroux]

For some reason I think this is really awesome.

I think you need it (;

 

[Almost Jack Burton]

I think you need it (;

Tied up with and Ithaca 37 slug gun clone, a Mossberg 500 , and a Remington Sportsmaster model 341 project right now. All 3 in different stages of pissing off the boss lady .

 

[2busy]

So far away from me.

 

[Matt Giroux]

SPF

 

[Tall]

My Remington Model 11 was made in 1917. It's been a great shotgun. No failures over the past 40 years. Mine has a Cutts compensator on the original 30 inch full choke barrel.

 

[Ahall]

Neet gun.

For those unfamiliar with the Remington 11.
The 11 is very similar to the classic Auto 5 Browing, and was built under license on the Browing patent. The most obvious difference is the lack of a mag cut off switch on the Remington.

Both guns shown in this thread have the early safety in front of the trigger.
The second one does not have a second lock screw at the pivots for the lifters, which is typical of the earliest examples.

It uses a 3-configuration buffer system for light, medium, and heavy loads.
It may be discussed in this manual:

https://www.remarms.com/sites/default/files/Model%2011.pdf

My practice is to start with the heavy setting and work down until I find where the gun cycles and stop.

A diligent internet search will get you to the Remington Collectors society pages, and they have scans of some of Remington's records, with serial numbers and dates of production. I have been able to determine when some were produced to an accuracy of a few weeks.

Internally, the Remington has a maintenance item that is frequently ignored and can lead to issues in the long term. Unlike the Browning, it has a fiber buffer at the end of the receiver to cushion the bolt when it impacts the receiver on recoil.

If the buffer is gone/ worn out, it should be replaced. An internet search on this topic will reveal plenty of examples of Remington 11's with cracks at the back of the receiver from overuse without a buffer.

Assessment will require removal of the trigger group and a flashlight.
Just look for it at the back of the humpback - it's about 1/8 inch thick and looks like very stiff felt. Its round and the diameter of the inside of the receiver. There are photos of it on Numrich's website if you're unsure of what to look for.


If the buffer is gone/ worn out it's not a bad job to fix, with the right tools
The originals are riveted in with a blind rivet system.

I had to replace it in mine (December 1919 production). This task is probably beyond the average home shop smith or parts changer.

Dunlaps book on gunsmithing covers the tools he used for this job and I used some of his ideas.

I made a little jig to keep an extended length drill aligned for cutting the old rivet (which was mashed flat and even with the steel after years of abuse).
The receiver was fully stripped and set in the mill, and aligned to the quill

When I tried drilling, the rivet spun and actually came out easily, but it was far enough gone that without drilling I could not grab it with plyers and pull it out. If you're debating on whether to replace it, do it before you get to the state mine was in.

The replacement rivet from Numrich was aluminum and the fiber bushing was also available from them.

You insert the larger end of the rivet into the pocket at the back of the receiver and then use a special staking tool to swell the flange on the new rivet against the sides of the pocket at the back of the receiver. Its just a long rod with a hole in it slip over the rivet and a cone face to push the edges of the flange on the rivet out into the sides of the pocket.

The fiber bushing goes in on the staked rivet.
A second tool with a ball point is used to swell out the pocket in the nose of the rivet after the fiber bushing was on. it

Neither are a challenge to make, if you have access to a metal lathe.
They are just long compared to typical punches.


I have heard of others using modern epoxies to glue a replacement buffer in, with very mixed results. If you need to replace it, and try that route, clean the heck out of the inside of the receiver. It's going to have 100 years of varnish from the gun oil build up on the mating surface. That has to be fully dissolved away before anything is going to stick well. If there is a film on the metal, you are glueing to the film, not the metal, and the bond strength between the film and metal is usually not very good.