OT Remington Model 11

[iceman]

I have a chance on a model 11 sportsman 16 ga 28" plain barrel modified choke. No pictures yet but claims are 80% both wood and metal. Price is $250 to my door. I have read up on it a bit and it seems interesting. Has anybody owned or used one of these? I have never owned a 16 ga but they sound almost ideal for small game. My father in law had a mod 97 and he used to say shoots like a 12 carries like a 20. Any comments welcome.

[86er]

I am very familiar with the Remington Model 11. It is the original long recoil action shotgun and the original "humpback". The price you stated for the alleged condition is about average. I've got several recently for under $200, but the 16 makes it a bit more desireable to some. There are a ton of small parts and the newest one is still over half a century old. I would get a low condition (externally), functioning gun and just sit on it for spare parts. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to answer them.

[BigSky56]

Remington's copy of the brning auto 5 good gun sans a magazine cutoff I used a 12 gauge for ducks & geese I dont remember if rem built more than 1 frame size Iam thinking the 16 was on the 12 frame. Clean up the mag tube recoil spring and bushing and dry lube .danny

[Noah Zark]

The 16 Ga is often referred to as the "sweet 16" for a reason. It's a bit more than the 20 ga, yet not as potent as the 12 ga, and for some game it's perfect. In the 70s and 80s the 16 almost went extinct but it's made a comeback and the gauge has a hardcore following among birders and small game hunters alike.

As for the Remington 11, it is for all intents and purposes a Browning A-5. Remington leased the design under a royalty agreement to Browning and built tens of thousands of Model 11s and Model 11 Sportsman shotguns through WWII. For a time early in WWII, Browning engaged Remington to make the Model 11 with the Browning name and a cameo likeness of JM Browning on the receiver because Browning could not get guns from FN because of the German occupation of Belgium.

The Model 11, like the A-5, is a long-recoil operated shotgun, relying on the recoil of the locked-together barrel and bolt for a distance before the bolt unlocks and the barrel continues rearward to cycle the ejection of the empty and feed of a new cartridge. The recoil action is controlled by a brass "friction ring" under the circular recoil lug attached to the barrel and in front of the recoil spring. The friction ring slides on the outside of the mag tube and the force of the brass segments on the mag tube is controlled by a C-shaped steel spring clip surrounding the brass component. A key thing to remember: Keep the friction ring and the outside of the mag tube clean and LIGHTLY oiled. We're talking two small drops evenly wiped all over the worn area of the mag tube (the blueing wears off where it contacts the friction ring; just oil that area). Too dry and the weapon may fail to cycle, too oily and it may batter itself.

The Model 11 Sportsman is a three-round capacity weapon, actually 2+1. The standard Model 11 has a mag tube cap that's the same threads as that of an 870, 11-48, 11-87, etc. The Sportsman has a shorter mag tube and a smaller mag tube cap that's not interchangeable.

SAFETY WARNING: As with a Browning A5, The Model 11 has to be cocked in order for the loading gate / lifter to pivot up and allow shells to be loaded into the mag tube. When you push the release button, MAKE SURE YOUR FINGERS ARE AWAY FROM THE LOADING AND EJECTION PORTS because a shell will load and the bolt slam forward in an eyeblink. IF you have body parts in the way, you will get a case of "Model 11 Thumb", which can be worse than M1 Thumb.

For those shotgunners who want a Browning A-5 without having to pay the $600+ for one, the Remington 11 makes a fine surrogate for around $300-$450. You can't tell the difference.

Hope this helps,

Noah

[mergus]

I've owned a couple of Rem Mod 11's along with a 3" Browning A-5. One day I took them all apart at the same time and laid the parts on the table to see how similar the parts were. I was surprised to see that although they looked similiar in design, the parts on the Model 11 were quite a bit different in length, location, etc from the A-5. Keep that in mind if yo uever have to buy spare parts, that you can't count on the parts from an A5 to fit the Model 11.

One of my 11's was a straight stock gun with a 4 digit serial number. I would take it to the skeet range once a year and somebody always tried to buy it off me.

My other one was a 12 ga Sportsman model with a factory Cutts Compensator. Thats a fun gun, and this year I'm going to take it duck hunting with Bismuth...

Mergus

[iceman]

Thanks for the info all. The owner hasn't gotten back to me yet. If he comes down to $225 delivered i probably will buy it. What the heck it is only money. I have never had a 16 ga. If I don't like it I can always sell it and move on. I'll keep you in the loop.

[dave in maine]

iceman i've got one in 16 ga and i wouldn't sell it for 350 but then i'm a sentimental old coot.

[TomF]

The early guns have the safety inside the trigger guard. I am not sure when the 16 was produced or if they had this feature. I did not like the safety, so I sold it.


TomF

[azzhandler]

I own 8 browning a-5's and 1 model 11 < english stock > there is a big difference between a 16 ga and the sweet 16, the 16 ga is built on a 12 ga. frame, the sweet 16 is built on a 20 ga frame, ventilated rib barrels for the sweet 16's sell for just about as much as the whole 12 & 20 ga. guns do.

[iceman]

I bought it. Time will tell how good or bad it is. I bought it sight unseen. the fellow selling is a leo of a certain rank, and I am taking his word re condition. You have to trust someone sometime. Once I receive it I will send some pics. I feel very confident that I made the right choice in that I trust our leos.

[azzhandler]

there is a reason why the auto-5s were in production for 97 yrs chances are you will like it,

[firefuzz]

SAFETY WARNING: As with a Browning A5, The Model 11 has to be cocked in order for the loading gate / lifter to pivot up and allow shells to be loaded into the mag tube. When you push the release button, MAKE SURE YOUR FINGERS ARE AWAY FROM THE LOADING AND EJECTION PORTS because a shell will load and the bolt slam forward in an eyeblink. IF you have body parts in the way, you will get a case of "Model 11 Thumb", which can be worse than M1 Thumb.

Noah

This is a little confusing to me, what do you mean by "cocked"? Depressing the bolt release with the bolt forward or down on an A5 will allow the insertion of shells into the magazine, the bolt does not have to be locked to the rear. With the later two-piece lifter this is not necessary. I don't know about the model 11, but I do know the two-piece lifter of the Browning can be fitted to it.

Rob