Remington 1100 Short Cycles

[DyNo!]

With birdshot, my JP compensated 1100 only cycles halfway.

The spent shell is extracted halfway and lacks enough power to be ejected. The extracted shell is then fed back into the chamber.

What is the first thing I should do to get my 1100 to cycle properly?

[Y. Koester]

Get ammo that is above 3 dram load. Them maybe clean it and check or replace your gas o-ring and make sure the piston is clean. Just some suggestions?

[Nik Habicht]

3 - 3.25 dram loads of an ounce or an ounce and an eighth. Clean the gun -- paying special attention to the cleanliness of the mag tube where the piston slides back and forth. Once clean I coat the mag tube with Mobil 1 -- this aids in cycling and makes future cleanup of the tube a breeze, as the gunk just wipes off with a rag....

Make sure you've reassembled the gun in correct order of piston parts....

Clean the chamber while you're at it....

[Jaxshooter]

You may want to open the gas ports in the barrel if you want it to cycle 2 3/4 dram loads. I have two 1100s that will cycle fine with 2 3/4 dram shells. The gas ports on both barrels have been opened.

[entropic]

If you were shooting wal-mart winchester ammo that comes in a box of 100, that's your problem. Every other shot of those shells won't cycle in my 1100. Dram 3 always does though, even fired without a shoulder behind it.

[DyNo!]

If you were shooting wal-mart winchester ammo that comes in a box of 100, that's your problem. Every other shot of those shells won't cycle in my 1100. Dram 3 always does though, even fired without a shoulder behind it.

I was - looks like I'm going to make another trip to the range then.

[ranger]

I saw a lot of Remington 1100s on the clay pigeon fields. Typically, if I saw a 1100 that would not run, it was "dry" with little or no lube. If you have a problem with a 1100, try to shooting it with more lubrication. I run mine with heavy lube and have no issues - this is 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, and 410.

[jobob]

I saw a lot of Remington 1100s on the clay pigeon fields. Typically, if I saw a 1100 that would not run, it was "dry" with little or no lube. If you have a problem with a 1100, try to shooting it with more lubrication. I run mine with heavy lube and have no issues - this is 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, and 410.

Interesting the different theories. I was told by a friend who use to be a sponsored shooter on the national trap circuit that Remingtons should be nearly dry. He told me I was over-lubing my guns, and said a drop of oil spread around on the outside of the mag tube is just about all you need in the gas operation area. He said too much oil in the piston area forms a heavy sludge with carbon fouling and slows the action, causing malfunctions. I started taking his advice and my 1100 function problems went away. I shot all of MGM Ironman last year running my 11-87 nearly dry (I do oil the action bars and bolt assembly areas) without cleaning in 3 days of shooting and it functioned better than it ever had.

Oh, and yes, stay away from the WalMart Winchester 100 packs. They be bad!

[goat68]

Intresting idea on shooting it nearly dry. I never heard of that theory. I shot MGM last year and clesned my 1100 every night and lubed the piston area with breakfree. I have a 3" magnum and I reload to get around the cost of 3 dram loads.

I got a small bottle of brownells lube in a prize package somewhere and I use it on the gas piston area now with a light coat, and there seems to be very little carbon build up.

Other things to look for in reassembly is to check the gas seal (rubber O ring) is tight and has no nicks. put a piece of clear tape on the threads on the mag tube when putting on the new gas seal to help from overstreatching it. Also make sure the slits on the gas piston are 180 degrees appart. If they are together (making one big hole) you will vent too much gas and it wont cycle. Also a good idea to clean the gas port or ports (depending on the model you may have one or two).

[LPatterson]

The original 1100 was designed for 2 3/4" shells only and had one gas port. With a compensated barrel it is understandable for it to short cycle. I opened the port substantially, bought a one piece gas assembly and use a new o ring for each match. Dry or oily depends on number of rounds fired, frequency of maintenance and type of powder. Hodgdon's Clays is cleaner than American Select and my 11-87 for skeet has gone 300 rounds between cleanings but the 1100 will choke on 100 rounds or less depending on the factory ammo I feed it. The 3 - 3 1/4 dram are just going to recoil more and slow down next target shots. The key to followup shots is to go to a skeet field and shoot doubles at stations 3-4-5, scoring is up to you.

RFE Spelling errors

Edited March 8, 2010 by LPatterson

[busyhawk]

If all else fails...give JP a call! IF you are having problems with his shotgun he will guide you in the correct direction. When you talk to him please post what you find out.

RLTW,

Scott

[DyNo!]

I just looked at the ammo that didn't cycle and they were Remington 3 dram sport loads with 1 1/8 shot @ 1200 FPS.

Instead of buying a box of shells that are just 1/4 dram more - I'll be shooting some high brass shells I have sitting around just to see if they even work.

Next is a call to JP.

I intend on selling this shotgun but it needs to work before I do.

Edited March 8, 2010 by DyNo!

[D.Hayden]

After drilling ports.. The WallyMart cheap Federals worked fine.. The cheap Winchester were still problematic.

[StealthyBlagga]

Check the gas ports are clear... they can fill up with plastic fouling. Lightly lube, and check the barrel seal (o-ring) as mentioned. Also, inspect the piston/gas seal to ensure neither are chipped/broken. Lastly, inspect the forend support carefully to ensure it is not damaged - they can jam up the gun pretty badly when they fail.

[EkuJustice]

I have seen numerous problems with the walmart winchester shells sticking in guns. Seen an 870 that had to have the buttstock hit on the ground to clear it. For the cheap shells, the walmart federals work best.

+1 on the 3-4-5 doubles. Great way to work on those transitions. Also shows the handling difference between a heavy and light shotgun. I will take the heavy gun after shooting enough of them with a 12 pounder

Edited March 9, 2010 by EkuJustice

[Religious Shooter]

How old is the gun?

I wouldn't modify it until at least 400-600 shells have been fired through it.

[usmc1974]

Check the gas ports are clear... they can fill up with plastic fouling. Lightly lube, and check the barrel seal (o-ring) as mentioned. Also, inspect the piston/gas seal to ensure neither are chipped/broken. Lastly, inspect the forend support carefully to ensure it is not damaged - they can jam up the gun pretty badly when they fail.

yep.Clean the gas ports fouling will build up.

Edited March 9, 2010 by usmc1974

[DyNo!]

UPDATE

I cleaned the shotgun and ran it with heavy lube.

When I got out to the range, I tried the Remington 3 dram sport loads again. This time, the ejected shell came out halfway - that's better than the charging handling just coming back halfway and then reloading the spent shell.

I put in the high brass loads and they work fine. Now I know it works!

The problem is, they kick so violently that it isn't competitive for open and it'd probably be damn near painful after shooting 100 rounds.

How do I go about enlarging the gas ports on my 1100?

This is what google says:

When you shortened your barrel, you should have enlarged the two gas ports as well. By shortening the barrel, you shortened the amount of pressure available to reliably cycle your 1100. Take a portable drill and a selection of bits, in 1/64" increments, to the range. Determine which bit currently fits your port and move up 1 size. Drill 1 port and test for reliability, then drill the other port and test again. If neeed be, move up another bit size and repeat. The ports do not need to be the same size, so stop when it cycles cleanly.

Caution...Be sure to place a dowel rod or something inside the barrel before drilling. This will prevent damage to the inside of barrel, should you drill thru the port with too much pressure. Be sure to use a good oil for drilling and smoothly remove the bit from the port while the drill is running.

Stop when your shotgun cycles all the loads you will normally use. There is no magic port size. It depends on the particular shotgun and the ammo you wish to use. Some will work reliably at .109, while others need to be opened to .125, or somewhere in between. If you open the ports up too much, the shotgun will be battered by heavy use and will wear out quickly.

Make sure you try this before buying another barrel.

Good luck,

Chuck

Is this accurate?

I hear .125 is the biggest I should go. Should I disregard this since I'm running a comp?

I don't have drill bits in 1/64 increments so I'm hoping that it's something that I'd find at Home Depot and not McMaster Carr.

Edited March 10, 2010 by DyNo!

[Nik Habicht]

If you're shooting a JP gun, I'd call and talk to them first. Drilling out gas ports would be an absolutely last resort for me.....

[DyNo!]

If you're shooting a JP gun, I'd call and talk to them first. Drilling out gas ports would be an absolutely last resort for me.....

Will do, IIRC - the builder said they were already big. I'll measure them tonight.

Edit: My calipers don't fit but they appear to be .090" ~ 3/32

Edited March 10, 2010 by DyNo!

[EkuJustice]

What "heavy lube" are you using. A light oil works best as a heavy lube can actually slow the piston down

[Nik Habicht]

Patrick Sweeney covers the 1100 extensively in his book Gunsmithing: Shotguns --- though some of the info appears in the chapters on the 870 and on competition shotguns....

It might be worth trying to track down a copy...

[DyNo!]

What "heavy lube" are you using. A light oil works best as a heavy lube can actually slow the piston down

Light oil applied more heavily than usual to the shell tube. Before now, it was just lightly applied.

How old is the gun?

I wouldn't modify it until at least 400-600 shells have been fired through it.

I actually do not know. I took a 3 year break from shooting and I forgot - I didn't keep any records of how much it had been shot.

It should work though - it has seen hundreds of shells, somewhere in the three digit range.

I intend on IMing my gunsmith, calling JP, buying Federal Wally-world shells, and drilling ports - in that order.

Edited March 10, 2010 by DyNo!

[usmc1974]

I had to send my barrel back to the factory so they could enlarge the gas ports. It is now running everything I put in it( hi/low brass, hi/low power, slug) and it has the forcing cones lengthened and mag na ported. It don't like Royal Buckshot ammo it is loaded longer the USA standard 12 gauge ammo.

Edited March 10, 2010 by usmc1974

[Trail3]

I have a 1100 Competition Master bought new in 2003 worked fine for a few years and then have had the same problems. Less using Winchester AA. Drilled out ports to .110, use Mobile 1 oil, keep it clean and oiled, change seal every cleaning. Use 3-3.25 dram, 1 1/8 shot,

seems to be running better. Had an issue with some Ficochi spreaders. Still will only use the Win AA for major match.

Going to give it one more season, if it still has issues going to the FN.