EricW Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 OK, I bought a basically brand-new 1100 today. First off, I would like to state what a total POS they are. I had no idea someone could make gun this badly. But here I am. I'm going to send the thing to a 'smith to make it run, but I'd like to get it going and break it in in the interim by putting a few hundred rounds through it. A few questions for y'all: - Gas rings & o-rings, or whatever the hell the gas piston sealing thingys are called. Where do I get them? Direct from Remmy? A better source? - Lubing the action. My gun is as dry as a million year-old petrified bone outta the Mojave. What won't screw the thing up? Slide Glide light? Regular oil? Beat the SOB over a rock until the cheap sheet metal parts lose the burrs? The gun will lock open when it's not supposed to, so I'm guessing that something in there isn't sliding like it should be. - Mag buttons. I'm assuming the PC lawyer-proof-hermetically-sealed-locking safety button can be replaced with a large button. Yes? No? - Loading Gate - sans the easy loader, how in the hell does anybody load this goddamned thing in under 20 minutes?!!! You push the rim of the shell on the button which releases the gate, then stuff the round in, right? Is there a better way to load this mother in the interim? I hate this. I've never had to think about loading a shotgun in my life. What the hell is this? I thought the devil was only allowed to design electrical systems for British cars. Pray for me that Shawn Carlock can work some serious magic on this sucker. I'm ready to shoot my Beretta 391 for 3gun and just reload a lot. (Anybody want a new 1100 cheap? I just could not be more underwhelmed about now.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Eric, get thee to the nearest bookstore (brickboard or virtual) and obtain a copy of "Gunsmithing: Shotguns" by our very own Patrick Sweeney. In addition to lots of chapters on that topic generally, there's an 1100 specific chapter and one on tuning the competitive shotgun. Might be the best money I've ever spent on smithing anything.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted April 6, 2004 Author Share Posted April 6, 2004 Can I just buy it direct from Pat and let him keep *all* the money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 >gas rings & o ring The piston ring(s) doesn't need replacing; the rubber "seal" o-ring does. You can measure it and get an equivalent from an auto parts or hardware store. Brownells has them and all the parts. People bitch about the o-rings but they must be abusive because they last forever for me. I don't spray it with brake cleaner and I'm careful not to damage it (on the mag tube threads) removing it. >Lubing the action Slide Glide on the parts that get shiny, but leave the mag tube, piston ring, o-ring area dry. (Just my opinion; others will disagree. After cleaning, I use silicone spray and a silicone cloth.) I've found Rio shotshells to be amazingly clean; everything else starts to soot up the mag tube and piston rings. >The gun will lock open when it's not supposed to My 1999 vintage 1100 does the same thing. Examine the function of the carrier latch and its engagement with the carrier release. >Mag buttons Easy replacement with the jumbo button that fits all Remingtons. >Loading Gate Push the round in then forward. No problem for clays games. Big problem for loading on the clock, which all but demands an EasyLoader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twix Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 John Lucas(father of British motorcylce and automotive elctrical systems) is not really the devil, although his nickname is "the Prince of Darkness". Good luck on the shotty. Wondering how much your total will be versus just getting a JP? I would be interested to know when you complete this project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted April 6, 2004 Author Share Posted April 6, 2004 Wondering how much your total will be versus just getting a JP? I would be interested to know when you complete this project. The gun cost $340 and it should only take about $300-400 to complete, but based on what I've seen so far, I'm sorry I didn't just buy a damned Benelli. I'm really really really happy I didn't put money down on a CM. Oiling the bejeezus out of it helped a little. The loading gate opens with having to use a hammer now. It still wants to lock open on the last round, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted April 6, 2004 Author Share Posted April 6, 2004 >gas rings & o ringThe piston ring(s) doesn't need replacing; the rubber "seal" o-ring does. You can measure it and get an equivalent from an auto parts or hardware store. Brownells has them and all the parts. People bitch about the o-rings but they must be abusive because they last forever for me. I don't spray it with brake cleaner and I'm careful not to damage it (on the mag tube threads) removing it. I think it must be the gunscrubber/brake cleaner. The o-ring in this sucker is dry and cracked already and it looks like the only time the gun was fired was at the factory. Thanks for the tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDS_Abinadi Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 I have to tell you that if you are going to spend $340 on a firearm you should expect it to work well in the field but you will have a few issues when put under the heavy fire comptition demands. I own three Remington 1100's (1100 Sporting, 1100 Field, and 1100 Competition Master) and have had little to no problem with them as long as I have maintained them. Besides, if you had bought a Benelli you'd have spent $600+ and still had to have $300+ work done to get it where you want it. I think if you give it a chance you'll be glad in the long run for saving the money and you'll get the same functionality. Just my 2 cents... Good luck with your conversion(s)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpowe Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 I once bought a Trap grade 1100 for $200... It looked to be in great shape. When I got it home and broke it down, I found out why it was so cheap, it was a single shot!. The piston rings were glued together to the 1/8" of gunk on the mag tube! This guy had obviously oiled the heck out of the gas system. After I cleaned it all off and lubed with dry graphite, it worked flawlessly. I've also found Rio shot shells to be clean as well as cheap, although a friends Gold doesn't like them at all. When loading without a speed loader, learn to press the silver button with the nose of the shell as it slides down the loading gate. Getting the nose in first also assures that you get the gate fully depressed, aligning the shell with the opening of the mag tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paraman1 Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Eric, the shotgun will probably needs some shooting if its brand new to get it broken in , every gun needs some rounds down range to make it function . Second , Shaun Carlock is definitely the man you want to go to in your area to get it running . I bought a Rem 1100 that is old as dirt and whacked the barrel down and had it threaded for colonial choke tubes , I then put some Hi-Viz sights on it and a 3-gun gear side saddle . After years of shooting at birds I entered my first tactical match and placed 3rd Master behind Jim Wall and David Neth who were shooting the SX2 . The easyloader is nice but before I had it I practiced with the stock unit and it worked fine once you learned to push down and then in . Last but not least make sure its 22 inches or less or the tactical guys wont let you play (Rocky mountain 3-gun , SOF , etc.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted April 12, 2004 Author Share Posted April 12, 2004 Michael, I just dropped the 1100 off with Shawn on Saturday. Amazingly enough, the damned thing worked flawlessly. I went and shot bowling pins with it and whatever was wrong was fixed. (BTW, as soon as you see Shawn reload these days, you'll understand why the easy loader is a must have accessory. He'll just blow you away with how fast he is.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paraman1 Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Yes the Easyloader is definitely a must have if you want to be competitive . Practice reloading , anyone can shoot a shotgun , most shotgun matches are won or lost on the reloads . When you see David Neth or Jim Wall or any of the top guys shoot shotgun you will notice 2 things 1. A solid plan 2. Fast smooth reloads . Good luck and I hope to see pictures of your new monsty soon . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsrdx Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 I just started down the path with a factory fresh Benelli, and it isn't all that much prettier. Benelli is clearly unconcerned with loading speed, as it almost takes both hands to push the shell past the shell stop, and of course you have to spring for new magazine parts and springs, which thanks to this forum are easily located. And figure out how to mount a decent sling, since you lose the front sling mount with the factory magazine cap. I'm going to start with just the front fiber optic and see how that works, otherwise I'll have to figure out how to mount a rear sight too. The fun never stops... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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