shotgun mods for quad loading

[glocklover]

Do most people modify there shotgun for quad loaders? I've heard that some people dremmel the opening of the loading port. I just bought a quad loader and was wondering if it would make it easyer. I shoot a Remington 11-87.

[MarkCO]

Be very careful. The Remington 11xx shotguns are some of the easiest to ruin by going too far. They are also some of the hardest to load even done perfectly. If you are at all serious about 3gun, I'd suggest it is time to get a new shotgun. You can set up an M3000 for under $700 which will be vastly superior to the 11-87.

[fasteddie222]

I'm no super fast 3 gunner but I started out with my 11-87.I did all of the mods and was happy with it.http://youtu.be/qS669ScDNvw

[Jim Norman]

Having been an 11-87 shooter for about 15 years, I recently moved over to the M3k Stoeger. Not a night an day difference, more like winter solar eclipse to High Noon! Tom at MOA did a great job on the modifications for me. The gun runs ammo that my friends 1301 won't run! As for loading, I have the Load-2 down pretty good, I could do it sort of with the 1187, but with this gun it is super easy, I still fumble Quads, but I may get the practice I need over the winter to get them down.

To get my 1187 to run light loads reliably we drilled out the gas ports to nearly .125" which of course beats the crap out of the gun if you run heavier loads. it also burn out O-rings and on occasion breaks the gas piston rings. The 1187 served me well and back then it was 'the gun' but times have changed. There are so many better guns for 3-Gun out now.

BTW, the M3k has one major advantage to me besides cost over the Benelli and Beretta, the stock tube and hence the forearm are longer by about 3" and that keeps my had off the tube and barrel and particularly off the sling attachment! (I have long arms)

[Vlad]

I'm still shooting my 11-87 until I get the chance/time/money/whatever to replace it and I quad load.

You can only remove so much material from one of the sides but you can remove quite a bit from the charging handle side of the opening. You can lower it considerably, and bevel the other side and the opening towards the tube. You can remove A LOT of the foreguard which gets in the way, it indexes and spaces on the sides not under the reciever so I have cut if down to where I can see a sliver of the mag tube through the gap between forearm an the bottom of the receiver, it is actually angled forward now, instead of the backwards. Obviously you need a easy-loader installed and trimmed back, and I took just a tad off the lifter as well just so I would stop getting my finger caught.

Quad loading it is possible but harder and slower then other guns, because you need a bit of a semi-circle type motion as you come in at 45 degrees, depress the tip easy loader with the first shell, then turn towards the mag tube. While slower then doing this on other platforms, it is still a heck of a lot faster then weak hand loading.

[openclassterror]

The Remingtons can be opened up, but as stated before they are perhaps the easiest to ruin. I ran an 1100 before I discovered the Stoeger, but now it gathers dust in the gun vault. If you want to stick with the Remmy, I would recommend having the port mods done by a reputable 'Smith familiar with the platform. Which pretty much rules out anyone under the age of 40

[glocklover]

Well, I'm not a huge 3gun shooter. So I think I'll just leave the shotgun the way it is and do the best I can with the quad loader. Thanks for all the advice guys.

[Vlad]

I think without opening up the port you might be better off doing the old fashioned weak hand load. It might be more consistent.

[Jadeslade]

My first 3 Gun Shotgun was a Remington 1100 Tac4. Really good shotgun. Pat Kelley showed me how to load "turn and burn", which is a variation on the strong hand load two. Hold 2 shells just not in a line. I learned weak hand loading on this gun. I switched for that reason. Gun was a little heavy towards the front for me. Also I was practicing heavy and gun shoots really well but gets really dirty. Lots if cleaning. That gun being used for 3 Gun up on the Northwest. If I was going to quad load with it now, I would take some off the port with sandpaper and a small file, bevel it, polish carrier and just smooth everything over with 600 grit paper. Then go where Vlad has done if you're serious or send to like what open class said.

[Vlad]

Here are some pictures of my complete hack job done with a dremel and hand files. One side is lowered more then the other, the fore end is hacked way forward and "smoothed", the easy loader and lifter are shortened and rounded, and harder to see the receiver is opened up forward and internally beveled.

I was certainly not careful with finish or cared if I scratched the crap out of it, as I know I plan to replace it, but you could add some tape and certainly do a lot less of a crap job then I did

Edited November 27, 2014 by Vlad

[glocklover]

Here are some pictures of my complete hack job done with a dremel and hand files. One side is lowered more then the other, the fore end is hacked way forward and "smoothed", the easy loader and lifter are shortened and rounded, and harder to see the receiver is opened up forward and internally beveled.

I was certainly not careful with finish or cared if I scratched the crap out of it, as I know I plan to replace it, but you could add some tape and certainly do a lot less of a crap job then I did

I might give it a try.

[Vlad]

The things you have to be careful about are don't lower the opening too far as there are parts in there that need to remain inside and when you throat the mag tube opening make sure you don't remove any metal from the tube itself and the bits retaining it, you can bevel it a lot and open it forward but go slow and stop when you think you can reload it well enough and its time to leave it well enough alone. If your follower feeds into your gun, you've gone too far

But really there is a lot of metal you can remove, just be careful and use your brain.

Start with removing the big chunk of forearm that gets in the way because until you do that reloads suck anyway, so get that out of the way before you work on the metal as it changes how your hand loads shells. Once thats done then you know what you are working with.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Vlad

[glocklover]

The things you have to be careful about are don't lower the opening too far as there are parts in there that need to remain inside and when you throat the mag tube opening make sure you don't remove any metal from the tube itself and the bits retaining it, you can bevel it a lot and open it forward but go slow and stop when you think you can reload it well enough and its time to leave it well enough alone. If your follower feeds into your gun, you've gone too far

But really there is a lot of metal you can remove, just be careful and use your brain.

Start with removing the big chunk of forearm that gets in the way because until you do that reloads suck anyway, so get that out of the way before you work on the metal as it changes how your hand loads shells. Once thats done then you know what you are working with.

Thanks for the info. I might give it a try.