Model 11 16 Gauge Questions

[Twister]

Remington suggested I check here since they were unable to provide answers to my questions.
Serial # is 1548*** , barrel is stamped AL. Right side of receiver is stamped with 1 running pheasant,
left side is stamped with 1 duck. Magazine holds 4 shells. "Model 11" is stamped on bolt.
Looks to me from checking your production info on this site that it was produced in 1942. Remington
said "around 1947." What do you think?

Barrel is 27" and has what looks to me like a factory installed Polychoke. Does anyone know
if Remington installed these at the factory? Or were all Polychokes aftermarket add-ons?

Also can anyone tell me would this model gun have left the factory with a butt plate or recoil pad?
The stock was cut so it's missing about 2.5" LOP.

Thanks for your responses.
Jim

[Researcher]

During the period your gun was made, Remington factory Poly-Chokes were milled integral with the barrels, jus like their ribs were.

[Twister]

Researcher,
Thanks for posting the great photo. The barrel on my gun is exactly the same.
Any idea as to what grade my gun is? I know it's not a sportsman
since it has the full size magazine.

What about the buttplate vs. buttpad issue? I've never owned a model 11/A5 type
gun before so don't know if adding a pad will compromise operation of the recoil
system, but a pad would give me the extra LOP that I need since the stock is
chopped.
Thanks,
Jim

[35Rem]

pads weren't standard, but could be added by the factory. I would venture that most were added later. There are a LOT of Model 11's out there with recoil pads added. They work just fine.
if you need the length, add a pad.
I try to find examples that haven't been changed, as the length of pull on standard guns fits me pretty good. It's not easy.

[Researcher]

When The Sportsman was introduced in 1930 as a 20-gauge they had a rather elaborate three-bird roll-stamp on the sides of the receiver,


Ad from June 1931, Field & Stream

while the Model 11 continued to have a plain receiver. This remained the way they were finished through at least 1936. By 1938 the roll samping was reduced to one bird on each side and was used on both The Sportsman and the Model 11.

[Twister]

Researcher, thanks for posting the great old ads. It's fun reading them.
Wish this gun were a Sportsman because I like the idea of a 2 shot magazine, but I can't complain too much.
Besides the short stock, it's really in great shape and it really smokes the clays.
Love the way Remington integrated that Polychoke.

35rem, good to hear that a recoil pad should not compromise the autoloading mechanism.
I shot a round of trap with 1 oz loads through it last night with a slip on Pachmayr and an extra half inch of foam
between wood and pad to get the LOP right. It would not cycle the rounds, but I had the friction rings set
for heavy ammo. That was probably the main reason not cycling, but it got me to questioning whether adding
a grind to fit Pachmayr pad was the right way to go or not.

One more odd thing about this gun is that it does not have the semi-circle notch on the bottom of the
ejection port. Is that a feature unique to the 16 gauges? It looks like the guns in the ads all have them.
It made getting the pin out of the bolt a bit of a challenge

Jim

[Researcher]

The little semi-circular notch seems to be a time period thing. My 1938-vintage 16-gauge Sportsman has it while my 1941-vintage 12-gauge and 1948-vintage 20-gauge don't.

[Twister]

Thanks Researcher, good to know.
-Jim

[scoobyowner]

Doesn't the sportsman model use a plug to reduce magazine capacity from 4 to 2? I think yours is the sportsman model, someone just took the plug out

[Researcher]

No. The Sportsman was a three-shot gun and the Model 11 was a five-shot gun. After the Federal Migratory Waterfowl Law the Model 11 came with a plug to reduce its magazine capacity to two cartridges. I guess Remington continued to build the Model 11 for places like Alaska that doesn't have a plug law for upland game.

[35Rem]

Not to sound like a smart alec, but there are other things to shoot with a shotgun besides migratory birds. 5 shot guns can be plugged to 3 shot, but the Sportsman can't be readily made into a 5 shooter.
The Sportsman was a niche type design for migratory bird shooters and skeet shooters.

[Twister]

Regardless as to how Remington initially marketed the Sportsman, I like the idea of the smaller magazine for upland hunting.
When you're lugging the gun all day in the field, there's no need for that long 4 cartridge tube and fore end.
I sort of view it as a Remington variant to the Light Twelve/Sweet Sixteen on the A-5s. No doubt the Browning design is a classic,
but I think it benefited from some trimming up in areas, especially for the field.