A couple years ago I got some police trade-in 870's and refurbished them for my sons.  At the time I got to wanting a semi-auto.  I tried a Stoeger M3000 but it didn't make my heart sing.  I've been shooting 870's since for for about 40 years now.  So I got an 1100 to work on.  This is what I started with:


That's an 1100 from 1964 according to Remington, has a 5-digit serial number. It started with a 30" plain barrel with a pedestal and bead.  So far I've cut it to 19" (So I have room to face the barrel, it will end up about 18.75), refinished the stock and added a recoil pad.  The forend was cracked, and painted green then painted brown.  I got it stripped and the crack fixed and reinforced.





I had to enlarge the ports.  Still have to face the barrel, fix the grip cap, finish the wood, I'm adding the XS DEA sights.  I'll finish the metal in Norrell's Moly Coat.  I need to get a few parts like springs.  The recoil spring tube is caked full of crud.

Hope it works well for you.  Those 1100’s always seemed so ammo finicky in my experience to trust them.

love my 1100, looks good

On my bucket list.

You know, I've heard that too. I read it a lot on forums about how they absolutely wont run (insert specific load).  I think, based on my working on this one and doing some research, there is some truth to it and a lot of 'lore' that gets repeated by people that don't have first hand experience.  Not saying you don't have experience.  That said, I have spoken to some who have had ammo issues themselves but they are usually not as adamant about how picky they are.

What I think is happening a few of things...
    1-people buying an 1100 magnum and trying to run 2 3/4" shells of any kind.  That for sure, 98% of the time will cause issues.
    2-people buying an  1100 with a "Police" barrel and try to run anything other than buck or slugs.  Those barrels are not ported for a wide range of ammo.  They work great with the buck or slug since they were designed for that, but the barrels are not ported for anything else.
    3-people getting an 1100 sporting model and cutting the barrel down.  the ports are designed to work with the original barrel length, think about it as dwell time on an AR.  Cut the barrel too short and you have to open up the ports.  If you don't open them, or if it is on the edge it can be ammo sensitive.

The fact of the matter is that a factory 1100 with a 26" or greater barrel with run anything you put it it.  The skeet models had smaller ports so they would shoot softer but they would still run anything.  

If you cut a barrel down or want to use light ammo in a short barrel of any kind, you might have issues but it's really a simple matter to open the ports and then all is good.

Solid work!  It will run great once you get that Holley on it.

I have shot a lot of trap with this one.  It also came with a cracked stock and a plain barrel.  I bought a new forend and vent rib barrel and had the gun K-koted.  I installed a new gas ring and Viton o-ring, Scatterguntech safety and extended bolt handle.  There is also some rubber buffer around the firing pin that will eventually disintegrate, so look into that.



Standard 1100s will run standard ammo all day long.  This gun has been 100% for me.

There's lots of projects in the photo!

UPDATE-
 In the original configuration with the 30" barrel it ran everything from 7/8oz target loads to light magnum buckshot.  After cutting the barrel it would only run the light magnum Hornady buckshot.  It would not run Winchester Ranger low recoil buck.
I very slowly, one drill bit size at a time, enlarged the ports.  The ports started at .081" diameter.  Everything  I read said the ports should have been .079".  I don't know why and it really doesn't matter but there you go.  I opened both ports to .106" diameter.
At this point it will run light target loads and barely eject them.  I suspect if I ran a few boxes of the light target stuff I would end up with some failures to eject.  I don't intend to shoot target loads so it makes no difference.  #8 3dram equivalent game loads ran fine.  I think this is where it needs to be.  I'll be able to practice with wally world bulk pack of dove loads and it will still handle the heavy buck and slugs.

I'm waiting on some replacement parts, springs and buffer then I will Moly-coat and finish the wood.  I'm working on a replacement grip cap just because.

I understand the Italian guns and most people love them but I really like the old 1100's, I only have one now.
But I agree with the long barrels running anything I've put in them, My current gun has the old factory 21" rifle sight barrel on it and it's iffy with reduced recoil 00 but very solid with everything else I stuff in it.
I keep mine clean and fairly dry and it just chugs along. I'd hate to know how many shells my grandad ran thru it.
They are very sleek, for lack of a better word.

Looks good.  I like it.

I agree with the above - I worked in a gun repair shop in the 1980s, nearly all 1100 problems resolved with port size for the gun/load proper barrel, broken gasket replacement and good cleaning.  Just before and during hunting season we would get a big influx of 1100s with similar issues and quick fixes.  They are reliable when understood by the owner how to maintain them.

Back then in particular there weren't as many non-US guns on the market, and owners were more concessional hunters - many folks would shoot a lot and not clean or the other extreme - hunt once a year and put away wet/dirty, and expect them to work next year.

When you cut down, you may have to open the port a little.

I borrowed an 1100 magnum from a friend once and he told me to use high brass shells................I have an 11-87 with the barrel cut down to 21 inches...........I have yet to shoot any low brass shells in it ........but it functions fine with high brass.........BTW Remington has stopped producing the 11-87

Any updates?

I never understood why Remington made a separate 11-87 model at all. If it's basically just an improvement on the 1100 design, why not just implement those changes into all 1100 production going forward and just keep producing them as 1100s. Just new and improved, 2nd generation 1100s.
Why keep the older design in production alongside the newer version that's basically the same thing but better.

My hunch is marketing combined with the customer expectation in the 80s that all shotguns be compatible with 3" magnum whereas the legacy of 1100s was there were different parts for each shell length version.  You need a reason to go out and buy a 11-87, and its I can hunt everything in the same gun no mods in theory - If it didn't have a new name, why buy it?  Marketing with product improvements= new model = new reason to buy

Where'd you get the XS DEA sights? I don't see them on the XS website.
Also, any updates?

@sclearman

I love my 1100’s. I never had the problems people talked about and all I shot was whatever I could get cheapest. Outside of the super high volume clays guys I’m convinced that OP is correct in that most of the stories are third hand rumor type situations.

From XS direct.  They aren't listed in the catalog but they have them.  I'll look and get the part numbers I ordered.

As far as updates go, I've got it all finished with one issue.  The sights shoot low with slugs and buck.  XS has been great and they can get different height rear blades but.....there was no specific instructions on where to mount the rear base.  The barrel has the largest OD very near the receiver, getting a bit smaller as it moves toward the muzzle.  The base has a slight contour on it, which to me made it look like it should be on the 'slopeing' section of the barrel.

I think my easiest first attempt to fix the issue is to remove the base and move it back to the larger OD area nearer the receiver.  XS told me the sights were meant for 14" entry barrels.  Not sure but the barrel length must have some effect on it.

Using a 12 ga laser chamber insert projected on a far away wall/object when you are figuring out placement of sights would help.  I've been there and done that before when I was cutting down a Form-1 shotgun.  The laser will help get you close - it doesn't take much movement of a barrel lug on a tapered barrel to throw you off -

This what I used for 12 and 20ga fiber optic sights.
Did it in the evening,  using the side of the shed at 30 yards.
Worked every time.