Remington 58 / 1100 / 11-87 Semi-Auto Shotguns

Model 58: The model 58, sometimes referred to as the Sportsman 58, was the first gas operated Remington shotgun. It was introduced in 1956 & discontinued in 1963. It used basically the receiver section of the 870, a modified 870 barrel, and somewhat the marriage of the action slide/forend system of a 11-48 recoil operated gun, converted to make it gas operation. This gun was made in 12, 16 & 20ga 2 3/4' chambering & a separate 12 ga 3' magnum version. The barrel sported a ventilated rib. This model only holds 2 rounds in the magazine as the recoil spring is inside the forward end of this tube.

The gas system was not self regulating but required the shooter to adjust the regulator to match the loads used. This regulator also acts as a magazine cap has a Hi & a Low setting. This is regulated by twisting the end cap to where the marks line up for Hi or Low. This means that if you are using a 'trap load', your should use a Low setting, & where a heavy duck load is used the Hi setting would be more appropriate. If you allow the cap to get stuck between settings & fire the gun, the cap will blow off the regulator base. If this happens the gun will probably not function properly with any load, as it is trying to utilize both the Hi & the Low port holes. The internal holes are different in size & quantity of numbers for each of the gauges.

Therefore firing pins, extractors, extractor spring & plungers and many of the trigger group parts are the same as for the current model 870.
Operating handles are the same as the model 1100 or the newer 11-87. Much of the trigger group will be the same as the 1100.
The action bar assembly is different & only for the 58. And there were 2 different types of these depending on the date of mfg.
Buttstocks off an 870 will fit. Forearms will be a problem to find, as any of the newer models do not interchange. And used 58 forearms come at a premium price.
Barrels are obsolete, but new barrel can be made by utilizing a new 870 barrel and drilling a gas orifice hole to accommodate the gas. If no existing barrel is available, take a look at a 1100 barrel to judge the angle of the hole. Determine the size of the hole by the chart listed below. The conversion of a 870 barrel to a 58 is usually not within the scope of the average home gunsmith, as the hole has to be EXACT, or the barrel is ruined.
GAS PORT hole sizes : On gas operated guns the gas port hole size is critical for the ga. and the load of shot. Listed below are normal specifications.

Description: Gas operated 5-shot autoloading shotgun Introduction Year: 1963 Year Discontinued: Currently in production Total Production: N/A Designer/Inventor: Wayne Leek Action Type: Autoloading Caliber/Gauge: 12-gauge (1963), 20-gauge (1964), 16-gauge (1964),28-gauge (1969),.410 bore (1969) Serial Number Blocks: N/A Grades Offered. 1963 Vintage Remington Model 1100 Shotgun in 12 Ga. W/ 30' 'Modified' Barrel. 1st Year Production. SOLD Description: First introduced in 1963, the gas operated semi-automatic Remington Model 1100 shotgun quickly became one of America's favorite shotguns. Remington introduced the model 1100 in 1963 just prior to the introduction of address zip codes which started in July 1963. I believe that this box dates to around that same time line i.e. Just before July 1963 as there is no zip code printed on the box itself or on the box label-see pics. Remington model 878 12ga Field Description: Remington model 878 12ga field grade.The 878 was the immediate predecessor to the 1100 and was only built between 1959 and 1963.It is a gas operated semi auto similar to the 1100.This gun has a 28' plain barrel choked modified.It retains 98% of the original blue and wood finish and is totally unaltered and original.This is a very hard gun to find. Since serial numbers were not required until 1968, your firearm may not have a serial number. For models without a serial number, we may be able to determine the age by the 2-3 letters that are stamped on the barrel. If your firearm does have a serial number, if you will call or email us the serial number and model number we can determine the.

Model 878: This model was a transition between the 58 & the later 1100. It came into being in 1959 & discontinued in 1962

Model 1100: This model apparently became available in 1963. The standard frame model was designed for 2 3/4' ammo & came with a plastic buttplate. Chambering was for 12, 16 & 20ga on the standard frame. The 28ga & 410 used a narrower frame & many times the wood was Mahogany which was lighter. There was a 20ga Light Weight which used the same receiver as the 28ga. The 3' magnum 12 & 20ga versions came with a rubber recoil pad. It could have been had with either a plain barrel or a ventilated rib.

It was different in the gas system in that it used 2 inverted taper gas pistons & initially used a steel ring as a seal around the magazine tube in the barrel hanger bracket. This steel ring was later replaced by a neoprene O-ring. There was a floating gas piston & bleed-off slots in the hanger bracket. The barrel had gas ports drilled so it aligned with the front of the piston which aligned with the front of the piston behind the seal. This piston pushed the action bars rearward which was attached to the breech bolt carrier, which was in turn attached to links like the previous 11-48 model used. This then was driven against a recoil spring housed inside a tube inside the buttstock again like the 11-48.

This system function pretty well as a self-compensating unit.

1963 Remington 1100 Serial Numbers

The stocks were walnut & incorporated pressed in checkering. There were a few Left Hand versions made.

Gunsmithing the 1100:The guns need to be kept clean to function properly. Trap shooter would purposely buy 3' guns & shoot 2 3/4' trap loads in them so that the guns would not eject the fired cases on the firing line so they could recover the fired cases for reloading. Many times IF the gun was recently cleaned it may occasionally eject even the fired trap load. But let it fire a box of ammo & then it would function (or function like they wanted) & not eject.

One thing to check if it malfunctions is to check the gas O-Ring seal. These need to be cleaned & or replaced if much gas is flowing by. At this time be sure that the piston & the piston seal are in the correct relationship, otherwise the barrel will not seat against the receiver properly & the gun will malfunction. So when you take it apart, be very observant & replace it the same as you took it apart. The older guns had a picture decal on the inside of the forearm showing the proper sequence of assembly. If you get in a bind & can not locate one of these O-Rings, go to a local automotive store & purchase a distributor shaft O-Ring for a older Dodge slant 6 engine.

For better service in wet weather, replace the gas piston & seal with the newer 11-87 stainless version.

The firing pin coil spring was replaced about midstream with one that looked like 2 it was 2 springs tied together that someone forgot to cut into. This was for a reason, in that the original one long coil had a tendency to break in the middle & then one tail would bind inside the other, possibly binding the firing pin from retracting. This new spring has better support.

At the time when steel shot came into use, Remington had a few barrels burst. They did some tests & discovered that the barrels at that time were roll marked with the name, model & caliber right over the front part of the chamber. This apparently set up some stress in that area. So, they moved this roll marking farther forward thereby eliminating this problem. Therefore the factory recommended that no steel shot be used in the older barrels with this rear roll-marking.

Also the guns may not eject reliably with steel shot even with the newer barrels, depending on the ammo make & load. If this is the case, then a gunsmith could open up the gas port hole a drill size, check fro function & do it again if needed.

On gas operated guns the gas port hole size is critical for the gauge and the shot load. Listed below are normal specifications.

GAS PORT hole sizes : On gas operated guns the gas port hole size is critical for the ga. and the load of shot. Listed below are normal specifications.

Remington 1100 Serial Number Dates

The model 1100 uses a “C” clip called the Intercepter latch retainer, std size #15398, with a thicker #15661 to be used if when fitting the standard retainer, the latch is to loose. This should be installed with the sharp side toward the shoulder of the stud, otherwise the clip may not stay for long as it is stamped out of sheet steel & the top side of all stampings is sharp, while the bottom side will be slightly radiused before it is pushed thru the stamping die.

The early guns used a intercepter latch that sometimes the spring's tail would pop out of position behind the latch & bind things up inside the receiver. The cure for this was to replace this latch with a newer style that had a lip that the spring was retained behind.

The intercepter latch stud in the receiver becomes battered or broken, the gun needs to be sent back to the factory for repair.

The action spring follower was originally made of steel. This could rust & bind inside the tube. Replace it with a new aluminum follower. Also the action spring could get rusty, (especially if the shooter was a duck hunter & sat in a blind with the buttstock in the water), figure on replacing these springs often for hunters who get the gun wet.

Check the barrel magazine bracket occasionally for the spring loaded detent still there & functioning. The magazine tube cap has detent grooves all the way around on the underside. These mate to the plunger & hold the forearm cap from unscrewing. If the cap comes loose, the barrel then becomes loose & weird things begin to happen.

If you get erratic feeding, you might consider checking the magazine spring. This spring has to force the live round rearward with enough force to trip the lifter latch. replace the spring if any doubt exists.

And last but not least, the gun has to be 'backed up'. This means the shooter has to hold the stock tight against their shoulder. The gun needs a strong resistance since when firing, the internal parts are trying to move, but if the gun is also moving the same direction because you are holding it loosely or even if you are wearing a goose down vest will soften the recoil enough that the gun may not function reliably. Visualize the gun tied to a couple of ropes from a tree, loaded & the trigger pulled. The gun will move rearward under recoil & the system will not eject because all the energy is being exerted rearward, with nothing to resist.

The fire control unit, (trigger guard assembly to most of us) is pretty well designed & usually only needs to be cleaned occasionally. The one thing that will break more than most other parts here may be the lifter dog, which is a small spring loaded metal piece that is attached to the rear of the lifter that stops & holds the action open on the last shot.

Model 1187: This model was introduced in 1987 as a improvement to the 1100 in 12ga only & toted by the factory as the Premier. The 1100 is still made in other chamberings. Rem-Choke screw in choke system was introduced in with this model in 1987.

The extractor was widened, apparently for improved extraction. The gas piston & seal was made in stainless steel .

Remington 1100 Parts

Remington 1100 Serial Number Search

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