Firing 3" Shells from 2 3/4 barrel (Remington 1100)

JoeOnePack

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Hey guys,

I've scoured the Internet for solid confirmation that it can't be done safely or reliably, but I've got mixed answers. Can a 2 3/4 receiver handle 3" shells and will the 1100 cycle/eject a 3" shell reliably?

Thanks!
 
Crimped part of the shell needs room to expand into when fired. So although a 3 inch shell may actually fit into a 2 3/4 inch chamber it's not safe to fire, it can increase pressures.
 
Not suppose too. Young and out of money I tried it. It would peel off the crimped lips and the occasional whole plastic case. Wouldn't do it today now that I'm older and wiser, I think.
 
Done carefully a forcing cone reamer can extend the present chamber enough to allow use of 3" in most shotguns...whether they feed and eject in your 1100 is another question. You must have chamber diameter extended long enough that a fired 3" shell does not constrict the shot load during firing.
Side benefits include better patterns and potentially less recoil than an abrupt forcing cone.
 
There is a reason why the shell length is etched onto the barrel...............

There are many hot and/or heavy 2 3/4 shells that will meet performance expectations of a 3".
 
My bet is 100% it'll fire and 50/50 that it'll eject. Since it's your gun and of course you're welcome to do what you wish with your property, I'd probably recommend a mounted vice/string setup demolition ranch style if you're going to try it out :)
 
I've done it in old shotguns like others before I knew any better. I do not recommend it. Looking back the signs should have been obvious it was a bad idea, I consider myself lucky we never blew up that cooey.

I'd recommend finding or loading 2 3/4" to your tastes. I find the benefits of 3 and 3 1/2" shells all hype and a good case of diminishing returns.
 
If you decide to try to put one in you gun..check how it chambers first. Push it in by hand slowly and try to feel if it runs into the forcing cone. If it does and is tight, this might answer your question for how it will cycle.

Otherwise, will it explode? Not sure. The barrel is actually the thickest right at the end of the forcing cone. But shoving the shell into the forcing cone will increase the pressure in the shell, not the barrel. So I think the concern is the round exploding and blowing out the chamber or back into the action.

One other side effect of the shell running into the forcing cone is that it could double fire when chamber if the second shot.

Oh...and I would NOT try it with steel shot, not even for fun, not even if some stranger in a chat told me it was ok.
 
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You can shoot 3" shells out of an 1100 if you swap barrels. Since 1100s don't have a self-regulating gas system like many newer designs, the action will likely not cycle reliably with 2-3/4" shells and a 3" barrel.

An unfired 3" shell will physically fit into a 2-3/4" chamber because the length is for a fired shell. Actually firing it is unsafe because the crimp has no space to open.
 
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