Which ammo for your Remington 1100 3"magnum.

James066

James066

Member
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
Location
New Brunswick
So if you were like me you probably asked yourself the same question before firing your 1100. Will this gun cycle smaller size shells with the single gas port in the 3"Magnum. I wasn't sure if this was posted here already, I didn't see anything on the search. I had read online of people saying that 2 and 3/4" shells weren't cycling so I thought I'd go out today and do a test. Was firing trap and used the following ammo and here were the results for your information. Also just a note the weapon was stripped down completely and detail cleaned prior to this.

Imperial 3" Magnum #4 Shot, Steel- I had assumed this would fire fine but 4 out of 20 shells did not eject properly.
Winchester X 3" #4 Shot, Steel - Zero issues out of 25 shells.
Federal 2 3/4" target load - Would not cycle the gun at all and had to manually #### every round.
Remington 3" Magnum 1 3/8"bb, Steel - Zero issues out of 20 shells. (Side note on these which I thought was kind of cool....I got these shells from my grandfather when he gave me the gun and they had our last name engraved on them)

That's all the data I have for now, I'll add more as I shoot more but it seems pretty clear that the gun will only cycle 3" shells. Hopefully this will be helpful to anyone with the same gun, so they don't buy 2 3/4" shells.

Also if you're wondering why I was using #4 shot it's simply because it's what the guy at Canadian tire recommended. If there is a better one for trap I'm all ears.
 
Well - you weren't shooting trap at an organized range, so the distance to the birds in unknown. People generally use smaller shot for shooting clay birds - say 7 1/2 in lead. However, you wont likely find 3 inch shells in 7 1/2. You might want to try max drams (called hi-brass) 2 3/4 in lead shells, as they may have enough oomph to cycle your gun. Otherwise, for the sake of economy you could shoot the standard promo loads in 7 1/2 and cycle the gun manually.
Imperial shells are made by Challenger here in Canada. Some people, including myself, have experienced Challenger shells sticking in their chambers and not extracting. Sounds like your gun has this sensitivity - just avoid the Challengers if you cant live with the FTE's.
 
Yup we were just hand throwing them out....was pretty random each throw for the most part. I will check out those hi-brass the next time I'm out. The Challenger shells weren't sticking in the chambers but only half extracting, kind of sticking out of sideways of the chamber.
 
Drilled another hole in my barrel. I'll mark it accordingly if I ever sell it. I only shoot target loads with it and I cycles fine. If I really ever wanted to use it to hunt, I'd tap the hole for a 4-40 set screw and plug it. Haven't tried anything heavy since I drilled it. I assume it will beat the crap out of the gun.
 
One does not need to shoot 3inch number 4's that are recommended by the clerk at crappy tire.
It only takes one pellet to break (chip) a flying clay bird and yes simply stating the obvious here imo (for what it is worth)

You didnt mention the brand of ammo that was recommended , so thats a start for further recommendations.

Personally, if one wants to play in a gravel pit with a thrower some clays and some shells then spend the money and shoot the name brand stuff.
Winchester AA's or Federal or Remington in 7-1/2 shot and you are good to go.

Clean your gun to get rid of any carbon build up and crud/un-burned powder lube with some G-96 and when done wipe it down to remove any excess (my opinion your choice may vary)

Check the rubber O Ring for any damage( should be perfect with no nicks or scuffs and with proper care should last a very long time..I believe Remington uses a Viton Seal.
How about the action spring have you checked that?

Just to skip back a little I see you had some issues with the Federals and not sure why, but they are designed for a multitude of action types...maybe a polishing of the chamber is in order...

Rob
 
I've cleaned the gun thoroughly as per Brownells particular 4 part maintenance instructions for this model of shotgun. Swapped out the O ring. I'm planning on changing out the action spring anyway as it's a cheap part. Also adding the Dave's metalworks easyloader. The two boxes recommended by the clerk were the Imperial and the Winchester. From what I've read I think the Federals wouldn't cycle due to the fact they were 2 and 2/4" and not producing enough gas. Aside from the Imperials I had no issues with all the other 3" shells I fired.
 
I used to have a pair of 1100 shotguns 3 in. 1 would cycle just about anything except for light trap loads, the other would only cycle 3 in. shells. No difference in them that I could see. Need a could kick in the backside for selling the 1100 that cycled most everything. I have seen a recommendation to open up the hole in the barrel for better operation, not that I would recommend it. I did some work on an 1100 2,75 in chamber that had a steady diet of 3in. It was getting beat up in the receiver area. Semi auto shotguns can be a headache some times.
 
Yup I never would have bought a semi auto shotgun....I'm actually in the market for an 870 at the moment. But I inherited the 1100 from my late grandfather so without question I'll be keeping it forever for sentimental value. Will likely just be a dedicated trap/skeet gun for me.
 
Well - If its an older gun, chances are it is a fixed full choke. If this is the case, the choke would be sub-optimal for pasture clays. One option is to look for another barrel - say 2 3/4 with a modified or improved cylinder choke. This would cycle the cheap promo loads, and give a good pattern at 20 yards. If you ever had the chance to shoot formal skeet, this barrel would be the ticket. The original barrel would fit the bill for formal trap.
 
Last edited:
Well - 3 dram is about the lightest you can get. 3 1/4 and 3 3/4 dram weights are also available in 2 3/4 in shells. I would expect the 3 3/4 dram shells to cycle the gun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom