Remington 11-87 Super Mag Malfunction

nunn

It's a Super Mag, 3 1/2" chamber. Barrel has been bobbed to around 20 inches.

I cleaned it up and test fired it. All I had on hand were some 2 3/4" heavy field loads. They fired, but would not extract. After firing, the bolt remains closed with the empty in the chamber.

The gas ports are clear. It appears to me that the gun is assembled correctly.

A friend who had a Super Mag 11-87 exhibiting the same symptom says it is the O-ring. The O-ring is present and appears OK, but it should be easy to replace.

I haven't tried the gun with heavier loads, but I plan to try some 3 1/2" shells and see if it still fails to extract.

Ages ago, one of the cops around here had a Remington 1100 with a sawed-off barrel, and it wouldn't work. All the innards were good so far as we could tell. I figured the short barrel was allowing the pressure to drop too quickly when the shot charge exited, and suggested to the owner that he find a drill bit only slightly bigger than the gas ports, and drill them out. He did, and the gun worked.

Any ideas?

georgiaboy

I had an 11-87 that wouldnt cycle once, just as yours the o-ring wasnt torn or pinched but it had flattened a little. replaced it and all was good.

I had same thought about short barrel pressures but think I would replace o ring and fire some 3 and 3 1/2 shells first and if to no avail would then consider enlarging ports. IMO

UNLIKE THE 1100 THE 11-87 WAS DESIGNED TO CYCLE A WIDER VARIETY OF LOADS SINCE THE GAS SYSTEM WAS UPDATED. MY 3 INCH VERSION WILL CYCLE ANYTHING FROM LIGHT 1 OZ TO 3 IN. TURKEY WITHOUT A PROBLEM

Ambrose

I borrowed a 3" 1100 from a co-worker to duck hunt. When I ran out of 3" shells and switched to 2 3/4", I had a single shot. I'll bet if you try 3 1/2" or even 3" shells, your gun will work fine.

JIM STARK

Barrel too short...Try a longer barrel...Should fix the problem...
JIM..........

tsr1965

David,

You are exactly correct...there is not enough barrel to provide the needed gas pressure to operate the action. A couple thousandth's of an inch larger will do...however you want to make sure it is not too violent with the 3 1/2's too.

Ever wonder why most LE only SBS are either 2 3/4", or pumps? Now you have your answer.

Best

EDIT 1

quote:I also own a 11-87 and had the same trouble with jamming, until I replaced the o-ring with a factory steel one. I keep my gun clean, and have not had a problem since. The short barrel thing, might be correct, but you can buy factory new mag shotgun's with short barrels?? I forgot to mention that I had to bend my shell lifter just a tad, because it would hang up. If memory serve's me correct the mag's only have one gas port, while the non mag's have two( I think)so if your o-ring is brittle, or gas port is clogged it will not cycle light round's.

Bad part of that is, that Remington does not make, nor does anyone else make a steel O-Ring for the 11-87. They are either Butyl, or Viton, the Viton ones being more expensive, and wear resistant, by about 5 times, than the Butyl.

The gas ports are made in the barrel, in accordance with barrel length. They are not a one size fits all type of deal. The shorter barrel, will have larger ports, to compensate for the amount of back pressure needed to operate the action.

Best

Sam06

quote:Originally posted by tsr1965
David,

You are exactly correct...there is not enough barrel to provide the needed gas pressure to operate the action. A couple thousandth's of an inch larger will do...however you want to make sure it is not too violent with the 3 1/2's too.

Ever wonder why most LE only SBS are either 2 3/4", or pumps? Now you hace your answer.

Best


+1

If you are going to sell it I would either get another barrel for it that will work or sell it without the barrel, that way you will not get a bunch of grief over it and you won't have to say it does not work.

If you want to keep it I would get a new barrel or a used one. You may be able to get a gunsmith to drill out the gas ports so it would work.

hector15

I also own a 11-87 and had the same trouble with jamming, until I replaced the o-ring with a factory steel one. I keep my gun clean, and have not had a problem since. The short barrel thing, might be correct, but you can buy factory new mag shotgun's with short barrels?? I forgot to mention that I had to bend my shell lifter just a tad, because it would hang up. If memory serve's me correct the mag's only have one gas port, while the non mag's have two( I think)so if your o-ring is brittle, or gas port is clogged it will not cycle light round's.

hector15

tser 1965, you are right, and I stand corrected. In my 11-87 I replaced the o-ring and the piston ,and the piston seal. My SP10 has the steel ring which I purchased from Brownell's, part# Reming #94186. Thank You for the clarification.