Home Forums Reloading 16 Gauge Society Remington 16 gauge

I have had Remington 31L in 16 for about 25 years that was my grandfathers. Used it exclusively before I bought a shotgun of my own so I have always had a fondness for the 16.

This past weekend I ran across a Remington 1100 with vent rib barrel, fixed IC choke darn near mint except for a scratch on the right side of the stock. I have and 1100 in 12 and 20 and had one in .410 which I regret letting it slip away to a friend which is even worse since I know where it is.

Question is how common was the 1100 16 in this configuration this is the first I have run across and I have looked through a lot of used gun racks over the years. Can’t wait to break it down and make sure springs are up to snuff and get this back in the field.

I've only ever seen a couple and they were plain barrel models good snag. Be damn careful of the o-ring I'll bet they are few and far between. IC choke will be the tits. Nice score..mb

Congratulations.

I also have the same huge sentimental spot for the 16 gauge as you do. My first gun that my Dad gave me was a 16 and I would comfortably say that I have killed more game with it than I have all my other guns combined. It put a lot of food on the table for sure.

Should be a 16 ga Standard weight and have an "X" as the last alplha in the serial. I believe that all parts, with the exception of the bolt, cartridge release and forend, will interchange with the 12 ga. Very good shotgun. I would just put in a new Recoil spring and O-Ring as long as its' broken down. Have fun.

Darrel

My understanding is the suffix should be a “W” for 16 gauge which this one has. As I am taking it apart for cleaning it appears all the parts are labeled with a 16. There is a 16 stamped on the back of the bolt and the trigger group has a 16 on it as well.

When I worked in a gun shop, they sent me to the local John Deere dealer for "O" rings. I forget the part number.


Not long ago, I scarfed up on a nice, old Rem "Sportsman" in 16 gauge. The barrel wasn't original to the gun, so I sent it to Briley in Houston, TX.
It now has three different choke tubes. 😃
My first gun (I was 4 years old) was a L.C. Smith 16. My grampa swore by the 16. For my 16th b'day, my parents gave me a 16 gauge shotgun.

I’ve only seen 2 or 3 in all my years in the Gun business.

My understanding is that the 1100 16 ga is a 12 ga with a heavier 16 ga barrel and a a 16 ga bolt. Or said differently a 12 ga that shoots 16 ga ammo.

At one time 12, 16 and 20 gauge model 1100s used the same receiver. Ultimately the 20 gauge was changed to the smaller 28-410 gauge receiver. The 16 was always a full size or standard receiver except for the bolt and some internal parts.

The 16 and 12 ga receiver are both the same in the mossberg 500's too. Only difference is the marking for the 12 is 500A and the 16 is 500B.

There are some slight differences in some of the internal parts. Namely the bolt for the 16 has deeper milling in the bolt so the extractors will be tighter on the rim of the shell and work better. But it's not a huge difference in depth.

Picked up a 16 wingmaster the other day, with intent on making it a turkey gun. Started looking for a short barrel with choke tubes ,( no luck yet). Sumtoy chokes said they could rework the barrel for one of their chokes, but really hate to chop the original barrel. Looked at Boyds for camp stock replacement ( they said forearm stock they made was for 12 ga and likey wouldn't work. Not as easy as I was hoping. Anyone done any of these modifications ?

What choke is the current barrel?

I don't recall ever seeing a shorter barrel for a 16 gauge Wingmaster. They did make a few slug barrels but those are tough to find and pricy if you do.

When it comes to Rem 1100 and 870 16ga parts, the pickings are thin. As are the guns themselves.

Yesterday at a gun show, I saw 2, 870 16ga guns. Both plain barrel in so-so condition, 1 28" Mod, the other 30" Full. Each priced in the $800 range. The 1, 1100 16ga plain barrel I saw, 28" Mod plain bbl, had seen better days. Price tag on that one was $1800!

I did talked to one vendor that always has a pant load of barrels. Asked if he had any 870 16ga VR bbls. It was one of those questions you almost surely know the answer to, but are surprised when you here otherwise. In short he had one - 26", VR, IC, as new.........$335. I took his card and am contemplating it.

Prices are crazy but honestly not a bad buy on that barrel these days. About 4 years ago in Cabelas I bought an older 16 gauge 870. Corncob style forearm with a modified vent rib barrel I think it was $350 . When I started the paperwork the sales guy mentioned it had another barrel. Ended up being a Simmons rib , poly choke 26" . I put that barrel on eBay a year or so later ( not a poly fan ) Ended up over $425 just the barrel.

Pretty much came to the conclusion that I'm gonna acquire the 26" VR IC bbl. Troutnut is to blame.

Fixed modified, I spoke with a gunsmith and he said he could shorten and thread the barrel for screw in chokes. But I hate to ruin the original barrel, would rather buy one already good to go.

For that much moolah, Briley (Houston, TX) can fix you up and you get three (3) choke tubes.

True, Briley can do the job and provide 3 chokes, for the same money as the barrel I'm considering. That said, there's something to be said about maintaining a modicum of originality.

The REAL unanswered questions is - how much did you steal it for ?

I've followed the prices on 1100 16ga for only a short time, but from what I can tell, the sky seems to be the limit on these. Classic Field versions fetch even more.