What can be said about the Remngton 58 - good, bad, or indifferent? For whatever reason, they piqued my interest of late. From what I understand they were the immediate predecessor to the 1100, and Remington's first gas operated semi auto shotgun. What really intrigues me about them is that 870 barrels can be modified to work on them. (Who does the work anymore, I don't know. Maybe Ahlman's?) At one time Brownells sold a jig for drilling the gas ports in a 870 barrel so that it would work on the 58. I'm also lead to believe that 870/110 stocks will fit, and possible 1100 forends.

sounds like you already know a lot about them.
I have a 12 mag and a 20 ga. The 12 mag was a good friend of mine that died and I got his gun. It was his first shotgun and he sent it and had a Cutts Compensator put on.
Both guns have vent ribs on them.
They were made in 12, 16, and 20 ga.
I did see one in 28 ga at the Tulsa show but it didn't look factory built. Story was the guy that made it, worked for Remington and built it himself.

What can be said about the reliability and/or functionality of them?

Sometimes manufacturers replace older models because the manufacturing costs are too high ie; pre-64 Winchester model 70 vs post-64 push feed, Browning Superpose vs Citori.

Remington 58's are evolutionary dead ends. The 1100 is the result of the Remington's R&D improvements to the 58. Remington obviously felt that the 58 was not up to their standards of reliably and functionality or they would not have ended up with the 1100.

It may be that a 58 is sufficiently reliable and functional for your purposes, but no one I know shoots one for anything other than sentimental reasons. Mostly because it was an inheritance.

Mine have both run like a champ but I will admit, they don't get shot near as much as some of my other ones. Mag410 is correct, I only shoot my 12 once in a while for sentimental reason.
From what I have been told, the 12 ga mag is a little bit of a rare bird. I have been told that they did not make many of them, but don't know as I have never bothered to check it out.

From Field & Stream:

"The Model 58 was Remington’s first gas-operated, semi-automatic shotgun. It featured a magazine cap that you turned to adjust the size of the gas ports to allow the appropriate amount of gas to cycle the action for light and heavy loads. Because the gun was introduced in 1956, when everything was “-A-Matic,” the feature was of course called “Dial-A-Matic” load control. The Model 58’s gas system was located inside the magazine tube, limiting its magazine capacity to two shells. It came in 12, 16, and 20 gauge and it contained many shared parts with the Remington 870.

Remington came out with the 878 in 1959. In place of the Dial-A-Matic magazine cap, it featured a Power Piston that handled 2 ¾-inch loads without adjustment. Both guns remained in the Remington lineup until 1963 when they—and the long-recoil 11-48—were all replaced by the 1100, which was a much more modern, durable design, especially when it came to holding up in clay target competition.

That’s not to say the Model 58 wasn’t a fine hunting gun. It was if you kept it clean and didn’t try to mix light and heavy loads".

I started my deer hunting career with a Remington 878 back in the late 60's, from a 15 year olds perspective it was a great shotgun and much better than my cousins bolt action JC Higgins lol

I have one. Was my father's. I modified several 870 barrels for it. Stocks do interchange. They are a little fragile and are really fussy about being kept clean but they are easier to clean than an 1100 for detail work.
I've shot trap, using an 870 TB barrel, skeet with an original barrel that I cut and sweated on a B-Square (no longer available) adaptor for Winchoke tubes, and built up a slug barrel using a riot barrel with sights silver soldered on.
My son now has it and shoots dove and pheasant. Its target days are long gone.
BTW, the adjuster on the magazine tube is cool. I learned that you use light setting for slugs.
Pretty neat design but the 1100 and then 11/87 were better.
We shoot 1100s now for skeet and trap doubles.

I had one with a vented rib and a cutts comp on it. I was helping a gunsmith blueing muzzle brakes and such. He cut the cutts off and fit the barrel for screw in chokes. At a finished 21” it handled very well and I killed my first limit of doves with it.
I later found a 870 barrel with choke tubes and I drilled the gas ports and used the gun for duck hunting. I really liked that gun. I had refinished the stock and matte blued both barrels and ended up trading it on on something I cant recall.
It was a good shooting gun that I should have kept. Although a 1100 is probably better gun but I prefer the 58,

BTW, the adjuster on the magazine tube is cool.

My Buddy blew the adjustment off the end while using magnum loads and was set for target loads. As I remember the settings were H & L
I dont know if it was a first time firing that way or many times

I've got one in 20. Haven't shot it a lot but it's reliable and handles pretty well.

Currently own a 20 and a 12,sold the 16 I had recently.Im looking for a vent rib barrel for the 20 now so it will match the 12. I've been looking at 870 20 gauge barrels to drill.Any help would be appreciated yall.I grew up hunting with a model58 12 gauge and I just like how it fits and swings.

Is the 20 made on a 12 gauge frame?

Yes

Who do you have in mind to do the drilling?

I did my own with a hand drill and number drill from Brownells. That was probably 20 years ago and the correct drill bit size eludes me. I think the instructions were in one of the gunsmith kink’s books. It is not all that difficult, you have a template in the old barrel.

Brileys,when I find a vent rib barrel

When they were new,skeet shooters loved them. Many bought two so they would have one to shoot while the other was getting fixed. Told to me by one of the old timers at Peoria Skeet and Trap.
Kind of like old Jaguar drivers, one to drive til the other gets out of the shop.
Mine has had a lot of use and no breakage but needed lots of cleaning.

I shot competitive skeet for couple decades, only fella I ever saw shoot a 58 showed up on my squad at the World Shoot with 2 of them. He caught me looking askance at the pair and and said "they like to be in pairs, they wont work if you separate them".

I had one for a while and it was a good reliable shotgun. I sold it eventually but kept the extra barrel because it was bored off center a bit, enough to be obvious and the buyer didn't want it. Later I tried it on a 12 gauge 870 and it worked just fine. I don't know who you could get to drill the needed ports but surely any good machinist could do it.

they were good, had quality issues, rem made the 1100 and never looked back.
I shot a 58 skeet 20ga with sunwood blonde wood and noticed how flimsy the parts were and sold it pretty quick. it was kinda quirky to take the bbl on and off. but it pointed and broke birds very well.
but it did sound like a person sleeping in a brass bed as it squeeked, boing'ed, and rattled when operated.
I remember smiths of the time mentioning the trigger group was the weak link of the gun. many operations depended on all the parts being in perfect harmony.
and so entered the 1100 to fix it.
if memory serves me right, wayne mayes shot a m58 and won numerous world titles with it.

Maybe a different model than a 58. How are parts flimsy ? Gun is a 870 with a couple changes. And why would it be quirky to remove the barrel, it comes off just like a 870. Unscrew the cap pull off the barrel. As to making noise never had one do that, maybe possible but unlike a A5 or model 11 the main spring is inside the magazine tube and trapped to the action arms. The gun is really a simple design and the only thing that bothered me was the magazine cap. Since I seen one and only one that failed. I worried if I shot a hi base with the dial set for low base it might fail.
I have seen one changed to a 870 all that would require is a forearm and action bar and a magazine spring and retainer oh and a 870 trigger group.
I believe a 1100 is a better gun but I do like the 58.

My father had one and the only real problem he had with it is that the operating handle would pop out on occasion. I would try to find a spare.

As a little tyke, I can remember him trying use one of his keys in the bolt to unload after a dove hunt. I don’t remember if I heard any bad words that day. 😳

I had a Benelli do that in a duck pond opening day. The birds were flying and decoying a key helped. As I remember on the 58 there is a ball and spring that keep it in place. Maybe your dad needed a new spring.

I have had to (not on a 58 but other guns) file the little detent notch a little deeper to keep the handle in place. That might help you keep the handle in. Don't make it bigger, just deeper.

I'll be taking my 16 gauge Sportsman 58 to a dove shoot tomorrow because I shoot it better than any other shotgun I have (many to choose from). Has been nothing but reliable since new in the early '60's. Have never had a problem with it or my 12 gauge '58 and they get shot a lot at birds (I don't shoot any clays). Learn to take apart the gas system in the magazine tube and you shouldn't have any problems. I love mine.

I used a 16 gauge 58 for many years quail hunting. It came with a full choke barrel, but I bought am improved cylinder, to quail hunt with. Really good quail gun. miles

Picked a nice one this past weekend vent ribbed gun.
Unfortunately its a full choke barrel. I may buy the tooling to open it. I have a couple others that could use a more open choke.
I think I did well @$300 uncut stock and very clean.

Full choke or not, I'd have been on it for $300.

Yes full choke, although I haven't checked it yet. Its looks cool next to my vent ribbed 11-48 12ga. I do miss my old 58 I cut it at 21” and had it threaded for chokes. That was a sweet gun. First gun I limited on doves 10 birds 14 shots. Did you find someone to drill your barrel yet? If you are interested in reading on how to do it send me a pm and I will find the instructions and scan it for you. You can send me email or phone#
I did it and it was pretty simple.