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Remington 11-70

9.6K views 17 replies 17 participants last post by  Rick Hall  
#1 · (Edited)
Remington 11-87

Anyone out there have any experience with a Remington 11-87? I'm looking at one to buy. I hunt mostly pheasant.
Thanks, Rick.
 
#5 ·
Well, 1187s have been around for 22 years, so they must be doing something right. That said, I would rather buy a used one from the first 10 years of production (give or take) than a new one. Either way, if you have problems, the parts are easy to come by and any gunsmith that can't fix one . . .

In my opinion they are a good gun, and if you have experience with 1100 or 870, they are the same basic size and shape, so you don't have much of an adjustment to a new feel. I don't have anything bad to say about them, but I believe there are better guns out there.

Is there a reason the thread title is "Remington 11-70" ? I assume that was a typo.

NR
 
#6 ·
I purchased an 11-87 as soon as it came out. I've never had a problem and it has been through a lot of abuse i.e West Texas and Western Oklahoma sand while goose and crane hunting.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I shot the 11-87 Premier sporting clays model for about 3 yrs the gas piston system was similar to an 1100 but the weakest part of the 1100 is the little .10 plastic o ring which they failed to improve upon after the 1100, that and the extractor arm. In fact most skeet shooters I knew carried multiple sets of O rings,piston rings and an extractor arm. The 1100 and 11-87 are still some of the softest user friendly autos out there. Be careful if you buy a newer model with Rem Bore chokes they are not interchangeable with older Rem models. I would buy an 1100 G3 if I were to buy another Remington auto because the receiver and inner parts are teflon coated and the outside has a tough as nails exterior...
 
#8 ·
I think the 11-87 is a great auto-loader for the price. I have a couple of friends that have put thousands of rounds through theirs without a single malfunction.

They will also cycle anything from the lightest trap loads to magnum waterfowl loads, without any adjustments. The recoil is light, they are easy to clean and parts are easy to find. I also like a steel receiver, which the 11-87 has.

I have heard of problems with the 3-1/2" version though...
 
#9 ·
I've had an 1100 for about 17 years now, and it still remains the best shotgun in the cabinet. A couple of years ago I joined a trap shooting league. I ended up shooting the remington because it worked the best for that. One guy on our team does this religiously, so had a custom shotgun made to fit him specifically. This was a $10,000 single shot!!! One week he was having a little bit of a bad day, and was my best day ever, I shot a 48 out of 50, and he shot a 47. So my $300, crappy, beat up 1100 out shot him!

Both the 1100 and the 1187 are good guns, but you must clean them well and make sure not to over lubricate them, just enough oil to coat the surface. I now only use my 1100 for deer hunting, and still no problems. My buddy does have the 3 1/2" version, and it works fine if he uses heavy loads, no field loads for that gun.
 
#10 ·
I've had 1100's and have an 11-87. They are one of the best autos out there

IF you follow Tom's advice and don't oil the gas rings

BUT the 11-87 is too heavy for me to use as an upland gun.

It's my go to gun for field trials because of the low recoil. I like it better than the Berettas. I also have Benellis and a trusty Franchi AL48 that's light enuf to carry all day.
 
#11 ·
I have an 11-87 3 1/2 inch. It is very heavy for walking all day hunting pheasant. I didn't have many problems until it broke in half (several years of hard duck hunting).
 
#13 ·
I owned and shot an 11-87 for many years and used it often for upland. I liked it a lot until I started shooting sporting clays. For some reason it just didn't like to cycle light loads.

I've since sold it and moved on to several other guns, but for years my 11-87 was a very reliable field gun.
 
#14 ·
I owned and shot an 11-87 for many years and used it often for upland. I liked it a lot until I started shooting sporting clays. For some reason it just didn't like to cycle light loads.

I've since sold it and moved on to several other guns, but for years my 11-87 was a very reliable field gun.
Mine didnt like light reloads either until a veteran skeet shooter took me to a gunsmith who made the gas ports a little bigger to cycle the 7/8 and 1 oz 12 ga loads..they only bad thing is that it would spit the brand new AA hulls 10 ft away
 
#15 ·
I have had an 11-87 Special Purpose for nearly 20 years. Never had a problem w/ it besides having to buy a new gasket ring (cost me .99 cents).
Bought an 18" rifle sighted smooth barrel for turkey & use the 26" barrel for everything else. Great gun in my opinion.
 
#16 ·
I have 2 1100's (not all that different), and they are sweet guns. All steel (very little, if any aluminum alloy, etc) so it is heavier. Couple that with the gas system and it is the softest shooting auto out there. However, some think a little too heavy, and you have to keep the gas system clean. Also have to replace the aforementioned rubber O-ring every once in a while. That's all there is to it. Still the best auto for the price.

That said, I now shoot Benelli as it is lighter, balanced better, and doesn't need cleaning NEAR as often.
 
#18 ·
I shot my early 11-87 very well, but it had to be kept squeaky clean to cycle, and I'd end every season with a callous on the heel of my hand from shoving the operating handle home. And from what I've seen of those through my commercial blinds, the model has remained one of, if not the most problematic semi-autos.

Perhaps they're like the 1100 that seemed to come out of the box ready for anything or destined to be a boat anchor no matter what.