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LockedBreech
08-03-2017, 01:08 PM
Recoil has police trade Remington 11-87s for about $520 and it occurs to me that I know next to nothing about these guns. What's the report from the field?

Lon
08-03-2017, 01:15 PM
Recoil has police trade Remington 11-87s for about $520 and it occurs to me that I know next to nothing about these guns. What's the report from the field?

Back in the 90's I had several 11-87s and never had a problem with any of them. The short barrel (21") guns wouldn't run low brass without tinkering, but they weren't designed to do so. Ran like a scalded dog with buck or slugs.

Couldn't say the same about a 1100 Tac IV I had 10 years ago. After the 4th trip back to Remington they sent me a check for the purchase price.

iWander
08-03-2017, 01:51 PM
What Lon said. And there's enough aftermarket support you can fix what you don't like and add on what you do

41magfan
08-03-2017, 03:04 PM
For that price, I'd consider doing this instead:

You can pick up a brand new 11-87 Sportsmen model for the same money. It's essentially the same gun with a sporting length barrel (vent rib 26" or 28").

If you have no need for the sporting length barrel it comes with, you can sell it and net enough to buy a brand new 18.5" bead barrel for $155 (or less if you shop around). Add an extended magazine tube of your choice and for just a few bucks more, you've got brand new gun. If you want more versatility than a bead sight offers, spring for a barrel with rifle sights and screw-in chokes.

My 11-87 barrel with XS Big Dot sights is a VERY useful configuration.

http://grabagun.com/remington-arms-co-guns-9881-1187-sptmn-12-26rcmd-blk.html
https://www.remington.com/shop/11-87-Barrel---12-Gauge%2C-18-5%22%2C-Bead-Sight%2C-Fixed-Improved-Cylinder%2C-Parkerized/p/F243880

ETA: Pics

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/913/UkbiGh.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pdUkbiGhj)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/673/nkDkED.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/ipnkDkEDj)

Wayne Dobbs
08-03-2017, 03:39 PM
I would never buy a Wally World grade Remington over a police gun. The police guns get several dozen more QC, fit and assembly steps over the rail carload guns. The 11-87 Police guns I've watched were really good guns. Perhaps DB will weigh in here...

farscott
08-03-2017, 05:22 PM
For those of us (like me) who know nothing about 11-87 shotguns, what should be checked and/or changed on a used 11-87? O-rings like on the 1100? Magazine springs?

Dagga Boy
08-03-2017, 05:49 PM
I would never buy a Wally World grade Remington over a police gun. The police guns get several dozen more QC, fit and assembly steps over the rail carload guns. The 11-87 Police guns I've watched were really good guns. Perhaps DB will weigh in here...

Yep.....anytime the Police Model is an option, it is the correct choice with Remington. You always want Police models, and older Magnums. The 11-87 Police guns were generally a solid semi auto. Not a Benelli, but did not cost close to Benelli money either.

41magfan
08-03-2017, 06:34 PM
For those of us (like me) who know nothing about 11-87 shotguns, what should be checked and/or changed on a used 11-87? O-rings like on the 1100? Magazine springs?

Most of the "bugs" were worked out of 1100/11-87 guns a long time ago. The O-rings and to a lesser extent the piston & piston seal rings need replacement from time to time with high round count use. Just like the 870, the extractor will tell you pretty quickly when it needs replacing. Volquartsen makes a nice aftermarket extractor that cost just a few bucks more than the factory part.

Like most firearms, they tend to work pretty well when they're clean, properly lubed and fed decent ammo. If you want/need a semi-auto SG to shoot 10k rounds a year through (or 1k a day shooting doves in Argentina) or a gun you can routinely ignore when it comes to cleaning, there are much better choices available - and they're priced accordingly.

Fordtough25
08-03-2017, 06:44 PM
I have one of the police 11-87s and it's awesome!! Mine feeds all types of ammo well and is quite accurate. Still sports the trijicon night sights. I'd buy another in a second, I had a new 2016 870 tactical and the action felt horrible. For a pump I'll stick with my 590a1 but for semi auto I'm old school Remington.

That Guy
08-05-2017, 08:29 AM
I have a regular consumer grade 11-87 that I'm not a huge fan of. It'll have to do for now, since I can't afford to replace it, but if I could have my pick I'd go with something different.

Quickly loading an 11-87 is, in my opinion, pretty much not going to happen without an aftermarket part - a Dave's Metal Works Easyloader to be specific. While this part greatly enhances how the gun works, it is a non-factory part and it is not a drop in modification. In fact the "gun smith" (read: village idiot) I paid to install the part specifically so that things would be done right, did not do things right, requiring me to fine tune the installation myself. I'm not sure if this is the reason why, but sometimes (maybe once in 100 rounds?) with heavier loads my gun locks open even though there are still rounds in the magazine, and it is difficult to get the bolt forward again. And since I have a 21" barrel on the gun, light loads don't always cycle the gun. My go-to buckshot loads do seem to work in the gun pretty well, but a less picky gun would be nicer.

The safety is designed to be used by a right-handed user, and replacing it with a left-handed safety takes another non-factory part. The replacement itself is super easy to do, but as US companies limit sales of firearm parts to overseas more and more, getting these parts gets more and more difficult. Fortunately, I have mine. (Unfortunately, I am dreaming of an 870 Police Magnum, simply because it was the gun used by our military back in the day and thus the first shotgun I've shot. If I ever manage to get one, I'll have two Remingtons, but only one left-handed safety... Perhaps it is a good thing there are no Police Magnums for sale in this country.)

The gun is not nearly as weatherproof as I would like. In fact a single day of shooting in heavy rain caused quite a few parts to develop rust.

Perhaps it's more me than the gun, but the internal workings of the gun seem excessively complicated. (Which goes back to "once in a while my gun malfunctions and I have no idea why".)

Options for shorter stocks seem few. Fortunately, I can manage with the stock stock.

Like I said, it'll do, but I don't think it's the best shotgun out there.

LSP552
08-05-2017, 11:04 AM
I have an older 11-87 SPS Camo that has been my nasty weather duck gun for maybe 15 years. LOTs of rounds of all flavors and not a single malfunction. It's hunted in the nasty more than once, and been covered in mud without issues. The fit isn't my favorite but for paddling around in the marsh and hunting from a Bobcat pirogue, it's been perfect.

Hambo
08-05-2017, 11:33 AM
A friend of mine had a 11-87 Police. IIRC his did not like Federal LE buckshot which was becoming all the rage at the time. After much work on it he eventually saw the light and bought a Benelli. At that time (mid-90s) I had a Benelli but was toying with the idea of an 11-87. Remington made some smoothbore barrels with RemChoke threads and a cantilever scope mount. Innovator that I am I was thinking one of those barrels and an optic would be the shit. IIRC it ended up seeming like too much money and fuckaround so I abandoned the idea. Now I'd just buy a 1301.

RevolverRob
08-05-2017, 07:39 PM
Options for shorter stocks seem few. Fortunately, I can manage with the stock stock.

Later model 870 stocks will fit 11-87s with minimal modification (may-require drilling the bolt hole out slightly to fit the action spring tube). The exception to this are some of the aftermarket 870 stocks, for instance, I don't think you could make a Magpul SGA fit, because of the way that stock is designed.

I admit I've a soft spot for Remmy Police-grade scatterguns and the 11-87 is a pretty good one. But having just seen our own Aridus Industries prototype their Magpul SGA to 1301 adapter...I'm kind of inclined to wait for a 1301.

Cory
08-06-2017, 12:55 PM
I have an 1187 premier, with a light contour vent rib, and a heavy slug barrel with cantilever scope mount. It's okay. I would far rather have a shorter, rifle sight barrel that could be used for slug or shot. Unfortunately finding a rifle sight, smooth bore, rem-choked barrel is kind of hard. I think I've seen some for around $200, but that seems steep to me. I am cheap though.

The shotgun doesn't put up with moisture very well. I came into the gun with both barrels, used around 2008/9. So maybe it's been really beat on by the previous owner... I'm not sure what the case is, but I know it will develop rust faster than any of my other guns. In the same condition as a number of other blued/park'd guns my 1187 seems to take half the time to develop rust as the others.

When I first got it, she absolutely wouldn't cycle short brass. A deep clean, and oil seemed to fix that. But I wouldn't count on her to be 100% with short brass. The gun has done fine with short brass target loads for a few thousand rounds at this point, but it's only matter of time until it stops cycling them well and needs another deep clean. I think the recoil spring gets gummed up. I can't say honestly if the trigger group had ever been dropped before I did though.

I would look closely at the lever that holds he shells in the magazine tube. When disassembling mine for cleaning I had a heck of a time getting the lever back into place inside the receiver. It may not be made to come out. I honestly never looked into it much, but I do know that if it comes out it can be a frustrating think to put back. I suspect mine has heavier than average wear.

The rem-choke system is the cat's ass. No tools needed, unscrew old choke, add new. Go from shot to slug, no problem. I really like that especially if you are thinking of a do it all shotgun. You could hit turkeys in the morning, change choke and shoot some slugs at hog, then change again and set it by your night stand. Its a simple system that works well. I like it. I know other systems are faster cycling, but I wouldn't call the 1187 slow. I've never been able to out run the trigger even when trying. It does the job. Mine only holds 4 shells, which sucks. But it balances fairly well and is hell on clays.

Would I trade mine with both barrels for a 1301? In a second flat. And I haven't even held a 1301. The Remington has a lot going for it, but mine has poor finish, wear, and does everything okay but nothing the best. I like it, but if I had to sell a gun it's the first to go.

-Cory

txdpd
08-06-2017, 02:41 PM
They are a full 2 pound heavier than a 1301 and a pound and a half heavier than a M2.

$520 is not bad price. They're nice to shoot, but can get heavy if you're spending all day in the field or at the range.

Lon
08-06-2017, 03:10 PM
I would look closely at the lever that holds he shells in the magazine tube. When disassembling mine for cleaning I had a heck of a time getting the lever back into place inside the receiver. It may not be made to come out. I honestly never looked into it much, but I do know that if it comes out it can be a frustrating think to put back. I suspect mine has heavier than average wear.

-Cory

As I recall, those shell stops are staked in and shouldn't come out during cleaning, disassembly, etc. but it's been a while since I've had one apart.