Early Remington 1100, 20-gauge on a 12 gauge receiver, according to Remington.

Mike Rafferty and I have been co-workers and shooting pals since the 1980s. He and I both became "orphans" at about the same time, several years back. During a talk about our fathers, he mentioned his father's love affair with trap shooting. Discussing some of the guns, Mike mentioned that his dad had been partial to the Remington Model 1100 Trap gun. I wasn't surprised. My dad was a bird hunter. His first choice in game bird medicine was the Remington Model 1100, this one a 20 gauge. I checked the Remington website and saw that the 1100 is still in production. During the 1950s, Remington was building three different autos at the same time. These were the Model 11-48, Model 878 and the Sportsman-58. Remington's first gas-operated shotgun was the Sportsman-58, introduced in 1956. Remington replaced their group of autos with a single gas auto gun in 1963. The Model 1100 was born. A semi-automatic, gas operated, magazine fed shotgun, the 1100 was built in the early part of the age of automation. You get more quality for less cost in hand-fitting, hand engraving and hand checkering. In its first nine or ten years, a million 1100s had been built. Within five more years, production reached two million. Model 1100 number three million came off the assembly line in 1983. I feel certain we're up to four million, making the 1100 an unqualified success. Why would anyone buy the Model 1100? One commentator called it "shooter comfort." In spite of its light weight compared to previous semi-auto shotguns, the Model 1100 gas-operated action softens recoil. It's comfortable to shoot even with heavy loads.

Not expensive, but classy, the 1100 was born in the early part of the age of automation in firearms manufacture.

Its balance and feel is reminiscent of a fine double shotgun. This is true for the 20 and 28 gauge versions, as well as the early full size guns with their light barrels. This was the era before screw-in choke tubes were common. The Remington Model 1100 is streamlined even though it has a receiver machined from a billet of solid steel. The walnut furniture is old school, giving even current versions a beautiful look. Its gas operation spread the shotgun recoil over time instead of the "jolt" familiar to non-gas operated guns. The sensation is one of reduced recoil. It's spread over time. According to Remington, the 1100 quickly took its recoil "reduction" to the competitive field and won accolades from skeet and trap shooters alike. Records have been set with the fine gas gun. Now in the era of sporting clays, we have another game where shooters cover the ground with empties. When there's lots of shooting to be done, the Remington 1100 is the gun you want to be shooting. I was a young teen when my Father brought the Remington Model 1100 home. I'm not sure, but I believe it got it used from John's Sports Center. A 20 gauge, it had a 28" vent rib barrel with modified choke. He'd traded an old, finish-bald 16 gauge double for it. The 1100 was a beauty. The walnut furniture was nicely finished and the metal work was smooth and dark. I hadn't fired shotguns when the 1100 showed up and I started on it. It gives a push on firing instead of a jolt. I could shoot it all day, but we got whatever 20 gauge ammo was on sale at Gibson's or John's.

The large receiver combined with the slender 20 gauge barrel make for an interesting combination.

The 1100 was sweet-shooting. It wanted to hit, even if my wing-shooting skills weren't up to it. Easy to get along with, I enjoyed my time with it. After I left home, I returned for a visit. Dad had another used autoloader, a 12 gauge. "I just can't seem to hit with the 20," he said. The finish was getting bald and he was going to take the gun to get it refinished. I later found out that he was suddenly hitting well with his 1100. What happened? "I took it in to get it reblued," he said, "and I was telling the gunsmith that I miss a lot with the gun." Okay, what did he do? Dad showed me where the smith put a spacer under the recoil pad increasing length of pull. He had long arms and the 1100 cramped him. He didn't sell the 12 gauge, holding it back for waterfowl. The 1100 got lots more use than the 12 though. As time went on, he got to the point he couldn't hunt any more and I ended up with the artillery. Along with the 1100, I got his Remington Nylon 66, a dandy Remington sporting rimfire. I checked with the Remington factory. The historian contacted me and said that, based on the serial number, Dad's 1100 was a 20 gauge built on a full-size frame "in or around 1965." It wasn't very old when Dad bought it used. For Mike and I, Remington Model 1100s mean a little more to us than most guns. They have an attachment beyond the technical aspects of gas operation, reliability statistics and comfortable shooting. I don't get to hunt anymore and Mike hasn't been shooting trap for years. The generation of our fathers was called the "Greatest Generation," something Tom Brokaw actually got right. They faced the Great Depression, the greatest struggle for freedom in human history and the Cold War. Hardly grim, both of them were quick to smile, to joke and to enjoy life. They faced life's struggles with joy. They were our instructors, people for us to follow. And they liked Remington Model 1100s. That's good enough for me. - - Rich Grassi