The Remington Model 1100 Shotgun: A Classic

I remember distinctly when my dad officially upgraded my youth model, single shot .410 to a 20 gauge.  For a couple years, I had been hunting with his Remington 1100 20-Gauge, and he had been using the 12-Gauge that belonged to my grandad - Pappy as we called him.  I remember the day he told me I was responsible and comfortable enough to load all 3 rounds into the gun.

I also remember a pretty special gift I got for my 15th birthday.  My dad handed me an envelope with a letter telling me the story of how he went with my Pappy to pick out their Remington model 1100s when he was in 5th or 6th grade from a collector.  He talked about hitting a perfect round out at our local Trap & Skeet club, and some of the great dove hunting doubles and triple he remembered.  He talked about how the gun represented many fond memories of hunting with his Dad, and then the letter closed telling me that the gun now belonged to me.  That was one of the coolest gifts I could have ever received, and every opening day, there’s an added excitement to the fact that I get to add to the memories, the great shots, and the…few…but occasional…misses (everybody who dove hunts knows how hard it gets when the dove start flying in with the winds from a front!).

I like to think of myself as a gun fan.  Maybe one day, a collector, but more important to any collection than the quantity, is the history of your guns.  I know the personal history of my Remington 1100 20 gauge well, but what I didn’t know for a while, was how the Remington 1100 came to be.  So I started doing a little digging, and found out the history of this remarkable piece of craftsmanship.

The concept for the Remington Model 1100 was originally developed by renowned firearm designer Wayne Leek in the late 1950s with the goal of developing a shotgun that could be used across all walks - hunting, sporting, law enforcement, etc, and he wanted it to be semi-automatic.

When it was first introduced to market in 1963, Remington began with a 12 gauge model -  it quickly became known as one of the of best designed guns of it’s time, the gas-operating action reduced the recoil felt by the shooter, and was the smoothest cycling action at the time of its creation.  The 20 gauge and .410 variants followed soon after.

One thing I, and many others still love about the Remington is what was the original (and still available) beautiful appearance that comes from coupling the blued steel receiver and barrel with a glossy walnut stock.

The new and current Remington Model 1100’s are generally targeted at sporting clay competitors, but you can still get your hands on them.  Don’t discount going to your local gun store and checking out the used selection.  Remington Model 1100’s hold up incredibly well against the test of time and some of the most beautiful options can come along from the used gun rack.

Most importantly though, whether its a Remington Model 1100, or any other shotgun, use it to make some memories on the sporting clay course, shooting skeet, dove hunting, quail hunting…wherever that may be!

Here at American Duke we stand behind gun safety and responsibility.  Always point your gun in a safe direction, look beyond your target and be mindful of your surroundings before firing, and remember a gun is ALWAYS LOADED.  Clean your gun regularly, store it unloaded, and store it in a safe place.