Steel shot barrel gas port diameter

[creepingdeath2]

On a Remington manufacture 28" "Steel shot" barrel I just acquired it has two gas ports- one factory looking, another looks to be home gunsmithed. I measured what appeared to be the factory port and it was .083". The other was the same where it entered the bore, but at the flange start it was larger and higher in location- location at the bore however appeared perfectly opposite the "factory" port.

I need to know if the barrel was supposed to have a single port or two and what the sizes are (this not a "designed by Remington" barrel like the new ones, but a manufactured by Remington one).

It could be somebody was too cheap to buy a regular barrel and opened the factory port and added another of that size.

If so then I might have a usable non magnum field barrel with a "slightly long" chamber

If the factory port was not opened too much (or opened at all), then I can silver solder the other closed and put it back to "Magnum".

I've had a couple of older non Remchoke magnum receiver and barrel rigs and they shot light
field loads in warm weather just fine.

On my last magnum receiver I put a new "Steel shot" barrel ("designed by Remington") and it needed AA Superhandicap to run OK in the dove field. Low brass light charge rabbit loads in the cold ran it single shot.

No big deal........it was a nice barrel- rib machining didn't match the receiver though, so that irked me, enough to sell the gun/barrel combo.

Now I find a barrel that might work....got it cheap too (all else looks great).

Depending on what info I get here, the barrel will be put back to magnum config (if I can) or modified in better fashion (new flange soldered on) for use on a reg receiver as a steel shot dove barrel.

Steel shot port diamater, for Remington manufactured 12 gauge barrel, and number of ports if other than one, is the info I need.

Thanks, CD2

[Virginian]

Okay, first, I will assume we are talking Model 1100 barrels, and second, I have not seen a 28" Remington, either manufactured or designed by, "Steel Shot" barrel. If I had, I wouldn't have had to buy a 30" version and have it shortened to 28". The only ones I have ever seen listed for sale were 26" or 30".
I believe the specs call for one 0.076" gas port, the same as a 'normal' 20 gauge 3" Magnum 1100 barrel. A 12 gauge 1100 Magnum barrel is supposed to have one 0.073" port. For reference a standard 2-3/4" field or trap barrel is supposed to have two 0.079" gas ports, and a skeet target barrel should have two 0.086" gas ports. I assume these differences are to accomodate the different loads and the different action bar sleeves, and assure reliable operation within the dynamics of the situation.
I got a very early one, and it would not cycle reliably with steel shotshells, even the heaviest I could buy. I called Remington about it, and they advised me to open it up one drill size. Back then I was selling guns, and I had conversed with the people at Remington on several things, and I think they sort of trusted me to know what I could or could not do reliably, warranty wise. Unfortunately, I do not remember what size it was, but the single gas port now mikes at 0.077". Interestingly, my factory 1100 3" Magnum barrel which has never been modified, mikes at 0.076", and I had another one that did too, so I am thinking there was an error in that gas port size table I copied, but I am not positive.
I have used my modified "Steel Shot" barrel on standard 2-3/4" receivers with the standard action bar sleeve, and on Magnum 3" receivers with the magnum action bar sleeve, and I have shot everything I know of; steel, lead, tungsten, bismuth, whatever, mostly the heaviest 3" Magnum stuff I could find thru it with no problems. I would not advise anyone else to do the same, but if they do, I would sure keep an eye on the buffer if it were me.
I do not know what you would call your barrel, but it has clearly been bastardized. I would think it would be okay to use as is with light target loads, but keep in mind that you have a magnum action bar sleeve and once you get that going it is going to hit home with additional authority. If I wanted to do anything else, I think I might look at having both holes silver soldered closed, and then re-drill the factory one back to 0.076" and try that as a Magnum/"Steel Shot" barrel. I have had very variable experience with 1100 Magnums as relates to lighter 2-3/4" loads. One would cycle with about anything, and another one would only work reliably with 2-3/4" Magnums, and a third was in between, and I could not measure any differences. Good Luck.

[creepingdeath2]

It is an 1100 12gauge barrel that tapes from muzzle to about a 1/4" or so into the receiver at 28".

It says "2 3/4" and 3" magnum-steel shot" or something very close to that. I don't believe it has any "receiver directions" on it (I left it at the shop so can't get to it until Mon).

It has a single bead, silver, the correct old style rib machining, has the Remington manufacturing info on the other side (so is not Hastings).

It is a Remchoke barrel, tubes fit flush at the muzzle, the choke tube machining in the barrel concentric (kind of rare for a period and there is a slight step from the bore to the choke tube.

From the above I would suspect the barrel a true 28".

If Big Green didn't offer the barrel as an accessory, maybe they had it on some limited run rigs?

I know not everything they make shows up in catalogues (way back I got a blued fluted varmint synth 700).

I'd like to find port diameters from a new style 30 and 26" steel shot barrels, see if there's any difference due to barrel length, and to know what the new diameter really is.

I'm thinking about having a new ring soldered on, with field ports, and opening one to steel shot correct diameter, tapping the extra for a set screw (to plug).

Of course this assumes that the home smithed port added previously was in the correct spacing from the original.

I also assume that if somebody went through the trouble of shortening a longer barrel to such well done effort, that the port adding would have been as nicely done in craftsmanship.

By such deduction, it looks like some cheap arse took a slightly rare factory barrel and mucked it up.......usable, but not done perfectly.

So now I'm looking for an 1100 barrel ring of steel shot single port factory dimension, or a standard field model dual port (no larger than .079").

Hmmmm, a blown or bulged ahead of ring standard barrel ought to offer a good donor.

Need to call Dom at B&M.

[Virginian]

Okay, you're sure it isn't an 11-87 barrel. Maybe someone did the same thing I did and had it shortened and retapped for the RemChokes, who knows, but I would bet money Remington has not offered a 3" Steel Shot RemChoke barrel in 28". As big a fanatic as I am for 28" barrels I would have noticed. I bought a whole 3" Model 1100 because it had the old rather hard to find 28" fixed choke 3" barrel.
The single port size on the 26" and 30" barrels is the same. You don't start to get into issues with port diameters with shorter barrels until you get down below around 21", if I remember right.
The single ports are the same degree off center from 12 o'clock inside the gas ring as both ports are on a regular barrel. The barrel gas rings are not drilled until after they are silver soldered to the barrels, and then they are drilled as a unit. I don't think they sell the gas rings separately. I think the angle relative to the bore axis is more important than the circumferential angle of the ports - relates to how the gasses and minimal solids enter the gas system.
Two things I see you could probably do without too much difficulty. Drill and tap both holes and then have the allen screws drilled to the right hole size(s), and of course a blank too. Or, silver solder them both and re-drill one.
Good luck.

[creepingdeath2]

I thought about that (1187 barrel modified).

I have seen that twice (1100's stuffed with stock 1187 barrels- in both instances they were bought and never test fired........as one guy found the error when he got home, sold the barrel and ordered the correct one, the other guy bought the gun used and somebody had ground on the inside of the receiver for the ejector mod.......totally messing it up).

My barrel says "steel shot" on one side, and I thought all 1187 barrels were steel shot compatible and if non target were pressure regulating..........so on an 1187 barrel there should be no need for such lettering ( doesn't mean they didn't do that though).

If it was an 1187..........wouldn't it have two ports already? (the second port should have been on location).

If this was an 1187 barrel, and they did put "steel shot" on some, then the ring might have been taken from an old 1100 magnum donor, that then requiring the "need" for the second port.

The shop has an 1187 in it, so I'll compare tangs tomorrow to note differences.

Millers does new rings. I've sent him an email explaining my situation, he advises against my soldering the port closed (as would most 'smiths, since many folks stretch their skills considerably with a keyboard).

I have a class 2 manufacturer bud, who has the knowledge and tooling for me to get it done right locally. I'd prefer to do it myself.

Discoloration of the barrel is no big deal (from resoldering), I have a bluing guy close, but figured if I got it back to mag config I'd bead blast and Gunkote it.

I haven't checked if the smith will sell me a ring or not, or sell one to my class 2 manufacturing bud.

If he won't, if I can find a bulged 1100 barrel for parts that'd be cool.

I have sealed the b*stard hole and will do a light load test tomorrow ( to check the plug and to also see what the "stock" hole does. This will be on a 2 3/4" rig, as I don't have a magnum around right now.

If the gun fails to cycle 100% with a lighter sleeve then the "factory" port could be OK. If it doesn't mess up with the lighter "standard gun" sleeve, then I need to test it on a magnum. if the light loads mess up on the magnum (due to heavier sleeve) then it could still be OK.

Running that port, on a magnum receiver with Superhandicaps ought to yield 100% function, as that was the threshold on the magnum I had last year using a steel shot barrel of 26".

I have shells from the same lots (light and handicap) so the testing should be pretty decent.

Understand that for a good and proper test I need to run the new barrel on the same magnum I had, as there might have been differences, but it was stock.........so whatever differences there are should not (but might) be influential.

[creepingdeath2]

I checked an LT 20 skeet, a full size 20 and a new 12 gauge...all three 1100's had a rounded edge triangle proof mark, as does my "Steel Shot" barrel.

The LT and full size had a single letter an inch ahead of the triangle proof, which my SS barrel also has.

The new 12 gauge and the 1187 do not have a letter ahead of the triangle (and the 1187 has no triangle proof).

The 1187 was a 12 and of roll mark receiver "engraving".

The full size and LT have comparable end of rib machining at the muzzle (7 or 8 serrations). So does my SS barrel. All three also have a slight ring on the rib larger than the bead.

So by the above, it appears that my barrel is a legit 1100, of factory length. Somebody could have taken an 1187 rib and barrel rings and swapped them on this barrel, but then I would have expected comparable workmanship with the barrel porting.

(edit: but then what about the apparent 1100 only proofs?)

Here are some pics:

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/9029/magnum.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8310/ilionny.jpg

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5089/1100proofs.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8168/ssbead.jpg

[creepingdeath2]

Factory "Light Target" 2 3/4" lead shotshells would not eject fully. Bolt travel was enough to get them to hang up in the ejection port by their bases (not simply close back leaving them in the chamber).

I tried some heavy lead field loads 2 3/4" (heavy, but not magnum) and they ejected fine.

Put back to magnum config, I bet it won't work with steel dove loads. Looks like pop's 1100 Trap won't be going to the F&W field this year.

Oh well, I snagged an SPR310 in 20 gauge for that, need IC and mod steel tubes and it's ready to rock.