Question about the Model 11 Sportsman 16ga I just bought

[Researcher]

"The Sportsman" was introduced in 1930 as a three-shot version of the five-shot Model 11 20-gauge also introduced that year. Model 11 20-gauges had serial numbers beginning at 1,000,000 and "The Sportsman" 20-gauges had serial numbers beginning low, 1?, 100?, 1000? The old between the wars factory ledger, available on our web site, is missing the first page of "The Sportsman" 20-gauges. Page 94 begins in March 1937 at serial number 14,149 and ends February 14, 1938, at serial number 16,753. In 1931, the 16-gauge Model 11 was introduced with serial numbers beginning at 1,500,000 and "The Sportsman" was introduced in 16-gauge with serial numbers beginning at 200,000 and 12-gauge with serial numbers beginning at 500,000. "The Sportsman" serial numbers were usually preceeded by an S.



In the early 1930s, "The Sportsman" had a three-bird roll-stamping on the sides of the receiver and the name "The Sportsman" was roll-stamped on the side of the receiver.



In the 1937-8 time frame, Remington Arms Co., Inc. revised the roll-stamping to one bird on each side of the receiver and started putting it on the Model 11 receivers as well, and they began roll-stamping Model 11 or "The Sportsman" on the breech-bolt at about this time.



They also dropped the separate serial number sequences for "The Sportsman" and began numbering them right along with the Model 11s. XTT would be a December 1948 date code. Remington Arms Co. was still cataloguing the Model 11 and "The Sportsman" in their 1948 catalogues. The Model 11-48 and "The Sportsman 48" didn't appear until the 1949 catalogues. Safe to say your gun is one of the last. With a Full choke marking on your barrel it is safe to say the Poly-Choke was an after-market installation. In those years when a gun was ordered from Remington with a Poly-Choke, the device was milled integral with the barrel --



and there would be no choke marking on the barrel.

[Virginian]

To the best of my knowledge, Remington did not install PolyChokes on existing barrels. They were only available when ordered on new guns. I do not know of anyone but PolyChoke who installed/installs PolyChokes (they are still in business), but I am no expert because I never cared for them since I had an adjustable choke on my first gun. Nor did Remington restamp the manufacturing date codes. When they have had a design change/upgrade, they have come up with identifying marks to be able to tell when a gun has had the factory upgrade, but they did not change any existing markings. That looks like a standard PolyChoke Deluxe model, with the ventilated sleeve.

[Bagarocks]

I just bought a Remington Model 11 Sportsman in 16ga tonight. The serial number is 1585830. On the right side of the barrel is R.E.P. On the left side of the barrel is stamped FULL, then something that has been obscured, then XTT. The muzzle has a Poly Choke on it. I guess that XTT would be the date code, Dec 1948. Since that is after the Model 11s were produced, does that mean that this was a gun sent back to the manufacturer for repair, or possibly to add the Poly Choke? Does anyone have an idea of when serial number 1585830 was produced?

The gun is very clean and in good shape, I paid $350 for it.

I have the same model with the same polychoke and markings. my Serial # is the same as yours with "41" at the end. ETT Oct 1948. Paid $300. Just finished putting it all back together. Just found it funny that I look up a post and find my 11 is 11 #s away form yours on the production line.