16ga.com ~ View topic - Field Review -- Remington 1100 16ga and Various Shells

I have just returned from my second, late-season trip to SD to chase roosters and sharptails. Knowing that the birds are well-educated and well-feathered by this time of the year, and anticipating the wind would be howling across the prairie making them relatively spooky, I elected to make my 28" 1100 the primary gun for this trip, on the basis that a third, fourth, and sometimes fifth shot would be handy. The gun was choked with the RemChoke tube supplied at purchase, marked IC, which generally patterns at a Light Modified. The shells used were Winchester Super-X 1 1/8oz 6's, Kent Ultimate Upland 1oz 6's, Remington Express 1 1/8oz 4's, and Fiocchi Field 1 1/8oz 4's (apparently no longer available).

The 1100 is a pig -- heavy and balanced too far forward for my taste. According to my bathroom scale test, the gun is all of 8 lbs, which showed after the second day. It was great for the long passing shots and incomers when blocking, but difficult to maneuver quickly on the flushed birds, making long shots common as the birds caught the wind and sailed toward the next county. Function with all shells used was flawless, with zero failures to eject or feed. Cleanup upon return was not particularly difficult, but definitely more involved than with my O/U's.

As for the shells, the winner in terminal performance was the Kents. The kills were much cleaner, which I attribute to the harder shot being able to penetrate feathers and fat and break bones. The smaller shot did not appear to be a handicap, although I would certainly like to see Kent step up and make the load in 5's or even 4's. The other shells did kill birds, but many times a second shot was needed after clearly hitting with the first. During cleaning, the #4 and Winchester #6 pellets (I was able to discern between the Kent and Winchesters because the Kents were bright, and the Winchesters dull) were often deformed, but the Kents were basically unblemished.

Despite the weight and handling of the 1100, I probably will use it again for future late-season hunts. However, I definitely will stick with the Kent shells, unless I can find a suitable alternative.

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Houston

That's good info, LT. Thanks.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

I practice with my 1100-16 a few weeks before hunting to get used to it's handling and for me---lack of weight.Being used to a ten pound o/u skeet gun -I added a mag cap weight to gain another 12 oz.

A Citori Lightning Feather is my go-to gun for the bulk of the season. At ~5 3/4 to 6 lbs, it points like a conductor's wand and at the end of 5 straight days of hunting, I still barely notice any fatigue. Maybe I should hoof the 1100 around a bit more earlier in the season.