# Remington Sportsman 48



## natureboy

My Father inherited this old Remy Shotgun, from his Father. We don't know much about, and can't find much online. It feels like a nice, tight, clean working gun. Whats every ones opinion? Is it reliable enough to use many times out in the field or should it just become a great addition to the Gun case?


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## wyogoob

The Sportsman 11-48 was a cool firearm, but can be tricky to operate. They are very light for a semi-auto. I had a 12 ga and a 20 ga, give one of the kids the 12 gauge. It's the first semi-auto I ever used. They have a big mechanical action spring like the old Brownings semi-autos. There's an internally-beveled ring over the end of the tubular magazine that fits on the end of the action spring. It's marked for "light" and "heavy" loads. I would practice some with it. Usually the "light" end is for low brass, "heavy" for "high". Some loads will jam the empty in the receiver if the ring doesn't match the load.

The springs don't last forever and once they get weak the empties jam. Last I checked the springs were hard to find. I got my parts from a guy in Minnesota who specialized in Remington Sportsman 48s and 58s.

My 12 is a full choke, as were many everyday shotguns of the period. I had it opened up to a an Improved Cylinder so it would shoot slugs better. I remember it took a fine bead, and I had a file groove on the top of the receiver, slightly to the right. My 20 gauge model 48 is a collectors gun and I rarely shoot it.

Again, be sure to run your favorite loads through it and see how they cycle.


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## wyogoob

Sportsman 48 in 20 gauge:


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## sawsman

natureboy- I say shoot that baby! guns are meant to be shot. :wink: 

Nice pic goob! geeze how many guns you got?


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## wyogoob

sawsman said:


> natureboy- I say shoot that baby! guns are meant to be shot. :wink:
> 
> Nice pic goob! geeze how many guns you got?


Ah.......two...and a bb gun. :wink:


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## natureboy

I took the gun apart, cleaned and lubed up everything. I took it out shooting this past weekend, after every shoot the shell wouldn't eject, the bolt will come back about 3/4 of the distance the actions moves and then re-close without ejecting the shell, I would have to manually pull the action back to eject and re-load. I'm not sure what the problem is?


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## wyogoob

natureboy said:


> I took the gun apart, cleaned and lubed up everything. I took it out shooting this past weekend, after every shoot the shell wouldn't eject, the bolt will come back about 3/4 of the distance the actions moves and then re-close without ejecting the shell, I would have to manually pull the action back to eject and re-load. I'm not sure what the problem is?


There's a ring on the end of the recoil spring. It slips over the magazine tube with the recoil spring. It is beveled on the inside. On a 12 gauge it should be marked "low" and "high". Is this piece present?. On 12 and 16 gauge 11-48s that ring has to be in the correct position matching the loads you are using; low brass is light, high brass is heavy.

I have that part, but I can't find it.


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## Al Hansen

I got mine when I was 12 yrs. old for Christmas, lets just say a long time ago. (12 Guage) It came with 2 barrels , a vented rib and a polly choke. Still have it for sentimental reasons. It was a great gun. DO NOT feed any 3 in. in it. Mine shot low and high base without issue.


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## wyogoob

Al Hansen said:


> I got mine when I was 12 yrs. old for Christmas, lets just say a long time ago. (12 Guage) It came with 2 barrels , a vented rib and a polly choke. Still have it for sentimental reasons. It was a great gun. DO NOT feed any 3 in. in it. Mine shot low and high base without issue.


Yeah, good point, no 3". I loved those 11-48, a very light shotgun with none of the problems inherent to piston operated semi-autos. But the power spring assembly could be troublesome. I remember buying cheap shells made in Canada that often stuck. That reminds me, they were paper, all shells were paper then. geeze

2 barrels....any vent ribs?

Anyway, as the recoil springs see age, use really, they get weak, then it's important that the collar be in the position to match the loads. The 20s and 28s had a similar contraption at the end of the recoil spring but it didn't swap. After continued high brass use this piece would get smashed some, changing the recoil spring travel distance slightly, but enough to stick the empties on exit.

The recoil action is similar to Browning's Model 5 design, very much like the action still today used on semi-auto pistols. And some of these pistols have the same problems as the old 11-48; certain rounds that they just don't like and won't eject.

Got any paper shells left AL?


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## Loke

So, 'goob, is there any gun that you don't have?


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## wyogoob

Loke said:


> So, 'goob, is there any gun that you don't have?


I have some firearms, but only keep a couple around the house.

I grew up close to the Army's small arms developement center in Rock Island Illinois. Many people were, and still are, engaged in firearm manufacturing, repair, and collecting. My dad built custom stocks. He was a walnut guy....He cut the trees, quarter-sawed them, let them dry for years, then made boards, and then furniture and gunstocks. He was always tinkering with guns.

My youngest boy has my 12 ga 11-48. I could go get my 16 gauge 11-48, I think it's the same.

The problem he's having with his 11-48 killed the model, IMHO. They tried different recoil springs, with and with out the collar. Remington then came out with their piston operated 11-58. I had one of those, briefly, it was a piece of junk.


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## wyogoob

Here's a pic of the beveled collar, or friction ring. It goes on the end of the recoil spring. One bevel is shorter than the other; a "hi" and a "low", for high or low brass.










I googled the 11-48 action and learned some things:

> Not all 11-48 12ga guns had the friction ring. The skeet model is an example; it was designed only to shoot low brass.

My 11-48 16ga is a skeet model and it doesn't have the friction ring. It has a recoil spring follower like my 20 ga.


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## natureboy

Here's a few pictures of the recoil spring assembly, the friction piece attached to the spring says "This end forward toward muzzle for all loads". I got the gun all back to together, I was working the action and noticed that when the bolt runs over the trigger assembly its very tuff to pull back, obviously it will be a little tuff, considering its re-****ing the firing pin. what do you think?


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## wyogoob

That cylindrical piece should come off of the spring and have another part inside.


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## natureboy

the Friction ring attached to the spring doesn't come off, and its pretty clear to me that there isn't any other part in there.


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## wyogoob

natureboy said:


> the Friction ring attached to the spring doesn't come off, and its pretty clear to me that there isn't any other part in there.


I'm not saying that's not right, it's just not the way my 48s are.

Looking at your spring assembly, the cylindrical piece over the recoil spring looks too far from the end of the magazine. If so, the barrel will not travel back far enough to fully eject the shell.

Possible causes:

>The spring could be weak and depressed some.

>The spring could be smashed or forced further up into the cylindrical end piece than normal. (In your pics, I can see evidence of some blue discoloration in that area.)

> There's a part missing on the end of the recoil spring inside the cylindrical end piece.

> The magazine tube nut is not threading all the way down.

That's just looking at the barrel end, not the action. Is the bolt handle tight? It should wiggle some and not be hung up. Is the bolt tight, parallel with the receiver, when the gun is ****ed?

The bolt should pull back in one smooth motion until the handle comes to the end of the exit hole in the receiver, then there's some resistance and it will be a little harder to pull back the rest of the way.

Is your friction ring split? Or is it beveled both ends on the inside?


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## Illidan

Hello everyone!
i'm posted by Italy and my english isn't perfect, sorry...

i have an 11-48 20ga that haven't the friction ring but only 2 little ring.
The rings as large as the ring of the barrel and anyone can't move inside this for the friction action.
in addiction in the bag of shotgun i have found a long ring (without low and high)

someone know the correct assembly of this ring? i have lost the friction ring that goes inserted in the ring of the barrel? (i can buy in e-bay)

this pics: 
pic 1 and 2, first ring
pic 3 and 4, second ring
pic 5,6,7 long ring


thanks to all!
Luca


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## wyogoob

Welcome to the forum Luca!

I have a Sportsman 48 in 20 ga. As a matter of fact it is the only gun I own. 

I don't think I have that part in pic 1 & 2. Look at my pics of the 16ga 11-48 in this thread. The 16ga and 20ga 11-48s are supposed to be the same. 

I will get my 20ga out and take a picture.


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## Illidan

Thanks very much Wyogoob, i'll wait your pics!

The ring of pics 1 and 2 should be a ring for protect the the sping. but i'm not sure 
do you think that the exact order of the rings is.. (putting the gun on the sky, from the bottom to up)

1. spring ( sure this! )
2. ring of pics 1 and 2
3. ring of pics 3 and 4, this if with beveled on the bottom half-break, if with bevel to up full-breack
4. friction ring (??? i don't have this)

i don't understand why your 11-48 16ga don't have the friction ring? this is strange! but also my 20ga don't have the friction ring...


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## Fowlmouth

You guys got me curious, so I pulled my 16 ga. Sportsman out of the safe and took it apart. Mine only has one brass ring with a metal sleeve over it. I did look up Remington barrel stamp codes and found that it was made in June 1938. I still shoot this gun once in a while. One thing I'm not sure about is the model I have. It is only stamped "The Sportsman". How do I find the model?


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## wyogoob

Fowlmouth said:


> You guys got me curious, so I pulled my 16 ga. Sportsman out of the safe and took it apart. Mine only has one brass ring with a metal sleeve over it. I did look up Remington barrel stamp codes and found that it was made in June 1938. I still shoot this gun once in a while. One thing I'm not sure about is the model I have. It is only stamped "The Sportsman". How do I find the model?


This shotgun is the Remington 11-48 manufactured from '49 till '69. The 11-48 held 4 shells in the magazine, 5 total.

The Sportsman 48 model came out later when new federal game laws limited the loaded gun to 3 shells. It's magazine would only hold 2 shells, 3 total in the shotgun.


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## Fowlmouth

I believe the one I have is a model 11.


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## wyogoob

This is how it came apart.


There's two parts inside the follower. One is a split ring (friction ring) and the other ring has a felt washer in it. I can't get the part with the felt washer to move. This is just like my 11-48 16ga.

The split ring goes down onto, up against, the recoil spring.

This gun was built in December of 1951 and it still shoots fine. see: http://guncollectionsonline.com/remington11-48.htm


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## Illidan

Wyogoob, you are the best!
The last 3 pics are simply, clear and functional! 

My Remy is born in 1959 in USA (Ilion) and imported in Italy in 1961. But the break system are the same 

I don't have the friction ring (bronze/break ring that come into the cilindric hi-low) i'll come to buy a new friction!

Only one question, you put the cylinder+friction as in your picture 1 for low recoil?

Your spring have a conical cut end, this makes the support base flat.
My spring doesn't end cut or conical and i have a support base unaven, the ring in my pics 1 and 2 need to create a support base flat for doesn't get stuck inside the cylinder.


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## wyogoob

*No, it only goes one way on the 16 and the 20.*

*My support base is uneven too, just like in the picture.*


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## Illidan

Ok wyogood! i'll come to buy a new friction ring for my 11-48! :grin:
Thank you so much! u're irreplaceable!

but, i'm still curious to understand how does works the little beveled ring, and if i understand well you have also on your 16 gauge.
(this ring have the same diameter as the cilindric with wiped)

This:


wyogoob said:


> Here's a pic of the beveled collar, or friction ring. It goes on the end of the recoil spring. One bevel is shorter than the other; a "hi" and a "low", for high or low brass.


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## wyogoob

Illidan said:


> Ok wyogood! i'll come to buy a new friction ring for my 11-48! :grin:
> Thank you so much! u're irreplaceable!
> 
> but, i'm still curious to understand how does works the little beveled ring, and if i understand well you have also on your 16 gauge.
> (this ring have the same diameter as the cilindric with wiped)
> 
> This:


This ring is not on the 20 gauge. The cylinder/friction ring and recoil spring came together as one piece.


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## Illidan

Hi wyogoob, Hi all!

Do you know any online store where I can buy the friction ring and the long ring with wipped (low and hi brass) for my remy 11-48 20ga?
Surely you have some trusted supplier that I can contact for spare parts.

as ever, thank you very much
Luca


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## wyogoob

Illidan said:


> Hi wyogoob, Hi all!
> 
> Do you know any online store where I can buy the friction ring and the long ring with wipped (low and hi brass) for my remy 11-48 20ga?
> Surely you have some trusted supplier that I can contact for spare parts.
> 
> as ever, thank you very much
> Luca


I don't know where to get the friction rings for the 20 ga or 16 ga. Numrich has the 12 gauge.


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## 1981Eagle

*New here*

Hi all - new here and I recently bought a 11-48. Mine was likely made in 1950.

Mine looks like it has a 'cap' on the end of the spring - then that 'cap' pushes on a ring that has two bevels inside. One is shallow and 'sharp' the other is more tapered, and deeper. This ring indicates it needs to be flipped over for either heavy loads or light loads.
The bevel then goes up against the brass (bronze ?!?) friction ring inside the barrel lug.

At least that was the way it was assembled when I received it. See the photos



Here it is with the barrel removed -


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## 1981Eagle

This is the actual friction ring. It is a brass split ring that fits into a recess in the barrel lug -


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## 1981Eagle

This is the thing that looks like a 'cap' for the top of the recoil spring


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## 1981Eagle

For light loads, the bevel is short and sharp



For heavy loads the bevel is shallow and allows the ring to really get squeezed, slowing down the barrel.



This recoil system does not look like the Model 11, and it does not look like those I see advertized as being for the 11-48. But my shotgun is certainly a 11-48


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## 1981Eagle

Lastly - I have seen the date chart for dating Remington firearms by their barrel date codes. My question is - Is that chart a 'rule of thumb'? Or is it gospel? My 11-48 has what looks like a P UU but it may be a B UU on the left side of the barrel
 
It certainly isn't a WW code
The SN on the barrel and the SN on the receiver match too.
I decided to contact Remington and they said that the date of manufacture for my 11-48 was 1950. Do I believe the chart, or 'Robin' from Remington?

Also - the barrel is marked 'FULL' but it is equipped with an adjustable polychoke. I have seen photos of 11-48's equipped with a PolyChoke where the barrel stamped 'FULL' ....is that normal?

Sorry for all the questions, but I can't find a lot of information around on this one.


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## wyogoob

Welcome to the Forum 1981....nice post, great pictures.

We went over some of these things on page 2 and other pages of this thread.

Yours looks like a 12 gauge. 

The "friction ring" can also be an assembly, several parts; depends on whether it's an early or late model.

The last few pages of this thread are for illidan. He is looking for info on a 11-48 20 gauge. 20 gauge 11-48s do not have the load ring thingie.

Enjoy the UWN.


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## 1981Eagle

Thanks for the reply, as I don't have a manual for this old shotgun, and the scans I have seen are pretty poor and hard to make out - is the set-up pictured below correct? 
From closest to the receiver toward the muzzle:
Recoil spring
'cap' thing on the spring
Heavy/Light ring in one way or the other
Brass friction piece (in the barrel lug)



I haven't shot it yet and when I do I want to make sure it is assembled properly.

Thanks again - and thanks for the compliment on the photos


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## wyogoob

Go to Numrich for a drawing of your 11-48 12 gauge.

Hey, 1981, Poly chokes would be an after-market item on an 11-48.

There use to be a guy in Minnesota that was a Remington 11, 11-48, and 11-58 guru. Me and Mr Google can't find him now. A few years back I called his phone number and didn't connect. I figure he has passed away. He was good and had lots of parts too.


Short story: My youngest boy and two of his 13-year old friends and I went duck hunting on the river. I set up a blind and some dekes and after sitting for awhile the kids got bored. So I sent them down river to jump shoot ducks hoping they would give me some action too. They walked a short distance, then boom, boom. In just a little bit I could see my boy walking back up to our set-up. He was carring something in both hands. Somehow the magazine came "blew" off the receiver, recoil spring, thrust washer, load ring and magazine cap! He had the buttstock and receiver in one hand and the barrel and forearm in the other. To this day I don't know what happened. We went back to the scene of the crime and did manage to find the recoil spring. The guy from Minnesota fixed that old 11-48 toot sweet. Later he worked on some other 11s for me or got me some parts.

By the way, your friction ring looks as though the gun hasn't seen too many high-brass loads. They get pretty bent up if you shoot a lot of magnums, or worse yet, deer slugs, thru the 11s.


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## Illidan

Greatest! 
1981 your assembly are correct 

I discovered, calling for all of Italy, that there are several versions of the friction group.
these products depending on the year of production and the type of ammunition produced.
Your friction group is the modern.

this is the old "insight into" with the long ring welded on the spring. 
(the spring close all inside the cylinde, that served as stop and container)


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## 1981Eagle

*Range report - 6/22*

I was able to shoot a few rounds of skeet yesterday and did about the same as I do with my Browning. I'm not a 25-straight shooter, but I do have fun! 18,19,18 (low 20s usually make me really happy - never shot the hat yet)

I had two gun malfunctions; one was a failure to fully eject the shell before the bolt started coming back with the next shell, stove-piping the empty. The second was a feeding problem, the shell caught the edge of the chamber and dug into the plastic of the hull.

All-in-all not a bad day, but then again, even the worst day on the skeet field still beats the best day at work.


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## 1981Eagle

By the way, I had three loads with me - 
*Federal Target and Field* - 2 3/4", 3 Dram Equiv, 1 1/8 oz, 1200 fps, #8 
*Federal Target* - 2 3/4", 2 3/4" Dram Equiv, 1 1/8 oz, 1145 fps, #8 
*Reloads *- 2 3/4", MEC #29 bushing of Red Dot, 1 1/8 oz #8 shot with a Federal 12S3 wad.

The shotgun recoil friction ring set-up was configured for "Heavy Loads" and it functioned perfectly with all three loads (except for those two malfunctions I mentioned before)

I'm thinking that the definition of "Heavy Load" and "Light Load" that were appropriate in 1949/1950 are different than those of today.

And boy does this thing sling the shells! Some went probably 10 feet!


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## wyogoob

1981Eagle said:


> By the way, I had three loads with me -
> *Federal Target and Field* - 2 3/4", 3 Dram Equiv, 1 1/8 oz, 1200 fps, #8
> *Federal Target* - 2 3/4", 2 3/4" Dram Equiv, 1 1/8 oz, 1145 fps, #8
> *Reloads *- 2 3/4", MEC #29 bushing of Red Dot, 1 1/8 oz #8 shot with a Federal 12S3 wad.
> 
> The shotgun recoil friction ring set-up was configured for "Heavy Loads" and it functioned perfectly with all three loads (except for those two malfunctions I mentioned before)
> 
> I'm thinking that the definition of "Heavy Load" and "Light Load" that were appropriate in 1949/1950 are different than those of today.
> 
> And boy does this thing sling the shells! Some went probably 10 feet!


Yeah, pretty cool for a mechanical semi-auto.


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## Ernest T

*Help with recoil system on 20 gauge 1148?*

I know this is an old thread, so I hope I'm not stepping on toes reviving it, but so far this is the best information I have been able to find concerning the 1148 recoil system parts and set up. I hope some of you knowledgeable guys are still around to help me.

Here is my problem. I acquired an old Remington 1148 20 gauge shotgun from my wife's 96 year old uncle. According to the stamp on the barrel this gun was built in 1951. It hadn't been fired in over 25 years, and would not cycle when I got it. I took it apart, and it was caked in carbon and gunk. The recoil spring was so grimed up that I had to spray it with penetrating oil, let is sit for an hour, then finally got the spring off with a hammer.

I got the gun cleaned up and was looking at the parts and I have a part that doesn't match any parts diagram that I have found for this gun. I know that there is a difference in parts between the 12 and other gauges, but I suspect that my wife's uncle lost or damaged part of the recoil spring assembly, and "Bubbaed" a part in place of what came on the gun. I haven't seen this set up on any of the posted 20 gauge threads. I just wondered if someone could look at the photos and verify if they have or not ever seen any part like this on one of these guns. Basically there was just the recoil spring, and a small ring that appears to be made out of copper (in fact it looks like it may have once been a piece of copper pipe). This fit over the end of the magazine tube in front of the spring. This piece is bent and mashed up around the edges...........probably from being pounded by recoil.

If someone could let me know if they have ever seen anything like this on this gun or not it would be helpful. I know that there were some variations in later models. I suspect that I will need to locate a recoil spring assembly and friction ring to make this thing work right?




























Thanks for any help!


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## wyogoob

Welcome to the forum Ernest.

Have you tried our search engine and read other threads besides this one on the 11-48 shotgun? We ran some others years back that had a lot of info and pictures.

I will dig out a 20 gauge 11-48 and take some pics. My 11-48 20 gauge works fine, all loads. The way I remember it is that the 16s & 20s have two different recoil mechanisms. Some 11-48s have that copper ring; can't remember which ones.


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## wyogoob

OK, I took my 20 ga 11-48 apart. No sense in taking any more pics. I have them in post #23 of this thread.

My barrel code is "xxx" - December 1951.

There is a piston-like thingie that slides in and out of a sleeve in the butt stock at the wrist. It hooks to a yoke that is attached to the bolt. This part is often overlooked and can get gunked up or the yoke can get bent putting this in a bind. In addition, the recoil spring could be weak especially if the copper ring is Rube Goldberge'd and too long. By the marks on the copper tube yours may be too long and some magnum loads hammered on it.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a homemeade friction ring, but it needs to be the correct length and the muzzle end of the recoil spring needs a follower that mates flat and square to the friction ring. A homemade friction ring may limit the range of loads you could use on the firearm though.


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## Ernest T

Wyogoob, thanks so much for your quick response. My system does not look anything like yours in post #23 even though both are from 1951. I think my gun was built in March 1951 (XXA). 

The copper ring on mine does not fit inside of the barrel guide ring, but butts up against it on one side, and butts against the spring on the other side. Its not like the friction ring you show in your photos, since the spring does not fit inside it and there is no split in it. It seems to function more like a spacer between the spring and the barrel guide. There may be some ideal width that would make it work.

My wife's uncle did mention that he always shot heavy loads, because that was the only way he could get the gun to cycle, so I suspect you are right about the cause of the deformation to the ring. 

I completely disassembled and cleaned the gun including the spring mechanism in the butt stock, the bolt and the trigger group. Everything seems to be freely moving now.

I have located a recoil assembly that looks like the one on your gun. I may just go ahead and order it, since I have no idea of how to make the current system work consistently.

Thanks again for your help!!! I've been searching for information on this gun for weeks before I finally found this forum. There is a fair amount of information on the 12 ga., but since the recoil system parts are different it is confusing trying to find the right information. From what I've found it seems the 20 ga. and 16 ga. share the same part system for the recoil assembly.


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## wyogoob

There's a guy on eBay that sells 11-48 parts. He has 3 of the recoil springs and all the parts that go on the end for a 1951 action.

$50 each: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Remington-1...ssy-16-20ga-LOT-16-/181231323405#ht_22wt_1219

Uh...he only has 2 of the recoil spring assemblies now. :grin:


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## Ernest T

wyogoob said:


> There's a guy on eBay that sells 11-48 parts. He has 3 of the recoil springs and all the parts that go on the end for a 1951 action.
> 
> $50 each: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Remington-1...ssy-16-20ga-LOT-16-/181231323405#ht_22wt_1219
> 
> Uh...he only has 2 of the recoil spring assemblies now. :grin:


He only has 2 left because I just ordered one!

Thanks again for the help, I hope it works.


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