Cleaning the Remington 1100

[Ricky B]

How do you guys clean the inside of the action bar sleeve on the Remington 1100?

(The action bar sleeve is the hollow cylinder that is attached to the action bar assembly and it encircles the magazine tube. It is pushed back by the piston/seal.)

I use 0000 steel wool to clean the magazine tube, which is easy since I can wrap it around the magazine tube and squeeze the wool onto the tube with my hand and pump it up and down to wipe off the carbon residue. But it's not so easy to clean the inside of the action bar sleeve. I use a bronze brush on a short rod and Hoppes no. 9. I am wondering if there is a better way.

And I guess I should also ask, Does it need cleaning at all, or is cleaning the magazine tube and the piston/seal sufficient?

If you have any other tips on cleaning or maintaining the 1100, please let me know. Email welcome.

Thanks in advance.

--Rick

 

[Al Thompson]

Hi Rick, welcome to TFL!

Steel wool wrapped around a brass brush will work. I've done this many times on used guns with rust in the magazine tubes and it works fine. I also use a spray lube to cut down on friction and double or triple my patches to mop up the mess.

Not sure how often this is needed, I'd probably let the amount of carbon build up be my guide.

Dave McC recommends a once a year deep cleaning. Seems to me that this proocedure would qualify for that schedule - though we have no idea how much you shoot.

The search button in your upper right corner of the screen can generate much information - I'd recommened trying that for some great reading.

 

[HSMITH]

I have shot my 1100 several thousand rounds, maybe as much as 8000 or so. Honestly I have only cleaned the inside of the action bar sleeve one time. I used a bronze 10 ga bore brush on a drill and just wallowed it around in there, then hosed it out with contact cleaner. I do shoot out the big garbage with contact cleaner every thousand rounds or so. Once a year would be plenty for cleaning it well unless you shoot a LOT.

 

[Dave McC]

I'd go with once a year for light use shotguns, and every thousand rounds or so for those properly exercised.

I'm no expert on the 1100 but maybe some veteran Trapshooter can chime in here on when and how much cleaning is needed for best results.

Over on Shotgun Report, The Technoid (AKA Bruce Buck) has some stuff on 1100s like when to change some small parts and so on.

 

[Matthew Courtney]

I started cleaning my Dad's 1100 when I was 6. When I turned 8, he took me duck hunting as a reward. I've just rubbed the inside of the tube with a solvent soaked rag until nothing black came off.
I've been cleaning that gun for 25 years( about 12 or 15 thousand rounds).

The only hunting malfunctions happened to my Dad, my older brother, and me with three different 1100's and the same case of Fiocchi steel shot. The guns ejected both the spent case and the loaded shell that should have been chambered. It sucks to hear a click like ping when you expect to see a duck fall.

I do, however, clean my shotguns regularly. Even if I do not shoot much on a hunt, on salt marsh hunts, the potential for subsequent corrosion is substantial.

The gas rings, barrel, and bolt/firing pin mechanism are the critical parts. Between us we have 6 1100's and have fired about 40-50 thousand rounds through them. The only other failure was on the oldest 1100. My dad had a failure to eject while shootong skeet. Examination showed the extractor had a chip on it and it was replaced. As Extractors are cheap, I keep on in the bottom of my shell box, just in case. The one on my self defense shotgun is replaced every 2000 rounds.

 

[BigD]

I've just rubbed the inside of the tube with a solvent soaked rag until nothing black came off.

This is the same treatment I give my 11-87. I'm figuring that most of the stuff in the tube is just from rubbing the carbon off the magazine tube and isn't baked on anyway. No problems yet!