Evaluating a Remington model 11-48

A short while back I acquired a Remington Semi-auto shotgun as part of a package deal.

The gun was advertised as a Remington 1100 12 gauge. Instead, it was a 3rd year production model 11-48. The mistake was an honest one, the seller was not much of a gun guy and had not cleaned any of the guns he sold me. Also the two guns look nearly identical from the outside.

The 11-48 was a streamlined version of the model 11, being designed in 1948 and introduced in 1949.

 

Mechanically the gun was sound. Disassembly is fairly simple, you lock the bolt open, remove the threaded magazine cap and slide the barrel forward out of the receiver.

Then release the bolt slowly, remove the bolt handle by pulling it out of the bolt, then push the bolt out of the front of the receiver.

Below is the parts diagram, by the way, Remington still has all their owner's manuals on file for free download, click here.

After a thorough cleaning and inspection, I determined everything worked as it should, and the bore was shiny and smooth.

Establishing a Remington shotgun's date of birth is easy, assuming the barrel is original. Many times, barrels got swapped out or were replaced due to damage.

The barrel date code is located on the left side of the barrel near the receiver. More info here

Here are the codes

My barrel was dated LXX which is February of 1951, which I believe is correct. The barrel may have been changed do get a different choke, but it is unlikely that it was replaced due to damage, as it would have most likely been a newer date code. Also, the age of the bluing matches. In addition, the serial # on the receiver is 5042XXX, which is on the lower end of the sequence.

We can say with confidence that this is a 1951 production 11-48.

The bluing on the gun is in good to very good condition, according to the NRA scale. The finish on the wood has been redone, and rather poorly. The varnish was applied heavy which has filled the checkering. The checkering is worn and will need to be recut. Overall, the gun is in NRA Good condition.

I would put the value of this gun somewhere in the $400-$600 range. This is based on past experience as well as a dozen or so closed online auctions. Calibers other than 12 gauge get more money as do the premier grades.

 

Sources:

Remington Model 11-48, Model 11-48, Remington Model 11-48 serial numbers, 1148, semi-auto, 12 guage, 20 guage, values, prices, shotgun (guncollectionsonline.com)

Manufacture Dates – Remington Society of America

Owner's Manuals | Remington (remarms.com)