We’ve been asked a lot lately about feeding problems with the Remington 1100. A lot of this is the stuff of unfounded rumors and old tales. The 1100 was originally made in 2 3/4″ chamber, and when they added the 3″ chamber there were feeding issues especially among light loads. In fact, the first 1100 I ever owned was a 3″ that had been modified by its original owner so that it would cycle light loads. I can verify that it will simply run anything that I have ever thrown at it from game loads to buckshot to target loads.
If you have a 1100 that you would like to convert to the SM-1 package you don’t have anything to worry about. We will make sure that you have a reliable gun that will run game loads, buckshot and slugs as that is what you are most likely to use during a 3 gun match or in a L/E application.
Remington rectified these feeding problems with the introduction of the 1187, but don’t count the 1100 out yet. Remington keeps making them, accessories are readily available, and plenty of people are still using them. As far as a tactical shotgun goes, you won’t go wrong with that old 1100 that you have sitting in the closet.
We have been holding off on this for a while, but customer demand was just too great! We are now offering the SM-1 for those of you who have Vent Rib barrels. This does a number of things, but mostly it saves you money.
The problem with the Vent Rib was that it didn’t always fall right to have the barrel cut back to 18.5 inches. However, it was cost prohibitive to many customers to buy a new factory barrel at almost $200. So, we have come up with a solution that will work for everyone involved. The only catch is that you might end up with a 20″ barrel instead of a 18.5″ barrel.
We are able to cut the barrel back to a post on the vent rib and install a new front sight. The barrel looks great and works fine for any application. The 2″ difference will be negligible for most shooters and applications. So if you are considering the SM-1 but didn’t have a plain barrel, go ahead and send us your vent rib barrel and we will make it work.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me. . . a shotgun package that rocks! You can buy all the other gifts somewhere else, but the SM-1 only comes from us. If you need a reliable shotgun package for patrol, home defense or competition, the SM-1 is for you. We take your existing Remington 870, 1100 or 1187 and turn it into a fully customized shotgun with every accessory you need for $425. Check out the video below.
The gun business is ever changing and hardly predictable, but I thought I would share some of the things that are hot in our shop right now.
Anything AR. If you can get your hands on it, people will stand in line to buy it. Optics, accessories, mags, ammo, uppers and lowers are all in demand.
Glock light rails for early generation Glocks. Unfortunately they don’t fit the large framed 20 and 21 models. We get inquires about these every day.
The SM-1. This is the most popular custom package that we offer.
Most searched items this month on our site:
Glock Trigger Job
Taurus 1911
Winchester 190
There are several items that we expect to get hot at Christmas, but as mentioned before it is hard to predict.
Lights. Tactical lights are growing in popularity. We love them, and more and more of our customer base is interested.
Lasers. As prices continue to drop on this technology they are in higher demand.
Knives. We are getting more and more calls about Kershaw’s Ken Onion designs. With Christmas coming these will make great stocking stuffers.
If you are looking for Christmas gifts any of the above would be sure to please the shooter in your life. Hope this helps.
Taurus has been getting some publicity over their Judge revolver. It is a light weight revolver that shoots either 45 Long Colt or .410 shotgun shells. Their website says it is so named because many judges are carrying this weapon in their courtrooms.
This is just one of the latest entries into the 45 LC/.410 field. Many be wondering whether or not they would be good for self-defense. The first thing to remember is that any gun is better than nothing, and have no doubt, a 45 Long Colt is serious enough to handle any task you will face. But is a .410 capable?
Well this week a man in Nashville, TN used a .410 handgun, brand not specified, to save his life when two thieves armed with handguns approached in his driveway. One was injured and later captured, and the other won’t be robbing anyone else. Beyond self-defense, it is a adequate trail gun to dispose of snakes and other critters that you might run across hiking or fishing.
Taurus has been getting some publicity over their Judge revolver. It is a light weight revolver that shoots either 45 Long Colt or .410 shotgun shells. Their website says it is so named because many judges are carrying this weapon in their courtrooms.
This is just one of the latest entries into the 45 LC/.410 field. Many be wondering whether or not they would be good for self-defense. The first thing to remember is that any gun is better than nothing, and have no doubt, a 45 Long Colt is serious enough to handle any task you will face. But is a .410 capable?
Well this week a man in Nashville, TN used a .410 handgun, brand not specified, to save his life when two thieves armed with handguns approached in his driveway. One was injured and later captured, and the other won’t be robbing anyone else. Beyond self-defense, it is a adequate trail gun to dispose of snakes and other critters that you might run across hiking or fishing.
When we started looking for our SM-1 package, we quickly decided that they needed a sythentic stock to handle all of the abuse our customers put them through in training and competition. We looked at several designs and decided to go with the Speedfeed I. These stocks offer great versatility and function, and they also look great on your gun.
The Speedfeed I has a great system in the buttstock that allows you to carry 4 extra rounds for fast reloads. This stock also comes pre-drilled for your sling mounts. Speedfeed makes several other variations that work for the Remington line of shotguns including a shortened version
This shortened version is called the model IV. It was designed for L/E applications when the shooter might be wearing a ballistic vest. At 13″ it could also be used by smaller framed shooters. The trade off is that you don’t get the 4 rounds in the stock. Check them out at speedfeedinc.com
With the advent of our SM-1 package, you have the option of adding a silver or bronze bead or a tritium night sight. We have put on both types of sights for our customers and see advantages to either. The standard sight for the SM-1 is the bead. For most applications, this will suffice. When the barrel is cut to 18.5″ you have opened it up a lot, and it follows that you will loose some precision. This is why we don’t even offer a rifle sight for the SM-1.
Marble Tritium Shotgun Sight
For some of you, the tritium night sight will have definite advantages. It looks cool, you will primarily be using it at night, or you are in L/E where this will be a duty gun that must be able to go anywhere. You can upgrade (about $30) to this with no problem at all. Either choice leaves you with a great gun that will serve you well.
With all of the great shotguns that are out there today, why choose to only use the Remington models for the SM-1? It’s a great question with a few simple answers;
Availability-Most people can get their hands on a Remington 870, 1100, or 1187 easily. They have been around forever, and you can genereally find them used in large quantities at gunshows.
Custom Options-While any other shotgun can be modified, the Remington accessories are plentiful, and easy to obtain without breaking the bank. The Options for the Remington are more often than not well made. There are lots of accessories that are poorly made, and they reflect that in their performance.
Proven Track Record-These guns have seen lots of rounds, and they are great. It doesn’t hurt that everyone at MCC has used Remington products for years.
Price-We have seen 870′s for less than $200, and 1100′s for less than $300.
All that adds up to a great platform for a shotgun.
Chuck Taylor (not the Converse guy) has an interesting article on his website about the combat shotgun. It describes some testing that his school did with pumps and autoloaders. They were trying to answer the question of whether or not there is a clear winner of the best combat shotgun designation from a test and evaluation standpoint. They tested, Remington, Mossberg, Benelli, and Browning by shooting them with multiple types of shot at varing distances. What they discovered might surprise you.
Evaluators did not choose the well known Benelli as the best combat shotgun. It gets a lot of praise from magazine articles, but it somehow left the evaluators with the idea that there were things that should have been improved. I would add that because it is priced so high, it should deliver better.
The point is that you don’t just get a great shotgun based on the name, and at the end of the day there really isn’t that much difference between the guns, especially for the home defense segment of shooters. You can go to a big name company or a builder, and end up with an average shotgun when you factor in what you have paid. Before you buy, check out your options. You may just find that there is something better out there. Check out our SM-1. We think you will like what you see.
