I came into possession of a 1920's era Remington Model 11 in 12 gauge. Originally, I was going to strip it of parts (forearm, butt plate, bolt, springs, etc. are all in good shape) and used the receiver and barrel to practice bluing (it's covered in light/moderate surface rust and light pitting).
However, after looking at it closely, it seems that the only thing wrong with the gun outside of the rust/pitting is that the cartridge lifter (carrier?) will not move on it's own to lift a cartridge (as if there is no spring pressure) and the bolt won't hold open. I tried putting a snap cap in the magazine to load it, and while the mag took the round, it took manual manipulation of the bolt and moving the carrier with a finger to get the cap to load into the gun.
I know that the screws on the exterior are designed to keep home gunsmiths from messing with the internals, but I would still like to repair it myself. I believe that I will need at least a carrier spring (MidwayUSA has them) but the lack of a bolt hold open leads me to think something else is wrong.
Anyone have any experience bringing one of these back to life?
However, after looking at it closely, it seems that the only thing wrong with the gun outside of the rust/pitting is that the cartridge lifter (carrier?) will not move on it's own to lift a cartridge (as if there is no spring pressure) and the bolt won't hold open. I tried putting a snap cap in the magazine to load it, and while the mag took the round, it took manual manipulation of the bolt and moving the carrier with a finger to get the cap to load into the gun.
I know that the screws on the exterior are designed to keep home gunsmiths from messing with the internals, but I would still like to repair it myself. I believe that I will need at least a carrier spring (MidwayUSA has them) but the lack of a bolt hold open leads me to think something else is wrong.
Anyone have any experience bringing one of these back to life?
