Can you shoot an 11-87 with the gas piston and eject the shell manually to avoid using a shell catcher? Will it daamage the gun?

I shot my 1100 last weekend without the piston - by accident, of course. It fired fine, but I had to eject every shell by pulling back on the bolt.

I didn't do it on purpose and I don't think I did any harm. It shot very well - and there wasn't that THUNK each time. Reminded me of shooting an 870. I discovered my mistake when I disassembled the gun to see if it needed cleaning. It was spotless, but missing some parts.

It is simple to pull back to eject. However, it became tiring very quickly. Takes more effort that I would have thought.

Larry Frieders

I know a fellow that shoots his at Trap with the extractor removed. Bolt locks back and he tilts gun to side and shell falls out at his feet; most of the times.

Sure you can shoot an 1187 w/o the 'piston'.

Why would you want to?

You're defeating the reason to use a gas semi-auto for singles and handicap, which is it's reduced felt recoil. Might as well be shooting an 870.

You'd be better off installing a T&S shell catcher.

1100s and 11-87 don't have pistons they have rings. If you leave the rings and o-ring out you will get a great deal of hot high speed gas dumped onto the magazine tube and into the forearm. Will it cause any damage Who the heck knows but I sure will not try it in one of my guns or shoot someone else's done that way.

--- Chip King ---

You get a gret deal of hot high speed gas dumped into the forearm reagrdless - that 's how the gun cycles. The only difference is that there is nothing for it to push. It's not like the rings form an air-tight seal - hot gas flows through the entire forearm each and every shot. Without the obstruction of the rings, it likely vents out of the forearm fractionally faster, and more along the entire arm as opposed to being concentrated at the front end (where the vents are located). Only issue I can think of is residue spread along more of the magazine tube.

M R Ducks take a close look at the gas system on an 1100 or 11-87. The rings seal most of the gas and as they are pushed back they uncover the two cutouts in the chamber which causes the still hot still higher pressure gas up and out the matching ports in the stock. By the time the rings are out of the gas system the gas has mostly been pushed up and out. That don't happen with the rings out. If you really MUST shoot your 1100 or 11-87 that way find a gunsmith who will weld the gas ports in the barrel closed (a 5 minute job) and buy another barrel if you want to go back to normal.

--- Chip King ---

Chip, Instead of welding the ports I threaded them for 6 48 scope base plug screws. HMB

Option #2 - Just buy Estate Ammo and let em fly. Run the gun like it was made to run and have a good time. Use your mental energy for breaking targets not fiddling around with those hulls and going through a bunch of gyrations.

Rubber band....

Wolfram has a very good suggestion. There are light loads that will not cycle an 1187, especially field barrels.

wolfram,

I think the point was no so much wanting to save the hulls but preventing the hulls from flying into the shooter next to them. I believe that is why 99% of Auto shooters use a shell catcher/deflector to start with. Going to cheap shells/hulls would not prevent pelting the shooter next to him. Now a super light load that would not cycle the bolt is a novel idea.

I think if I was an auto user, I would have Tron weld the bead into the gun that deflects the spent hull down and then you wouldn't have to worry about hitting anyone and still allow the gun to function as it were intended.