11-87
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They have a 2 3/4" only, overbored barrel, with a choke system that necks down at the muzzle, so that Remchokes fit. There is a built in constriction in the barrel, that makes the choke identification system confusing. Other than that, it is just an 1100. Update of a gun that has been around over 50 years.
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1,032 Posts
Field grade or trap grade? Field will work but trap is better.
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1,032 Posts
Correct me if wrong. I believe the earlier barrels were over bored at .745. Later barrels around .733. More current in the .730 range. Have it measured to be sure what you have. Rem chokes (Cyl, I.C. Mod. I.M. Full) and the Remington target chokes (Full Trap, Extra Full Trap, Super Full Trap) will work but the actual results will vary depending on the bore diameter. An I.C. Rem Choke in an over bored barrel will work more like a full choke where the Full Trap choke will work more like an I.C. choke in a standard bore. I have four Remington 1100's with two different diameter bores and bought a 1100 older target barrel with a .745 bore. Gunsmith verified the target barrel at .745. My 1100 trap with the step rib Rem choke target barrel is about .730.
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4,992 Posts
The 11-87 Trap never really caught on with trap shooters, and was discontinued around 2000. It was replaced with the new 1100 Trap, that doesn't have the overbored barrel, and confusing choke system. The new 11-87s (non-trap) are standard bore guns and use the Remchoke system. Any new Remington guns that have the larger bore, use the Probore chokes.
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25,277 Posts
By the time the 1187 Trap model was introduced, this was no longer an issue. And it was an uncommon problem anyway.
The special trap chokes have the same outer dimensions and threads as Rem Chokes, and they are interchangeable.
The issue is the 1187 step rib trap barrel, as some noted above, is factory backbored. Instead of a nominal .727" bore, the overbore portion is .745". Just before the choke tubes, the bore steps back down again to .727". This leaves a built in constriction of .018", which is a mod choke.
So, if you were to install an ordinary Modified Rem Choke, with a .018" constriction, you have to ADD the built in barrel constriction to it, thus:
Barrel .018" plus Mod Rem Choke .018" = .036" Actual Total Constriction, which is a Full.
Barrel .018" plus Cylinder Rem Choke .000" = .018". You can never go below a Mod pattern, even with a spreader choke. I know, I tried doing so with mine for sporting clays. Found it best to simply get a 28" light contour field barrel for sporting clays, which BTW will fit the 1187 Trap forend just fine.
Barrel .018" plus Full Rem Choke .036" = .054", which is an Extra Full.
So what Remington did is they took the most useful chokes for trap, and remarked them as Trap Full, Trap Extra Full and Trap Super Full.
The Trap Full is .730", which is .003" above the nominal bore diameter of .727". Add that to the built in .018" and you get .021", which is between a Mod and a Light Mod. You would use this choke for singles and doubles.
The Trap Extra Full is .710", so it is .017" plus the barrel's .018" = .035", which is a Full. This is a good choke for advanced singles and doubles, and midrange.
The Trap Super Full is .691", so that is .036 plus the barrel's .018" = .054", which is an Extra Full or Light Turkey, depending on your shooting interests. This is a good choke for advanced midrange and handicap (long range).
Going further...
When lead shot enters a constriction, there is always some distortion to the shot, as lead is soft and it is being squeezed into a smaller space. Premium hard alloy shot has less distortion, while cheap soft lead has the most. Backboring allows the shot to open up in diameter a bit, then when it is squeezed in the choke, it is not squeezed nearly as much as a smaller bore and choke would do for the same effective amount of choking. This reduces flyers and ragged patterns.
I've found that this barrel will give nice patterns with cheap promo loads from Mao Mart, et al. This is nice because I baulk at paying extra for shells. Frankly and honestly I am not good enough to justify the added expense of premium shells, so this barrel suits me very well from a usage and budget standpoint.
Another thing Remington claims this barrel does, is make a denser center pattern by keeping more shot in the middle of the pattern. This makes a weaker outside pattern, but there are still enough pellets there to cover aiming errors. So even though in the math example above where it is shown the Trap Full tube for this barrel actually has the constriction of a Mod, if you patterned it you would find a more dense core, closer to a regular Full, with a secondary circle around it with less pellet density. Basically you are shifting pellets to the center of the pattern, yet are still getting a uniform outer pattern. This gives an equivalent pattern to a Full, even though the math shows it is a Modified. The harder the shot, the more this becomes apparent when patterned.
Can you use regular Rem Chokes in lieu of the specially marked trap chokes? Sure, but remember to always add .018" to their constriction.
BTW, note I said nominal bore diameter of .727". Remington 12ga bores actually range from .725" to .729" for field barrels. Their trap barrels have better tolerance, but still may vary. So while .727" is their advertised bore diameter, it could vary a bit.
Confused? If so, just go with this: Trap Full = short range, Trap Extra Full = midrange, Trap Super Full = long range.
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2,151 Posts
Great Explanation, Brian! Look at all it took to explain to folks what a "minor" change at Remington did!! I worked there then and had a difficult time getting the Gun group to make sense of the whole thing.
Minor note, your second choke (Trap Extra Full) would result in .035 constriction, not .053. I can understand a minor error in the time it took to write that up.
Minor note, your second choke (Trap Extra Full) would result in .035 constriction, not .053. I can understand a minor error in the time it took to write that up.
Scott Hanes
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910 Posts
I just bought an 11-87 Trap last week and returned to trapshooting after an 11 year layoff. The gun I bought came with only a modified Carlson's extended choke tube. I broke 25 straight 16's and 23 from the 23 yard line. I could be mis-remembering but the 11-87 seems to shoot higher than I remember 870's and 1100's shooting. The modified choke is plenty tight and as you can probably guess, I think quite a bit of the 11-87 for trapshooting.
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25,277 Posts
Thanks for pointing that out. I edited it to .035". Dyslexia of the fingertips.
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2,939 Posts
I have an 11/87 Premier Trap made in 1987 and it has beautiful wood and is very dependable. I paid about $450.00 for it from the original owner who sold it as soon as he discovered that it could not handle 3 3/4 - 1 1/4 loads. I won the purchase price and more the first year i had it in bird races and "games". You can shoot up to 1 1/4 - 3 1/4 "pigeon " loads with it but no higher as it is not pressure compensated for heavier loads.
I have an 1100 TB also and both are great guns. When the 11/87 first came out, the buzz on them was that you did not have to clean them as often as an 1100 because the 11/87 had a stainless steel magazine tube and a heavy duty extractor. I clean my 11/87 and 1100 after every use as it is very simple. I am told that an 1100 will get dirty and fail to operate properly while an 11/87 will shoot until something breaks.
I have an 1100 TB also and both are great guns. When the 11/87 first came out, the buzz on them was that you did not have to clean them as often as an 1100 because the 11/87 had a stainless steel magazine tube and a heavy duty extractor. I clean my 11/87 and 1100 after every use as it is very simple. I am told that an 1100 will get dirty and fail to operate properly while an 11/87 will shoot until something breaks.
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1,854 Posts
I use one and it is a Great Gun just a 1100 with improvements. I shoot both 11-87 for 16 yds & 1100 for Handicap. Why people keep saying you need a back gun up incase your primary gun fails. So I bring two and use two.
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