Remington "Sportsman"

[batj]

No sir Sportsman 58 12 ga

top 3 sportsman 58, bottom one is an 11-48 28 ga missing from this pic is a sportsman 11-48 410

 

[Pahoundsman]

top 3 sportsman 58, bottom one is an 11-48 28 ga missing from this pic is a sportsman 11-48 410

Very nice

 

[Tradewind]

Nice.

The newest member of the SSGS

 

[tarheel]

My Dad bought me a 16 bore Sportsman 58 in the late summer of 1957 just in time for dove season. That fall I harvested my first deer with it, the first time I'd ever been deer hunting and the first deer I'd ever seen in the wild. That 3x3 and the mental vision of him coming through the blackjack oaks and longleaf pines is as vivid as the day it happened 64 years ago.

I still hunt with the old girl and will no doubt leave it to a grandson.

 

[Otto Matic]

My Dad bought me a 16 bore Sportsman 58 in the late summer of 1957 just in time for dove season. That fall I harvested my first deer with it, the first time I'd ever been deer hunting and the first deer I'd ever seen in the wild. That 3x3 and the mental vision of him coming through the blackjack oaks and longleaf pines is as vivid as the day it happened 64 years ago.

I still hunt with the old girl and will no doubt leave it to a grandson.

My first hunting "experience" was at age 3 when my dad piggybacked me into a tree stand, wrapped me in a blanket and tied me to the tree so I wouldn't go to sleep and fall out of the stand. LOL!
I lost my grampa in 1973 and my dad in 1981.
Not until 2005 did it finally dawn on me to keep a "journal".
Mostly about hunting and fishing, but other general, around the farm events.
Since then, I have filled two journals and I'm about halfway through the third.
Nobody gives a red rat's rear about what I've written, but I can sit down and read my journals and relive exciting moments afield.
Like taking two turkeys when a second tom attacked the first tom I shot.
When my buddy and I took a double beard tom by sheer bumbling luck.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I was looking for another barrel to replace Dad's on his 1930s Model 11 with Polychoke. Contacted the historian at the factory and he told me Polychokes were installed on about half those guns at the factory in that era. He also said Polychoke barrels were better. Remington barrel steel was not top notch in those days and tended to bulge and crack even before steel shot.

Was your barrel some kind of aftermarket or sawed off? Interesting. Briley used to charge $150 to tap the barrel and their chokes were about fifty bucks each. Have prices gone up? Several guys at the trap club had their guns choked by them and very satisfied. Let us know how it patterns. Was the Sportsman just two shots or only two in the tube?

 

[Otto Matic]

I was looking for another barrel to replace Dad's on his 1930s Model 11 with Polychoke. Contacted the historian at the factory and he told me Polychokes were installed on about half those guns at the factory in that era. He also said Polychoke barrels were better. Remington barrel steel was not top notch in those days and tended to bulge and crack even before steel shot.

Was your barrel some kind of aftermarket or sawed off? Interesting. Briley used to charge $150 to tap the barrel and their chokes were about fifty bucks each. Have prices gone up? Several guys at the trap club had their guns choked by them and very satisfied. Let us know how it patterns. Was the Sportsman just two shots or only two in the tube?

I suppose you could say the barrel was, "some kind of aftermarket".
The S/N on th ed barrel didn't match the number on the reciever.
The gun was mfg in 1932. Per the number on the barrel, it was mfg in 1934 and was from the Remington "Store".
That just means the barrel wasn't the barrel installed "at the factory".
What may have happened to the original "factory" barrel? Your guess is as good as mine.
Had the barrel been "original" to the reciever, I probably would have left it "as is". With a "replacement" barrel and loving the 16ga, I saw no harm in have it choked to make it more versatile.
Yes, as with everything else in life, Briley has gone up!
The "bore & thread" is now $299 and you get 3 tubes of your choice.
I've only tried the "X-FULL" tube at +/- 10, 20 and 30 yards and since I'm not into any "clay" sports, I'll probably just leave the X-FULL in place.
I'm not exactly "sure", but I think the "Sportsman" model was designed to save the waterfowler from having to "plug" their magazine, so it only holds 2 in the mag.
The magazine tube is a "standard"(?) length and is crimped to restrict capacity.
I understand that the mag capacity can be increased by removing the crimp.
Remove the tube, insert some type steel rod and gently peen the crimp out.
I intend to leave the gun, other than the choke tubes, completely original as I bought it.

I doubt seriously that I will ever be able to recoup the money I spent on the tubes.
I don't "intend" to ever sell.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I suppose you could say the barrel was, "some kind of aftermarket".
The S/N on th ed barrel didn't match the number on the reciever.
The gun was mfg in 1932. Per the number on the barrel, it was mfg in 1934 and was from the Remington "Store".
That just means the barrel wasn't the barrel installed "at the factory".
What may have happened to the original "factory" barrel? Your guess is as good as mine.
Had the barrel been "original" to the reciever, I probably would have left it "as is". With a "replacement" barrel and loving the 16ga, I saw no harm in have it choked to make it more versatile.
Yes, as with everything else in life, Briley has gone up!
The "bore & thread" is now $299 and you get 3 tubes of your choice.
I've only tried the "X-FULL" tube at +/- 10, 20 and 30 yards and since I'm not into any "clay" sports, I'll probably just leave the X-FULL in place.View attachment 178466
I'm not exactly "sure", but I think the "Sportsman" model was designed to save the waterfowler from having to "plug" their magazine, so it only holds 2 in the mag.
The magazine tube is a "standard"(?) length and is crimped to restrict capacity.
I understand that the mag capacity can be increased by removing the crimp.
Remove the tube, insert some type steel rod and gently peen the crimp out.
I intend to leave the gun, other than the choke tubes, completely original as I bought it.

I doubt seriously that I will ever be able to recoup the money I spent on the tubes.
I don't "intend" to ever sell.

So their prices haven't gone up. $150 to bore + 3 tubes @ $50 ea = $300. New aftermarket tubes of any "ordinary" type (e.g. Winchoke or Invector) are usually forty to fifty bucks new so Briley's all inclusive price is not outrageous. I see Briley chokes coming up on ebay all the time pretty cheap ... but usually not in 16 gauge.

The light modified should be good for steel if you're ever stuck with that requirement. Improved modified would be too tight I think.

I'm guessing the gun originally had full choke barrel and it bulged which seems to have happened a lot back then. Or maybe someone just wanted an open choke for rabbits. That seems to be a long barrel for typical IC shotgun. You did what I would have done. The Sportsman is not a big time collector and you certainly haven't hurt it any adding choke tubes. Now you have a great nostalgia piece that still looks the same but with some versatility. I had a chance last year to pick up one in .410 with factory skeet barrel and counterweight on magazine cap. It was obviously used for shooting skeet. Would be a fun gun for that but ammo is ridiculous price. Even getting hard to find hulls for reloading. It would be great for grouse but I don't do much of that anymore. Woods are too full of idiot campers from down east "scouting" (scaring off) moose before the season opens. Once big game season opens here my dogs definitely are NOT going in the woods.

It was Browning Double-Automatic from that era that only held two shots total. An interesting gun with side loading port.

 

[Otto Matic]

So their prices haven't gone up. $150 to bore + 3 tubes @ $50 ea = $300. New aftermarket tubes of any "ordinary" type (e.g. Winchoke or Invector) are usually forty to fifty bucks new so Briley's all inclusive price is not outrageous. I see Briley chokes coming up on ebay all the time pretty cheap ... but usually not in 16 gauge.

The light modified should be good for steel if you're ever stuck with that requirement. Improved modified would be too tight I think.

I'm guessing the gun originally had full choke barrel and it bulged which seems to have happened a lot back then. Or maybe someone just wanted an open choke for rabbits. That seems to be a long barrel for typical IC shotgun. You did what I would have done. The Sportsman is not a big time collector and you certainly haven't hurt it any adding choke tubes. Now you have a great nostalgia piece that still looks the same but with some versatility. I had a chance last year to pick up one in .410 with factory skeet barrel and counterweight on magazine cap. It was obviously used for shooting skeet. Would be a fun gun for that but ammo is ridiculous price. Even getting hard to find hulls for reloading. It would be great for grouse but I don't do much of that anymore. Woods are too full of idiot campers from down east "scouting" (scaring off) moose before the season opens. Once big game season opens here my dogs definitely are NOT going in the woods.

It was Browning Double-Automatic from that era that only held two shots total. An interesting gun with side loading port.

As I stated in my previous post, no idea what happened to the original barrel.
Chances are, it probably was FULL. Maybe the owner wanted to shoot quail? I don't know. I even went back to the store where I bought the gun. The did not have a second barrel.
"IF" the gun's original barrel wasn't damaged, I figure somebody either didn't know of or didn't care about a secondary barrel.
An estate? A widow needing money? An heir with no interest in a gun? A thieving relative? Who knows? But "whomever" DID NOT pawn a "2 barrel set".

This from the Briley's site:
Choke Installation ONE BARREL with your choice of 3 screw in chokes
Flush Lead / Bismuth $299
Flush Steel Shot / Tungsten / All Shot $329
Extended Lead / Bismuth $389
Extended Steel Shot / Tungsten / All Shot $419

Beyond the installation and choke tubes, additional tubes start at $75 depending on shot preference.

Yes, I've seen the old Browning "Double Auto" with the gaping hole on the left side of the reciever.
With the bolt locked back, you could feed a shell into that left hand port and the gun would automatically "chug-a-lug" that round into the chamber, ready to fire.
I guess as long as you were willing to feed the thing one shell at a time, it would happily comply! LOL!

 

[OntarioHunter]

As I stated in my previous post, no idea what happened to the original barrel.
Chances are, it probably was FULL. Maybe the owner wanted to shoot quail? I don't know. I even went back to the store where I bought the gun. The did not have a second barrel.
"IF" the gun's original barrel wasn't damaged, I figure somebody either didn't know of or didn't care about a secondary barrel.
An estate? A widow needing money? An heir with no interest in a gun? A thieving relative? Who knows? But "whomever" DID NOT pawn a "2 barrel set".

This from the Briley's site:
Choke Installation ONE BARREL with your choice of 3 screw in chokes
Flush Lead / Bismuth $299
Flush Steel Shot / Tungsten / All Shot $329
Extended Lead / Bismuth $389
Extended Steel Shot / Tungsten / All Shot $419

Beyond the installation and choke tubes, additional tubes start at $75 depending on shot preference.

Yes, I've seen the old Browning "Double Auto" with the gaping hole on the left side of the reciever.
With the bolt locked back, you could feed a shell into that left hand port and the gun would automatically "chug-a-lug" that round into the chamber, ready to fire.
I guess as long as you were willing to feed the thing one shell at a time, it would happily comply! LOL!

John M's son Val Browning first perfected the quick load feature for A5 auto, I believe about the same time the Double Auto was developed. Older A5s and all Remington Model 11s did not have it. My later model A5s do the same chug-a-lug but have to be loaded from the bottom. Browning autos definitely have the advantage at our club's annual "flurry shoot." Team of two shooters in gates next to each other on clays course are randomly thrown fifty targets from five different stations surrounding them. It is fast and furious shooting. Non-Browning autos require manually releasing the bolt when loading. The Double Auto with its quick load feature and side port is hands down the best gun for flurry shoot (at the range we are limited to no more than two shells in any gun no matter what venue we're shooting).