I need help. Someone educate me.

[Country Boy]

 I want to buy a remington 1100 2o gage that I can use to turkey hunt with. After the heart attack Doc says I have to use something light recoil than my old Rem 870, that thing shakes every bone in my body. But I don"t know diddly about shotguns.
  I have been looking at them on auction sites. They advertise, skeet, sporting clays, clays ,trap, speciial field. Don"t have a clue as to what they. I guess I'm wanting to know what choke they are ,for examply skeet or clays ? Can you help me out ?

[Graybeard]

Really doesn't matter that much. Just make sure it has the Rem Choke barrel so you can buy a few choke tubes and pattern them to be sure you get the good tight patterns you want.

Skeet guns will mostly have 26" barrels where as trap guns will have 28" to 32" barrels but then I'm not sure there are any 20 gauge trap guns to begin with. Sporting Clays yes but trap I dunno. SC guns like trap guns generally have long barrels.

The Special field guns have straight grips and shorter barrels. Likely just about what you're looking for really.

As I said make sure it comes with a REM Choke barrel so you can change out the choke tubes to suit your needs.

[Country Boy]

Thank you. I can't find any 1100's with screw in chokes. So I will look at the 11-87 youth model. Are these good guns ? I only shoot a few shots a year at turkeys.

[Graybeard]

The 11-87 is basically the same gun as the 1100 but the magazine tube/gas chamber areas are stainless not blued steel on the 11-87. Youth models have shorter 12.5" not 14" length of pull. You can always buy an after market choke tube barrel for the 1100 but that adds to the cost which is why I suggested one with the rem choke barrel to begin with.

For turkey hunting a full choke or really even a modified fixed choke will work but you are just stuck with that and the way it patterns whereas with screw in choke tubes you can switch them to find one that patterns as you want it to.

[NONYA]

Remington makes a choke tube for their guns called SUPER FULL TURKEY,it patterns great at 500 yards with lead,took my first turkey with it a few years back at 55 yards.

[Phoneman]

I just bought an 11-87 premier 20. I wish I would have bought it sooner. It has outperformed any shotgun I have owned. looks nice with the walnut stock. The recoil pad on them is pretty good. I was shooting slugs through it last weekend and it didn't kick near as much as my 870. going to take it to the trap range this friday. I say buy one you won't be sorry.

[NONYA]

I plan on getting one in 12 guage before next falls seasons open.

[mcwoodduck]

OK
An 1100 action is an 1100 action.  the difference is the options.
For example the upland special is a short 21-22" barrel with a strait wrist stock.  It's light so you can carry it all day in the field.
The trap models are made for trap shooting and have a high comb(Cheek piece) stock and usually a raised rib.
Sporting clays is a standard gun but a little flashier for the sporting clays crowd.  Think Golf with guns.
A field is your basic model same with the skeet guns.  Depending on year they were 26" and now are longer depending on Ga. 
an 11-87 will give you the option of shooting 3" shells too.  You can also get this model in matte black with plastic stock.
Charles Daily makes a little 20 ga all black auto that is rather inexpensive comes with a set of choke tubes, will shoot 2 3/4 or 3" and in the matte black finish will not give you away to the turkey as you slowly move the BB gun to your shoulder.  For some reason there is always a bright ray of sunshine on my shinny guns in the woods.
You may also want to look into reloading some reduced recoil loads for your 870.  Using 7/8 or 3/4 oz loads for your 870.  You would be able to load 6's or if you can find them 7's. Same killing power as 6's but more pellets per ounce.
If you do not want to go through the expense of reloading, RST  makes in their Premium Grade some Paper lite   12ga 1oz loads for 13.00 a box or some lite 1 oz loads for $7.50 a box.   There are other shell options from the company including a couple of short (Best Grade) 2.5 or 2" shells. Give the company a call. 570 553 1651 or go to their web site www.rstshells.com  Hopefully I got it to link.  If not Sorry.  Low tech redneck here.
I placed an order the other day, on line, with them and Alex the company president call me direct to place the order with apologies for the delay in getting back to me as he was hunting.  Great guy.  The delay was less than a week.  The shell showed up yesterday.  I plan on a trip out to the shotgun range Sunday to test a box.  Oh yea shipping was reasonable.  $20 for 14 boxes of shell to CA from PA.  Twelve 20ga one 12ga and one 10ga.

[Dixie Dude]

My son uses a 12ga Berretta 391.  It is a very light kicker.  You can put a mercury recoil suppressor in the stock, and a limbsaver recoil pad on it to make it even lighter.  If you know someone who has one you might want to try it out.  I can't tell the difference in it and my wife's 1100 20 gauge youth model as far as kick. 

[chucky52]

I use a Beretta 390, not too bad; but, I added a limbsaver recoil pad and now it's even better.

[Country Boy]

They were selling a charles Daley shotgun at Wal mart yesterday for 312.00 LIt had a plastic stock whi don't like. Who makes them ?

[NONYA]

Tht is exatly what Im shooting right now,it shoots 2 3/4 just fine but 3" shells turn it into a jamomatic,if yo never plan on shooting 3" its a great shotgunfor the $,it patterns very well,it is made by CD.

[SuperstitionCoues]

Me?  If my Doc said that, I would go with an 11-87, barrel porting by Magna-port, and a nice, soft, Limbsaver recoil pad. 

I had my sixth operation since 6/2004 in August of this year.  I am facing some of your concerns.  I tried the autoloader 20's, and didn't like it, sold off the 1100.  I think the 1187 is a better system (IMHO).  What I have done to my BPS 12 ga. is the porting and recoil pad.  My Citori 525 O/U is going to get a trip to Magnaport in a few months and has already been back to Limbsaver for installation of the pad - they do better work than my local gunsmiths). 

Something else you might consider is handloading your own shells, to soften the recoil to an acceptable (yet functional) level for your situation and the game you are chasing.  This has been an effective solution for me at the trap range, between operations 5 and 6.   

Good luck, and Merry Christmas!

[wink_man]

Countryboy,
     A couple of things to be aware of if you do go the route of buying a used 1100 20 gauge should it be in the back of your mind to outfit it with an additional barrel at some point.

Prior to 1977, lightweight models were made, however, they were built on a 12 gauge receiver, and the newer 20 gauge barrels do not fit on them. The way to tell is try to put a quarter through the barrel lug, if it passes through, it is a 'pre' 77 gun built on a 12 gauge receiver, and almost impossible to find a barrel for. No aftermarket manufacturers produce a barrel for the 'pre' 77 1100 20 gauges either.

If the quarter doesn't pass through the barrel lug, then it is a post 77 gun, and any 20 gauge barrel currently sold by Remington will fit it.

People will tell you that the 'Special Field' model won't accept regular 1100 barrels, and thats not true, a 'Special Field' model will accept any barrel currently produced by Remington. However, a 'Special Field' 870 will NOT, the barrel lug is in a different location on a Special Field 870, and regular 870 barrels will not interchange with the special field model.

Just little tidbits of information I've learned the hard way over the years, LOL.

Good luck in your quest, and good health to you, and Merry Christmas also.