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< 16ga. Guns ~ Remington 31L, reworked |
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Posted:
Mon Nov 16, 2015 3:46 pm
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Joined: 17 Jan 2014
Posts: 1381
Location: Denver, Colorado
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Great pix Caleb! Keep your fingers crossed that this beautifully late Fall will hold through the first of the year. |
_________________ 'Tis better to burn out than it is to rust...... |
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Posted:
Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:28 pm
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Member
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1257
Location: Nebraska
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Some good information about the 31L here, so I'll tack on a bit. My gun's a plain bbl Full choke version with a pretty stock but a somewhat heavy pad added. I was going to restock it but decided instead to use it as a refinish project. Brownell's Gun Kote comes in a glossy black that is a pretty close match for the original finish. I asked the Brownell's rep about the original treatment and he said it looked to be simply a paint over the raw aluminum as after a light blast with 120 grit there was no evidence of anodizing. My gun's receiver had a pretty good scratch across the flat and into the curve at the driver's side upper rear and removing the original finish eliminated most of the evidence.
I could not remove the magazine tube for a reblue so I made it into an experiment-it's getting Gun Kote to match and we'll see how well it wears. The mag tube has some pitting over maybe 30 percent of its surface, and there are several pits in the barrel that I will not be able to eliminate completely either. I was able to clean up a friend's heavily pitted M37 barrel quite well but this one has some bad ones at the lettering that cannot be so easily blended.
The famous chopped Woolner Winchester M59 seems like a good prototype for what could be done with these guns in order to arrive at the same place with the proper gauge. |
_________________ Bore, n. Shotgun enthusiast's synonym for "gauge" ; everybody else's synonym for "shotgun enthusiast." - Ed Zern |
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Posted:
Thu Nov 17, 2016 8:51 am
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Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 218
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I haven't been taking many pictures this fall, but here's one from Sunday in New York.
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Posted:
Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:30 am
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Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 218
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Eight years or so later, I'm still really enjoying this gun.
Last fall I took it out to the prairie.
In spite of the cylinder barrel working fine, I got an extra 26" solid rib barrel with an IC choke for the open country. It didn't quite fit the receiver (it seems that some 31 barrels will swap and others won't), but my local gunsmith was able to fit it without any apparent drama.
I confirmed with a round of skeet that all systems are go. The new barrel adds about 3 ounces, so the gun is 5 pounds 10 ounces with it fitted.
I'm looking forward to taking this gun out west again in September, and then back to the grouse woods here in October. |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:42 am
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Member
Joined: 15 Apr 2007
Posts: 9464
Location: Amarillo, Texas
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AWESOME!!
Thank you for this report
Mike |
_________________
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USAF RET 1971-95 |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:44 pm
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Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 159
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Love it. My 31 16 has the light receiver, and 30" full choke barrel. |
_________________ al |
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Posted:
Fri Mar 26, 2021 5:57 am
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Joined: 17 Jan 2014
Posts: 1381
Location: Denver, Colorado
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Cool project, great gun! |
_________________ 'Tis better to burn out than it is to rust...... |
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Posted:
Sun Apr 11, 2021 6:25 pm
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Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2007
Posts: 3373
Location: The Great Northwet
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Caleb, I think what I like best about your gun is that you still have it eight years later. I don't have a single gun I've kept that long, although I have a few sxs's now that I think will fit that bill. That said, one of these would make an amazing late season chukar gun. Appreciate all the great posts! |
_________________ Gun art: www.marklarsongunart.com
Gallery art: www.marklarsonart.com
The man's prayer from the Red Green Show: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess." |
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Posted:
Tue Apr 13, 2021 6:24 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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This is such a cool project. I am tempted to do something similar, especially with a solid rib barrel option. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Wed Apr 14, 2021 5:08 am
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Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 218
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UncleDanFan wrote: |
Caleb, I think what I like best about your gun is that you still have it eight years later. I don't have a single gun I've kept that long, although I have a few sxs's now that I think will fit that bill. That said, one of these would make an amazing late season chukar gun. Appreciate all the great posts!
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Thanks!
I find that most of the sporting goods I keep for a long time are highly functional and not worth much money. This gun checks both boxes, so I suspect its only two fates are to stay with me forever or else be given to a kid. |
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Posted:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:50 pm
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Joined: 17 Jan 2014
Posts: 1381
Location: Denver, Colorado
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Caleb: In the FWIW column, I now have two 31Ls, a 20 and a 16. Both are in great shape, w/no frame cracks or significant wear. The 16 has an exceptional piece of wood on it and shows remarkably little wear, the 20 is a bit more pedestrian. With the passing of my father-in-law last August, nobody remains to use either (unless my son gains a newfound appreciation of the sport). Do you know of anybody that might be interested in either gun? I hesitate to sell them but...they're of little use to anybody at the moment. |
_________________ 'Tis better to burn out than it is to rust...... |
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Posted:
Sat Jun 05, 2021 8:25 am
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Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 218
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Lloyd3 wrote: |
Caleb: In the FWIW column, I now have two 31Ls, a 20 and a 16. Both are in great shape, w/no frame cracks or significant wear. The 16 has an exceptional piece of wood on it and shows remarkably little wear, the 20 is a bit more pedestrian. With the passing of my father-in-law last August, nobody remains to use either (unless my son gains a newfound appreciation of the sport). Do you know of anybody that might be interested in either gun? I hesitate to sell them but...they're of little use to anybody at the moment.
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I don't, but I hope you're able to find a good home for them. They're great hunting guns! |
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Posted:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 3:13 pm
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Joined: 14 Feb 2017
Posts: 401
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Looks awesome. Can I send you my model 31? |
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