C-Grade

[Dave Noreen]

Not a vintage double, but this is the first Remington Sportsman C-Grade I've seen. Up for sale on one of the boards.

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From its introduction in 1930 (20-gauge) and 1931 (12- and 16-gauge) The Sportsman was catalogued in the C "Trap" Grade through 1937. No The Sportsman C "Trap" Grade in the catalogs from 1938 onward.

So far I've recorded three The Sportsman B "Special" Grades, all in 12-gauge --

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I've yet to see a Remington Model 17 or 31 pump marked as a B-Grade. Every one I've seen advertised for sale or pictured as a B-Grade IMO is just an A "Standard" Grade from the time period that they came with checkered wood, 1929 to 1937.

[Craig Larter]

Dave what is different on the C grade from standard Sportsman?

[Dave Noreen]

The A "Standard" Grade had American Walnut stock and forearm. The B "Special" Grade and the C "Trap" Grade had selected imported walnut stock and forearm. The C "Trap" Grade, with a straight grip and more trap-like dimensions. The B and C were the same price in the 1930s, as they had been in 1906 for the Remington Autoloading Shotgun, the C just having the straight grip stock of trap dimensions. No Remington price list or catalog I've seen pictures The Sportsman C "Trap" Grade. The sellers pictures are pretty poor --

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From the 1933 Remington Retail Price List --

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[Brian Dudley]

I have seen some other higher grades in the “sportsman era” but that would be the first C (trap) grade for me as well. The C grade was the first “graded” model 11 that I owned. They are a simple, but attractive gun.

[jefferyconnor]

Researcher, was the Model 11 concurrent production with the Sportsman? Are they technically the same model? I had that impression. Would the this grade scheme apply to these too? I had an 11 as my only shotgun for many years and sure liked it.

[Dave Noreen]

The Sportsman is essentially a 3-shot version of the 5-shot Model 11.

When The Sportsman was introduced in 1930-31 their A, B, and C grade receivers had the three-bird roll-stamping on either side --

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and the Model 11A, B or C still had a plain receiver. Also, The Sportsman had its own serial number sequences with 20-gauges beginning at S1, 16-gauges at S200000 and 12-gauges at S500000. The Model 11 12-gauge serial number sequence continued with that started with the Remington Autoloading Shotgun in 1905. Model 11 20-gauges serial number sequence began at 1000000 and 16-gauges at 1500000.

Once DuPont took control during 1934, things began to change. They quit the S prefix of The Sportsman serial numbers. Then they reduced the roll-stamped scene to one bird on each side, and put it on the Model 11 receivers as well. They removed The Sportsman from the left side of the receiver and began stamping The Sportsman or Model 11 on the bolt. On Aug 24, 1937, they quit the separate serial numbers for the 12-gauge The Sportsman at 515506. On February 24, 1938, they quit the separate serial numbers for the 20-gauge The Sportsman at 16753. On September 28, 1937, they quit the separate serial numbers for the 16-gauge The Sportsman at 215364. From then on The Sportsman and the Model 11 were serial numbered together.

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During WW-II when the 12-gauge serial numbers reached 499999 on August 1, 1943, they skipped to 700000 and continued. Also, the size of the patch of checkering on the grip kept getting smaller through the years.

I've seen a lot more The Sportsman D "Tournament", E "Expert" and F "Premier" Grades than I've seen B "Special" Grades and C "Trap" Grades.

There were of course a lot of RAS No. 3 and Model 11 C "Trap" Grades in the early days when they were winning the GAH in 1907 and 08. They get much more scarce after WW-I. It seems from then on Remington pushed their pump guns in several trap versions.

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[Bruce P Bruner]

This Remington Model 11 was was Rosco Bruner's shotgun, my Grandfather. I used it as well as a Stevens 311A as teenager. Many duck & pheasant fell to my aim. On one occasion two mallards were winging by, folded both with one shot fielding this Remington. Memories...

[jefferyconnor]

This Remington Model 11 was was Rosco Bruner's shotgun, my Grandfather. I used it as well as a Stevens 311A as teenager. Many duck & pheasant fell to my aim. On one occasion two mallards were winging by, folded both with one shot fielding this Remington. Memories...

Great shots like that, you always remember!

[bob weeman]

I bought a C grade with a 26 inch IC barrel a couple years ago off Gunbroker. Had to repair a badly repaired stock but it made a great shooter. My repair is not very pretty either but it is functional and was a pretty beat up gun to start with....

[Stan Hillis]

A Model 11 Sportsman 20 ga., 26" IC, was my only dove gun for about 5 years from age 11 or 12 to my 16th birthday, when I was gifted a new Rem. 1100. I have fond memories of that M11.

I distinctly remember being asked by a game warden, on a dove shoot, if my gun was plugged. I replied "No sir, it only holds three, anyway." I wasn't old enough to need a hunting license when that occurred, and there were no other "restrictions" on under-license-age hunters in those days.

[Phil Yearout]

My late father-in-law shot a field grade 12ga Model 11. It was short stocked as he bought it from the estate of an uncle who was a very small man and had the stock cut to fit him; Jess never changed it even though he was of more average size. But he could darn well shoot it. Every year we'd get together to shoot hand-thrown targets a few days before the bird opener, and his never-miss on the first target is a family legend, including the last time I saw him shoot, when his eyesight was failing and he could barely see. As always he smoked the first target, turned to a grandson, and said, "Did I hit it?"

He and that old gun were quite a pair, and it kinda reinforced my dad's opinion on gun fit: He'd just say, "Get a gun and learn to shoot it."

[Dave Noreen]

My Father bought a 12-gauge 30-inch full choke The Sportsman from Seattle Hardware in 1938 for $35 with his employee discount, about a week's wages. He always talked about the Parker that was in their window display that he could have gotten for $100!!

For 21 years it was his waterfowl gun. By 1960 he succumbed to Jack O'Connor's short barrel writings and had it whacked to 26-inch with a Poly-Choke. Within a couple of years it was gone and he had a 12-gauge, 2-frame, 30-inch barrel VH as his waterfowl gun which now resides in my gunroom.

In 2003 when I was cleaning out his house in Seattle, where I grew up, I found the leather take-down case he had made for his Sportsman. Only seemed right to buy one to go in it and soon found one at the Washington Arms Collectors show at the Puyallup fairgrounds. That led to a 20-gauge in a pawn shop and a 16-gauge in another pawn shop.

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