Crow Busters Forum

boba · Guru

New roost in Oklahoma

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

Wow, amazing.....do you have a shell sponsor? What gun/guns do you shoot Bob?

-- Edited by Lefty2Barrels on Friday 28th of October 2016 09:43:07 PM

boba · Guru

Hi Lefty,

Years back I tried to get Remington to sponsor me but they were afraid of negative feedback when talking how many crows get shot. Clay target shooters get sponsored because it is not a blood sport. Deer and waterfowl hunters get sponsored but they have limits whereas Remington thought it would not be in there best interests so I switched to Federal ammo!

I used a Beretta Urika model 391 gas semi auto. Never cleaned it once in those days of hunting, it is one rugged firearm. I give it a good cleaning when I get back home.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

Hahaha, thanks Bob, sad but not surprising in todays times. While I prefer Remington shotgun ammo I cant blame you for switching to Federal. They are my very close second choice.
Exactly what Federal trap load do you shoot?

boba · Guru

Lefty,

Some refer to this load as "The El Cheapos" but they do a grand job on the crows. It is a 3 dram 1 1/8th ounce load in # 8 shot. Now it will not cycle worth a damn in an 870 Remington or even in some of there semi autos. If you own a Beretta or Benelli they will handle anything you feed them. This is the only functioning drawback to these loads. I have been using them for over 8 or 9 years now with good results.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

They sound like the 100 shells for $21-$22 per "econo" (or something similar) package. Tell you the truth, both of my Remington 11-87s cycle them just fine. Thats good to know! My Beretta 686 loves those "CHEAP" shells too, lol.

boba · Guru

Lefty, the 686 model is a real nice O/U shotgun. Yup, that is them, they also had the very same load priced by the single box for $ 4.95 a box and the boxes were white in color. Those are the ones I shot the crows with in my post earlier this evening.

Top Cat on here has an 11-87 Remington if I am not mistaken and his will not cycle the El Cheapo loads.

Top Cat · Senior Member

Yes Bob it wouldn't cycle "El not quite Supremo" loads! They were a disaster and my numbers were down as a result. Otherwise the 11-87 handles recoil really nicely. I was disappointed that "El not too Supremo" would #1 shoot one round then you needed a cleaning rod to force the spent round out...

#2 wouldn't feed or cycle those rounds either...

Anyways I went to 1300 FPS loads and that changed the story yet again...otherwise I was manually cycling for what that is worth...racking the bolt back and it was a disaster altogether and I blamed the gun...sickening! Happy to know it isn't though!

Top Cat · Senior Member

Another semi-auto was f***** up and I had to turn that into the gun smith....a Breda model unknown but pretty old none the less....it had to be manually cycled and otherwise wouldn't cycle rounds....automatically...how could this be? The bolt catch fell out or whatever it is called where you rack the slide....I put it back in and it became a single shot again. Now I don't blame anyone for laughing....it cost me many good shots that day! This isn't to say that later models aren't praised and according to their owners their newer guns work sweet!

On a lighter note I found out where these crows I've been chasing eat....none the less I will still hit them in the after noon as I have getting up in the stinking cold. Anyways always better to wait for them to drift back to the roost...!

Top Cat · Senior Member

Hate getting up in the cold mornings to shoot too few crows at that hour-aternoon is far better*****

boba · Guru

TC,

You might want to ask Lefty what he is doing because he says his 11-87's work with the El Cheapo loads at Walmart. I would ask the gunsmith why? Sometimes you can get a lemon! Years ago I bought a very nice looking Benelli Legacy model with very pretty wood it was a semi auto. This gun would malfunction even with good ammo! After two hunts I brought that pile of junk back to the dealer and traded it for a Benelli Montefeltro model and that model worked so well I bought another as a backup gun. After 5 years I traded those two in for two Beretta semi autos that are gas operated.

There is nothing worse than gun or ammo trouble when the birds are flying! Don't put up with it, if it is the firearm get rid of it and trade it for a decent gun. That is what I would do TC.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

Top Cat wrote:
Yes Bob it wouldn't cycle "El not quite Supremo" loads! They were a disaster and my numbers were down as a result. Otherwise the 11-87 handles recoil really nicely. I was disappointed that "El not too Supremo" would #1 shoot one round then you needed a cleaning rod to force the spent round out...
#2 wouldn't feed or cycle those rounds either...
Anyways I went to 1300 FPS loads and that changed the story yet again...otherwise I was manually cycling for what that is worth...racking the bolt back and it was a disaster altogether and I blamed the gun...sickening! Happy to know it isn't though!

How many rounds do you have thru this 11-87? How old or how new is this 11-87? I have two older 11-87s, a new to me 30" Special Purpose and a nice Premeir Ive had for over 20yrs. Both are 1989 models. The SP is still proving itself to me but so far it has proven reliable. I hear the newer 11-87s and 870s can be finicky in a few ways. Mostly finicky about shells. More often than not the culprit is cheap cheap shells.

Have you tried the newer gas seal/piston ring combo that clips together and becomes one piece? Ive heard this set has fixed some finicky 11-87s.

Check the gas cylinder collar spring. Although not likely, it may have cracked or slipped out of position.

You may need to go to a slightly oversized O-ring, that may help too.

Are the gas seal ring amd piston ring chipped or broken?

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

Oh hey, check the gas ports in the barrel for obstruction. I think You can use a small drill bit to clean them out.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

TC, heres the new style gas seal ring and piston ring set.
www.midwayusa.com/product/140912/remington-piston-and-piston-seal-assembly-1100-11-87-12-gauge-new-style-post-1986

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

Sorry Bob, your great new roost thread may have been hijacked due to gun troubles......lol

boba · Guru

Lefty, I never gave it a second thought.

I hope your advise helps TC.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

I hope it helps him also. I have a soft spot for the 1100 & 11-87s.

DuckWyatt · Veteran Member

I've never had a problem with my 1100. I've heard several good and bad things on the 11-87. I don't shoot gas guns very often though. I am 36 and the inertia action guns are still what I enjoy. I mainly shoot the old Browning A5's. I love those things. Set up and maintained they are a joy to shoot and the recoil is nice with the target loads.

Bob that is awesome news with the new found roost. Now I just hope some idiot doesn't decide to shoot into it like they did at Ft Cobb. I am in Wewoka, OK. which is not too far from Kansas. I have seen and heard more birds in these last couple weeks. Things should pick up here soon. Not too much grain farms, just cattle, hay, and several pecan orchards. Enough to keep one busy after the crows. I hope to share some news of a good number hunt real soon. This past week has been muzzleloader season so for obvious reasons I stayed out of the woods. Monday it will be time to get back after it though!! Good Day folks.

-- Edited by DuckWyatt on Saturday 29th of October 2016 02:52:00 PM

boba · Guru

DW, there was a roost at Red Rock on an Indian Reservation where I shot on the private land in the surrounding county but it moved about 15 years ago and I think that this new roost is part of that old bunch.

nhcrowshooter · Guru

Field Strip and Cleaning Rem 11-87

Top Cat · Senior Member

RE: New roost in Oklahoma

Top Cat · Senior Member

OOPPSS! I thought you were referring to my Breda none the less I still like the idea...great video and advice but those Walrus Mart (do you know why I call it "Walrus Mart"? Ever go in there during the day?( Remember that old song by Queen-Round Bottom Girls you make the rocket world go round" or something?)

Yeah; that's why.

What do you say about the Breda? It's an older model; quite old in fact. Any cool nicknames for that?

Top Cat · Senior Member

The tomato stake wasn't that old at all-an alram should have went off why did someone sell it back to the gun dealer to begin with? See gentlemen I don't hang out with other gun owners so I have no idea ...handguns-yeah I know about handguns; the "good' the bad and the ugly"-hey that's why I don't look in the mirror! Any ways I just don't know. Remington right? I found out later the Mossbergs better improved balance wise but oh well. I am using a Browning BPS(?) which needs some more getting used to but with light loads it is recoil negligible like the 11-87 which is recoil negligible even with high brass 5s'....I started using high brass in the 11-87 because of the Walrus Mart not too El Supremo...okay you folks had better luck with that gun and light No so El Supremo loads....this is always good..okay I will try to find another good shotgun to replace if everything else you tell me doesn't work..thanks again..okay anyone with a nickname for the Breda? I got word it needs new parts so it won't see further action this season. Oh yes-it just hit me! Okay I'll try that.

Thanks again!

boba · Guru

TC, my dad used a 3 inch magnum Breda back in the 60's on ducks. He loved to pass shoot ducks with the 1 5/8th ounce load of # 4's lead. It had the threads on the outside of the muzzle so you could change chokes.

Top Cat · Senior Member

Okay cool! well the gunsmith said the gun needed new parts (Breda)....on order...it's an oldie and has choke availability but I didn't get any spares and it is deadly accurate. I can't wait to see it in full healthy mode!

Nice shooting in the Sooner State by the way. I am hitting an old location tomorrow and if the goose twins have been there I can go a couple miles south and find a good place to set up...the crows in that area hang around even when built up by migrants until the ground ices up....there is plenty of food resources.

Butch · Guru

Bob,

Sounds like your on them, Congrats on the good shooting!

Butch

By the way shooting the same shells here (4.95 Fed. 7 1/2) and have been impressed as they will smoke one even at extended range, best promo's I've shot so far and I never was fond of Federals but that may change.

boba · Guru

Butch, I bought a bunch of number 8 shot in the white boxes on sale.

Butch · Guru

Bob,

Gotcha, thought they were what I was using as down here they were in a white box with black writing.

Butch

Day Day · Member

boba wrote:
Last year I found a small roost just over the Kansas & Oklahoma state line of around 10 to 12 thousand birds. This year there are roughly 15 to 18 thousand birds using this roost, so things are looking up.

This made my jaw drop, "small" roost of 10-12k!! I've experienced buck fever, fairly certain I would experience severe crow fever and have a heart attack shortly after if I saw what you consider a large roost since here large is considered in the 100's! As with your other post I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one.

Jeff

boba · Guru

Hello Jeff,

Few crow hunters get to witness roosts of this size or larger because of the region of the country in which they live. When I lived in Long Island New York back in the 1960's there was a roost about a mile north of C.W. Post College off of route 25A on Long Island. This roost had perhaps 10,000 birds and was huge by my standards in those days. I had permission to hunt the surrounding area so I got some shooting in the afternoon when they would start to return to the roost. I never shot them in the roost even though the estate owner wanted me too.

Here are a few crow photos that you might enjoy looking at, they are of roost bound birds in the late afternoon. The first photo is of a grouping area where they dog it until it's time to fly to the roost. The rest are flyways leading to a roost.

boba · Guru

Photo # 1 is a grouping area. Photo 2 is a flyway. Photo 3 is a grouping area. Photo 4 is another grouping area. Photo 5 is a feeding area and so is photo # 6.

In photos 5 and 6 I have hunted that farm for over 20 years now and if I wait at least a few weeks between shoots then the shooting is pretty good. If you can't kill a few hundred in that spot something is wrong.