The Remington Mannequin 31 is a shotgun that usually will get overlooked of the “corridor of fame” dialog. Whereas the Winchester 1897 and Mannequin 12 are legendary, the Ithaca 37 stays a cult favourite, and weapons just like the 870 and 590 dominate the fashionable market, the Mannequin 31 sits in a little bit of a shadow. It belongs to what I name the “second era” of pump shotguns—the identical period because the Mannequin 12 and the Ithaca 37.
The Mannequin 31 from Remington
Remington produced the Mannequin 31 in 12-, 16-, and 20-gauge. The gun was meant to compete instantly with the Winchester Mannequin 12. Designed by John Pedersen and C.C. Loomis, this was Remington’s first side-ejecting shotgun, changing the bottom-ejecting Mannequin 17 and the older Fashions 10 and 29. Loomis basically took the Mannequin 17 design, tailored it for 12 gauge, and transformed it to a side-eject configuration.
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The Mannequin 31 did see its fair proportion of police and army service. The FBI positioned one in each subject workplace following the Kansas Metropolis Bloodbath. Throughout WWII, the army diverted all shotgun manufacturing for the struggle effort, and the Mannequin 31 Riot Gun earned its stripes—and its “U.S. Property” stamp. Remington even produced a prototype trench gun, although it by no means entered full-scale manufacturing.
The “Ball-Bearing Repeater”
My Mannequin 31 is a 20-gauge variant. A earlier proprietor professionally shortened the barrel and the inventory, creating a really light-weight, useful firearm. It feels as if it was initially modified for a youth or smaller-statured shooter. Whereas it has been trimmed and slimmed, it stays a superb instance of “Large Inexperienced’s” historical past of producing.
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The walnut furnishings is attractive; for a gun sufficiently old to gather Social Safety, the wooden and the deep blued end are a testomony to its unique high quality. Nevertheless, to actually really feel the magic of this gun, you solely have to rack the pump. It’s, by far, the smoothest motion I’ve ever felt. It glides rearward and ahead, fully freed from slop or grit.
This buttery motion is why the Mannequin 31 grew to become referred to as the “Ball-Bearing Repeater.” It feels as if the motion bars are sliding on precise bearings relatively than steel-on-steel. That is the results of exact machining and hand-fitting—a stage of workmanship we not often see in fashionable mass-produced shotguns.
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After all, this was additionally why the gun was a tricky promote: it was costly to supply and required important man-hours. When folks say, “They don’t make them like they used to,” the Remington Mannequin 31 is precisely what they’re speaking about.
The Mannequin 31 on the Vary
This shortened 20-gauge mannequin could be the most convenient pump-action I’ve ever shot. It’s light-weight, brief, and produces little or no recoil. Regardless of being a “sub-gauge,” the 20-gauge spherical nonetheless packs a potent punch, making it a succesful selection for each protection and looking. For a lot of shooters, it’s the “Goldilocks” of shotgun rounds.
The graceful motion makes it straightforward to “grip and rip.” You’ll be able to cycle the gun extremely quick, and with the low recoil, the expertise is immensely satisfying. The Mannequin 31 can put two rounds on course at ten yards in lower than a second with out punishing your shoulder.
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Even with primary buckshot, it carried out surprisingly properly. Regardless of the minimize barrel, it produced an honest group—roughly the dimensions of my palm at ten yards with “el-cheapo” hundreds. Once I switched to Federal FliteControl, the patterns tightened up superbly. The gun gives constant extraction, ejection, and firing with out a single grievance. It could be an previous workhorse, however it nonetheless has loads of “get-up-and-go.”
The Legacy of the Mannequin 31
The Mannequin 31 wasn’t an enormous industrial success for Remington. Its major rival, the Winchester Mannequin 12, had a status because the “Excellent Repeater” that was exhausting to beat. Remington produced roughly 121,000 items in 12 gauge, and about 75,000 in 16 and 20 gauge mixed.
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Nevertheless, the Mannequin 31 paved the best way for the long run. It impressed Remington to develop the Mannequin 870, which was optimized for contemporary, cost-effective manufacturing. This allowed the 870 to be bought at a a lot cheaper price level than the Winchester Mannequin 12, ultimately permitting Remington to grab the market share.
This shift even pressured Winchester to supply the cheaper 1200 collection. Moreover, Mossberg used the Mannequin 31 as inspiration for the Mannequin 500 collection, which stays some of the fashionable shotguns on the earth in the present day.
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The Mannequin 31 might not have been the king of the gross sales flooring in its day, however its legacy is firmly cemented in blued metal and walnut.
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