doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Model 17 Remington?

Ran into a very nice example for very little money on a trip back East last week and was wondering if anyone here had some insight into issues with this particular model. I only know what the internet can tell me about the production history. I know they were made for a comparatively short period (1921 thru 1933) in 20-bore only, are very light, and some (all?) were take-down. Can I assume that the earlier versions had 2 1/2-inch chambers? Any other insight would be useful, such as functional issues or other problems to look out for. I am considering this gun as a gift for someone.

No. They were made for 2 3/4 inch shells from the get go. Remington never made a pump or autoloader for shells shorter than 2 3/4 inch until they got into 2 1/2 inch chambered .410-bore skeet guns.

There are no 'genetic' issues with the Model 17. It is a finely made gun AND was the 'model for the Ithaca Model 37

I've got one. It was my grandfathers gun and then my 1st shotgun. I really learned how to shoot with that gun and it performed well. I never had even one malfunction with that gun that i can remember, and now another kid is learning how to shoot with it too. I would have to say it is a very well made gun.

I bought one for $50 from my Dad's late deer hunting partner in 1977-still have it, it was my go-to gun for many years, and has trained many a kid, and a few times, the kids parent, in hunter safety training. No malfunctions ever.
An excellent repeater design.

Best,
Ted

I have owned a number of them including 2 17B models in 32" and 28" solid rib configurations. The are very light and useful pump guns with a John Moses Browning design. I never had a problem with them

I had a solid rib version and regrettably sold it some years back.

Smooth operating,very light weight,nice handling. The lineage to the Ithaca 37 is obvious.

Seems to me that the Remington 17 has a positive trigger disconnect, and does not have the so-called 'slam-fire feature' (a misnomer but that seems to be the way most people know what you're talking about).

Never had any problems with mine and I shot it a lot.
Never can't recall anyone asking for repairs on one either.
I'd guess that parts would be difficult to come by if you did need to find some and most any around will be well worn bits from stripped down parts pile guns.
That's just the way it is with old and especially low production guns.

Funny! I'd never even heard of the Model 17 until a few months ago. Picking it up from the "bargain rack" and actually knowing what it was, was kind-of fun. I don't remember seeing a solid rib and I didn't remember to check the choke, but I'd guess that it's likely to be full. The gun seemed to be very well-made (like alot of things were in the 20s and 30s) and it had obviously been well cared-for. The gun also seemed to be quite lively, so I'm guessing around 6-lbs of weight? A nice light gun for long walks on northern trails. Variety is indeed the spice of life.

I'm seeing quite a lot of these nice, older (and perhaps, a bit obscure?) guns in my travels now (that seem to get bypassed in the rush to buy the plastic and parkerized stuff).

Lloyd, the Remington 17 is one of my personal favorite "corn-shuckers", along with the Winchester model '97 and 1912. Be on the look out for a Stevens model 520, another John Browning design from that same era. The 520 is an A-5 hump-back look alike. I have one in 16ga that I'm thinking of having engraved in the Sweet-16 Browning pattern since I always tell everyone at the dove shoots that it is a rare pump sweet-16 anyway...Geo

Edited to correct the Stevens 520 make and model number after Researcher politely corrected my faulty memory!

Huh?? What? I've never heard of a Savage built John M. Browning designed pump. The humpbacked J. Stevens made John M. Browning designed pump is the No. 5xx --









And, I've never seen them catalogued in anything but 12-gauge. Their 1927 replacement the streamlined No. 620 was introduced in 12-gauge with 16-gauge coming the next year and 20-gauge the year after.

The Savage Model 220 was a hammerless single barrel first introduced in 1937, along with the very short lived Model 320 side-by-side, and Models 420 and 430 over/unders.