Remington oddities worth owning

Internet gun enthusiasts hate Remington, but I think it is great.

I don’t have experience with Remington pistols, but I am very fond of its shotguns and rifles. I am especially drawn to its oddities, of which it made many.

Exhibit A is the short-lived, starcrossed Model 105 CTi. It is the only semiautomatic shotgun that loaded and ejected from the bottom. The Browning Pump Shotgun (BPS) and Ithaca Model 37 were similar, but they were pump guns.

Internet gun boards roasted the 105 CTi because of its reputation for unreliable cycling. Of course, nobody that ever posted a comment owned or even shot a 105 CTi, but they all had a “buddy” that did.

Dig deeper and you find that first-hand experiences involved the gun failing to cycle light target loads. Never mind the fact that the owner’s manual emphasizes using only 3-dram heavy field loads, with which my first-generation model functions flawlessly.

My brother says that reading an owner’s manual is grounds for losing one’s “man card.” Nevertheless, Remington addressed complaints with a second-generation model, but by then the damage was done. The 105 CTi was discontinued after a very short run.

The Model 700 BDL is the flagship of Remington’s revered rifle line. Its brash 1960s styling features everything “serious” hunters hate, like white spacers, Monte Carlo stocks and high gloss stock and metal. I like these features, and they have never compromised a deer hunt.

What I like most about the BDL is that it shoots accurately out of the box.

The oddities within the BDL line are its discontinued chamberings. For years, it has been available only in 243 Win, 270 Win, 30-06 Springfield and 7mm Remington Mag., but it previously chambered a wide selection of cartridges, including 6mm Rem., and even 257 Roberts. I have two in 7mm-08 and 280 Rem., and I dearly regret parting with my 308 Win.

BDLs chambered for 7mm Express (renamed .280 Rem.) and 17 Rem. are highly sought.

Any of the discontinued chamberings bring a premium if in excellent condition, but you wouldn’t know it from the Internet, which insists that the BDL is one of the worst rifles ever. The only people who don’t say that are the people who own them.

Remington’s most interesting oddities are its over/under shotguns. The company has made multiple attempts at building and marketing over/under shotguns, but none had legs. It’s almost as if the company intended them to be loss leaders.

The first was the Model 32, which lived on until 1983 as the Krieghoff K-32, and later as the K-80. It was replaced by the discontinued Model 3200. It was too heavy for a hunting gun, but it is revered nostalgically by competitive target shooters who long ago moved on to other guns.

Next up was the Model 300 Ideal, a short-lived field gun. Its graceful lines were subverted by uninspired, spare and cheap looking scroll engraving. I shot one in a skeet league for years and liked it a lot.

Next up was the Model 320 Peerless, a sweet field gun that shared cosmetic attributes with the Model 700 BDL. It has high-gloss wood and metal, and deep, sharp checkering. The wood grain is better than average. The forearm drooped like a guppy’s belly, like that of the defunct SKB semiautomatics, but commenters really seemed to object to the false side plates. They are attractive, but they do add a little weight.

Overall, the Peerless shoulders and swings marvelously, but Remington put it out to pasture quickly.

While the Peerless is an oddity in its own right, there was a derivative Model 396 that is rare enough for unicorn status. The Model 396 was a Remington Custom Shop Peerless. The receiver and side plates are nickel finish, with ornate scroll engraving. The wood is fancy and exquisitely figured with deep, sharp checkering. The barrels are ported and equipped with Briley extended choke tubes.

The 396 is so rare and obscure that it is virtually unknown, and thus unloved, meaning it, like Remington’s other oddities, isn’t particularly valuable.

The only thing rarer, possibly, is a specimen from Remington’s line of Italian-made over/unders, but let’s not forget its line of Russian-made side-by-sides. I had two in 16- and 28-gauge. They were ugly as sin, but they were good hunting guns.

Last in the line of Remington’s American-made over/unders is the Model 332, which picked up where the Model 320 left off and died almost as fast.

If you find any of these defunct Remingtons, buy it. Shoot it. Love it.