So I picked up a bunch of odd and old guns at auction a few years ago. By the receipt I paid $90.00 for this one. Just an old Remington Model 11 in 12g painted green for some reason (wood). I finally got bored enough yesterday to start really looking at it (I'd actually forgot all about it) Anyway, it has US Military ordinance marks on bbl and receiver. It's short barrelled (22", I think) and full choke, so I'm guessing it was a "trench gun" and not one of the AA trainers. My question is, the green paint looks old enough to be at least from Korea. Would stripping the paint off, not knowing it's origin, help or hurt the value? Anyone else see an Ordinance -marked M11 Remmy with green painted wood?

Hurt

Any time you alter the original finish of a collectible anything you lower the value.

will give you your money bak and 10% profit plus shipping

Problem is,I've never seen one with green painted furniture, I have no idea if this was done by the military or someone later who just thought it would look cool and had some green paint lying around? It looks like a military shade of green. Think I'll leave it alone for now.

edited to add: Oh, and thanks for the offer, rex, but I think I'll sit on it for now.

Could you post a pic?

Yep I have.
My buddy bought a really rough Remington model 11 with the longer barrel with a bunch of old greenish brown paint all over it, the thing looked like it went through hell. I was interested in it because it looks like an A5. Initially I thought someone painted to be a duck/goose gun with full choke and all.

He asked me to look it over and clean it up for him and about 3/4 way through cleaning we discovered ordinance marks on it (stock and barrel), at that point we didn’t have much choice and continued cleaning it up and got it back to working condition.

I looked all over for info of where these guns have been and with who. Could be from Korea or Nam but don't really know, think they were last made in like 1947. Depending on the age could even be ww2.

The one we had is now a better gun for what it is and displays much better and now shoots, but for nostalgia and collectability was best left alone. I think the market is kinda weak for them which is a shame, probably due to lack of good documentation.

This may help with the age.
http://www.remingtonsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=29989

Read what it says on on this link http://coolgunsite.com/images/shotgun/remington_mod11b.htm He provides a link to the site of a true expert. If it turns out to be an arsenal refinished riot, it's rare, don't screw it up.

Thanks for the info Alan S. After a bit of digging, it looks like my 5-digit serial number model was manufactured in 1907. Unti now, outside my old Parkers, I thought my oldest shotgun was a 1913 Browning A-5. Interesting stuff, I think I'll just give it a wipe down and put it back in the case.

On my tablet, I'll see if I can get a pic or two up over the weekend. It's really not in bad shape for a 109 year old shotgus used by the military! And I looked at it again this morning to run the serial number, the green paint on the furniture isn't as dramatic as I remembered.

I have a WWII model 12 riot gun and it has an 18.5" CYL barrel. Does both the receiver and barrel has US and ordinance markings?

Had to go look, the barrel has an ordinance mark (bursting bomb) and a couple others yet to be identified, the receiver has inspection marks on te bottom and tang. And yes, after clearing away some more crud, it appears it's cylinder bore. There's a kind of offset CY L in lower case to the rear of the barrel, left side, near the receiver.

edited to add: Stupid me, Ijust assumed it was full choke because that's what the auction had it listed as.

Oh, and it has a ramped bead front sight if that's any help.

Can you post pics?

Remington paid Browning for the rights to build these on the AUTO 5 pattern. There was a Stevens built on the same pattern. The non-Browning version lack the magazine cutoff.