In the past few years Remington has begun naming
its top-of-the-line products “Premier,” and the company’s new Italian-made
over/under shotgun lives up to the name. Remington has developed
and marketed several over/unders, including the Model 32 at the beginning
of World War II and the excellent-but-heavy 3200 Field in 1977, but
all of them have been discontinued for one reason or another. The
Premier over/under may be the end of the rainbow the company has
been seeking.
American shotgunners have enthusiastically embraced
Italian over/unders for their sleek lines, low-profile actions, durability,
quality of workmanship and good shooting characteristics.And, the
28-gauge has caught fire with knowledgeable upland hunters. The 28
has virtually no recoil, and the 3/4-ounce shot charge is plenty
for all but wild pheasants, making it a primary gauge of choice for
game-farm birds, and excellent for young shooters and ladies.
Getting the criticism out of the way first, the Premier 28-gauge
weighs 6 pounds, 12 ounces, a bit on the hefty side. This is partially
due to it being built on a 20-gauge action. Compare this with my
AyA No. 2, built on a true 28-gauge action with 28-inch barrels that
weighs a mere 5 pounds, 10 ounces and points and shoots with the
best of ’em. (Of course the AyA is much more expensive than the Premier.)
Weight aside, the Premier has everything a shotgunner
wants. The buttstock is of plain-but-attractive walnut with a low-luster
finish that resembles traditional hand-rubbed oil. The butt carries
a 3/4-inch rubber pad that, with the 28’s low recoil, isn’t
really necessary. The grip is a well-shaped, semi-pistol style that
but for a rounded bottom is a classic Prince of Wales. Applied to
the grip and fore-end is excellent laser-cut checkering with a classy,
checkered-diamond inset between the points. The wood-to-metal fit
is quite good, with the wood standing a little above the metal.
The stock dimensions are more Italian than American,
and in my view that’s good. (Italian shotguns are known for
owning straighter stocks, slightly higher drops at comb and about
a quarter-inch of cast off.) For years I and other writers have been
nagging Remington to update their 1950s-era (shorter) stock dimensions.
The Premier I used had a length of pull of 14 5/16 inches; drop at
comb was 19/16 inches; drop at heel measured 21 1/16; and the stock
had a slight quarter-inch of cast off at the heel.
The boxlock action is finished in a silver-colored nickel enhanced
with laser-engraved quail on the left side and a single woodcock
on the right. The balance features rose and scroll, and the bottom
of the action carries a large, gold-colored “R.” The fore-end has
a Schnabel tip, the purpose of which is to reinforce the thin wood
at the forward end of the fore-end. I don’t like Schnabels because
to my eye they break a gun’s sleek lines, and, because I’m tall,
I like to extend my index finger out on the fore-end and the lip
on the Schnabel prevents it. But other people like Schnabel fore-ends,
so this is a matter of opinion.
The author wished the 28-gauge would’ve been built on a 28-gauge frame—not a 20-gauge—but had it been, the Premier would cost much more. Even so, the gun handles nicely.
The deeply blued, 28-inch barrels have a high ventilated rib that
terminates in a Bradley-style white bead. Like most Italian shotguns,
the barrels pivot on trunnions, but the lockup is allowed via a single
Purdey-style under-bolt, as opposed to the more familiar Italian-style
pins that lock into slots at the sides of the barrels. The ejectors,
a la Boss, are integral with the barrels, with no springs and hammers
in the fore-end. This style of ejector is very positive and trouble
free.
The barrels are very uniform. Nine inches from the breech the bottom
barrel measured .5525 inch, and the top .5530—slightly on the wide
side—and when measured from the muzzle they were the same. Remington’s
Pro-Bore chokes are included; in all, five tubes allow the user to
adapt to any situation.
The tang-mounted, automatic safety incorporates the barrel selector.
From the “fire” position, push the large slide to the right to fire
the lower (under) barrel first, or move the selector to the left
to make the top (over) barrel fire first. I have to say I hate automatic
safeties, those that when the top lever is pushed to open the action,
the safety is “automatically” pushed to the safe position. This feature
would drive anyone insane in an Argentine dove field or a clays course.
The trigger has a lot of preliminary take-up, which is not especially
damning in a shotgun. The trigger pulls run a uniform 7 pounds for
each barrel, and that is too heavy—although 7 pounds is common today,
3-4 pounds would be better. To its great credit, the Premier has
a mechanical trigger that is not dependent on the firing of the first
shot to set the sear for the second.
My opportunity to work with the Premier came during last year’s hot
summer. I shot sporting clays and skeet on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Although it’s nearly a 7-pound gun, because of its between-the-hands
balance I found it a little whippy to shoot long targets that required
a sustained, smooth swing that a more forward-balanced shotgun provides.
On the other hand, close, fast targets were easily handled. For a
young shooter or lady, this gun would be about right for clays and
general hunting. An ardent hunter would enjoy the nice feel of the
Premier in hand. It carries very nicely, a fact mentioned by all
my shooting companions, and it has good shooting dynamics.
Never discount the effectiveness of the 28-gauge. I’ve used it on
ducks and geese with bismuth shot in Canada that were within 25 yards,
all with excellent results. Rolled into this new Remington package,
the Premier is as pleasing to the eye as it is to shoot.
NRA members,
if you already receive American Rifleman or America's
1st Freedom you can add American Hunter
to your reading list for just $9.95,
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Remington Premier
800-243-9700
Remington.com
Type: over/under shotgun
Gauge: 28 (tested); 20; 12
Barrel: 28", ventilated rib
Trigger: mechanical, single selective
Sights: ivory front bead, steel center bead
Safety: tang-mounted w/barrel selector
Stock: satin-finished walnut, black rubber recoil pad; length of pull—14 5/16"; drop at comb—11 9/16"; drop at heel—21 1/16"; 1/4” cast off
Overall Length: 45 1/8"
Weight: 6 lbs., 12 ozs.
Metal Finish: barrels—highly polished blue; action—nickel-plated
Accessories: 5 Pro-Bore choke tubes: SKT, IC, LMOD, MOD, F; choke-tube wrench
MSRP: $2,128
