I have 2 older Remington 1100 shotguns in 410 ga. They both need a little tlc; o-ring replacement, stripped down for a good cleaning, maybe new springs etc.. can anybody rec a good gunsmith for such a project? this is not something I want to do myself.

It's too easy not to do it yourself.

It sounds like some pretty simple stuff.

But if you want "factory authorized" repair Remington offers a firearm repair service that uses a network of gunsmiths authorized to perform factory and warranty repair.

http://ccm.remington.com/

You go to the website, enter the info, and they tell you where to send it.

I used this service last year and they had me send my 1100 off to a guy in Kentucky. My action was binding, the gun misfed, and the action wasn't closing all the way. It turned out my gun needed a new forend support assembly.

An 1100 is one of the easiest shotguns to get down to pieces I know of. If there is nothing wrong with the gun, what you are getting done is dirt simple to do yourself.

I've never seen a bad spring on an 1100 unless it broke, but I'm sure it happens. The O ring replacement is simply sliding a new one on after taking the old one off, of course.

If you really want to replace the bolt spring, you will probably need a pair of needle nosed pliers or similar to re-insert the "tuning fork". I haven't looked but I'm sure there are multiple sources on the web to show you how to DIY. In my experience the most common "break" on an 1100 was the extractor.

Other than that, a can of carburetor spray and some good lube will fix it. The last time I checked, Remington recommended you run the gun without lube on the tube, but a small amount judiciously applied never seemed to hurt, especially with an older gun.

While the 1100 points as well or better than any other semi-, we used to call them "550s" on the trap range, because they were broke about half the time. A friend of mine's wife shot one, and they carried a bag of parts and replacement guns on the line with her. I actually saw her go thru 3 of them, the last one finished for her on one round of registered trap.

Don't get me wrong, great guns for the average user, but like most guns with moving parts, they tend to break with tens of thousands of rounds thru them. 870s and Model 12s last much longer but even they will eventually need a fix.

I have used Frank Smith. He is located in Texas.
He is a Master Gunsmith. He did a pre=war model 70 Winchester 375 H&H for me and it is excellent.
http://www.lsgmfg.com/index.htm

Just be careful inside where the "fork" rides, as it razor sharp, and will cut you in heart beat.

I believe I would use brake cleaner instead of carb cleaner. The carb cleaner will melt the plastic. At least it did in mine.