Virginia State Police Remington Model 31 12 GA 20″ Pump Shotgun 1942 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1626

LSB#: 210308MW06

Make: Remington

Model: 31, Virginia State Police

Serial Number: 54781

Year of Manufacture: 1942 (BL Date Code)

Gauge: 12 Gauge 2 ¾” shells

Action Type: Pump Action Shotgun with Tubular Magazine

Markings: The left side of the receiver is marked “Remington / REG. US. PAT OFF. / MODEL 31 / 54781” and is hand marked “VSP 25”. The left side of the barrel is marked “12 GA. FOR 2 ¾ OR SHORTER SHELLS”, “CYL”, “54781”, and has an inspection mark and “BL”. The top of the barrel is marked “REMINGTON ARMS CO., INC., ILION, N.Y. MADE IN U.S.A. PATS 1,763,665 / 1,763,714 – 1,786,213 – 1,834,410 – 2,023,929 – 2,039,814 OTHERS PENDING”. The right side of the barrel is stamped “REP” in an oval and with a test mark. The left front bow of the trigger guard is marked with an inspection mark. The bottom of the trigger group assembly is hand marked “25” in front of the guard.

Barrel Length: 20”

Choke: Fixed Cylinder

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a bead set on the barrel at the muzzle. The top of the receiver has a raised sighting plane with serrations for glare reduction.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are wood. The forend is grooved and the buttstock is smooth. The buttstock has a flat bottom pistol grip and a straight comb. There are some scattered little scrapes through the finish, light scratches, and some scuffs, most noticeable on the buttstock. Some of the marks have damaged light portions of surface wood, most noticeable on the top of the wrist. There is crazing to the buttstock finish. The LOP measures 14” from the front of the trigger to the back of the serrated hard rubber Remington buttplate. The plate has some little nicks and suffs. The stocks rate in about Very Good overall condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright. There is no erosion in the bore.

Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 90% of its metal finish. There is some thinning on the edges. The receiver and magtube have some tiny freckles of frost and a light patina developing. There are some scattered little nicks and small scratches, some of the most noticeable are sides of the receiver, barrel forwards of the forend, and on the back of the trigger guard. The lifter and bolt have a few small spots of dark discoloration from previous oxidation. The pins are intact. The markings are clear. Overall, this shotgun rates in about Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this shotgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be required to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None

Our Assessment: The Model 31 was designed to compete against Winchester’s Model 12, and its action is extremely smooth, so smooth it was called the pump with “the ball bearing action” (although there are not really any ball bearings.) A re-design from machined parts to stamped parts gave Remington the lower cost Model 870 shotgun with as good or better reliability than the Model 12. Still, some claim the Model 31 has the smoothest action ever designed. This one was owned by the Virginia State Police and for a department gun of its age looks great! The action is smooth and the bore is bright. This shotgun is in Very Good condition and will be a cool addition to your collection. Please see our photos and good luck!