POTD: Remington Model 11 F-Grade – Carl Ennis’s Sporting Masterpiece
Sam.S 06.25.25
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This 1949 Remington Model 11 Sportsman is American factory engraving at its absolute peak. Built as an F-Grade—Remington’s top-shelf offering—this 12-gauge showcases master engraver Carl Ennis’s work. His small “E” signature sits below the pointing dog scene on the left receiver. Ennis turned John Browning’s reliable semi-auto design into a canvas for sporting art. Broad floral scrollwork wraps around six detailed game scenes: woodcock, grouse, pheasant, quail, and multiple breeds of pointing dogs. Each scene captures American bird hunting with technical precision that rivals period sporting prints. F-Grade guns were Remington’s answer to Europe’s finest sporting arms. Each component got hand-selected and fitted by master gunsmiths before reaching Ennis for decoration. American mechanical reliability met Old World craftsmanship standards. The result cost serious money.
The timing matters. Built in September 1949, this shotgun emerged during America’s post-war sporting boom. Returning veterans had disposable income and renewed interest in outdoor recreation. Remington’s F-Grade answered demand for premium American-made sporting arms that could match imported European guns without the import hassle. Ennis’s style—broad florals supporting detailed game scenes—became the template for American sporting gun decoration. His work influenced generations of engravers and established aesthetic traditions that continue today. Pick up a modern custom shotgun and you’ll see Ennis’s DNA in the scrollwork. Gun stores displayed F-Grades in locked cases like jewelry. Wealthy sportsmen ordered them for hunting lodges and exclusive gun clubs. The craftsmanship justified the price premium over standard Model 11s.
This Model 11 documents American sporting culture at its zenith when fine firearms were essential equipment for serious sportsmen. Not just tools, but statements about who you were and how you approached the hunt.
“Carl Ennis Engraved Remington Model 11 Sportsman F-Grade Shotgun.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4094/3548/carl-ennis-engraved-remington-model-11-sportsman-fgrade-shotgun. Accessed 17 June 2025.
