Remington Model 878
The Remington Model 878, also known as the 878 Automaster, is a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun made by Remington Arms from 1959 to 1963. The Model 878 was based on the company's previously introduced Model 58, both of which were succeeded by the Model 1100.Design
The predecessor to the Model 878, the Model 58, was a new semi-automatic design for Remington, being a gas operated system rather than the long recoil operation system designed by John Browning and used in the famous Browning Auto-5 and Remington Model 11 and Model 11-48.
The Model 878 introduced an improved "self-adjusting" gas system compared to the Model 58. The Model 58 and Model 878 are virtually the same, with only differences in the gas piston and cosmetics. Both of these shotguns were essentially gas operated versions of the pump action Model 870.
The Winchester Model 1400 also used this gas system, however the gas piston took space from the tube magazine. When Remington's Model 1100 came out with an updated gas system allowing for a higher-capacity magazine, these shotguns became obsolete.
