Designed by Wayne Leek and Robert Kelley,^[2][3] the Remington Model 1100 was introduced in 1963 as a successor to the Model 58 and Model 878 gas operated shotguns.^[4] The Model 58 had supplanted the recoil operated Model 11-48, which retained the long recoil action of John Browning's original design, present in the Model 11 and the Browning Auto-5. Upon its introduction in 1963, the Model 1100 replaced the Model 58 and Model 878, and later replaced the Model 11-48 as well.

All models of the series are gas operated with a mechanism that noticeably reduces recoil.^[4] As of 1983, it was the best selling autoloading shotgun in U.S. history, in dollar terms.^[4]

A plain version of the Model 1100 in 12 gauge, named the Sportsman 12 Auto, was sold in stores such as Target, Kmart, and Walmart in the mid-1980s, along with the Sportsman 12 Pump, which was a plain Model 870.^{[citation needed]} The Sportsman 12 Auto had less costly birch stocks and less rollmarking on the gun's receiver. These were simply cosmetic differences, and all Model 1100 parts in 12 gauge are fully interchangeable, including barrels and receivers. Both Sportsman 12 offerings were discontinued in 1987, concurrent with the introduction of the semi-automatic Model 11-87 and the pump action Model 870 Express.

In 2011, Remington introduced the Model 1100 Competition Synthetic. A 50th Anniversary highly decorated version was introduced in 2013. Over four million Model 1100 shotguns have been produced. Several variations of the series—in 12, 20, and 28 gauges, and .410 bore—remain in contemporary production.