Remington Model 8 questions

Mount Sweetness

Mount Sweetness

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To anyone familiar with the Remington Model 8 or 81:

Are these guns known to cycle reliably or will I pull my hair out in frustration?

In other words...do they have a reputation to wear out internally or are they finicky with ammo?

Any other likes or dislikes about the function of these guns and carrying/hunting with them would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the help
 
They will work every time you pull the trigger. (unless there are missing or broken parts) I have seen them carried and worn to a frazzle and they just keep on shooting. John Browning designed them to last. I would not shoot Hornady lever revolution in the .35 Rem model. The 200 grain Remington load is a better choice anyways.

Darryl
 
Mine ( a 35 Rem. ) digests everything I feed it without a hiccup.
It doesn't get used as much anymore and I restrict to deer hunting, but it did drop a couple Moose over the years. Keep them clean and with a little care they will last forever, mine I think was made in 1907.
A superb rifle for timber hunting... :)
 
First thing is first:

http://thegreatmodel8.net/

THE best place anywhere to get info on these fine rifles! Cam, Jack and many others are more than happy to answer any question you might have about these guns, and have decades of experience to back up what they say.

Second: Buster Charlie (from numerous US gun forums) has a pictorial dissassembly guide for the rifle. They're fairly easy to take down and clean, which is absolutely the first thing I would recommend doing. Cleaning out up to 106 years worth of crud greatly improves the cycling and function of the rifle, and being sure to properly reassemble the various levers and springs on the inside wall of the receiver is critical.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buster_charlie/sets/72157623271360342/

Like everything Browning (and I mean the original JMB), the gun is incredibly robust and designed to just plain work. The only way to wear out any parts is to improperly assemble and fire the rifle, else it will outlast you and all your great-grandchildren. In good condition, the rifle should have no trouble digesting just about any ammo, though unless you are fortunate enough to have a .300 Savage or a .35, you'll be trawling gunshows for the elusive .25/.30/.32 Remington brass and loaded cartridges. This stuff isn't made anymore, and brass is fairly scarce.


Likes:
Simple
Rugged
Accurate (within it's intended range)
Reliable
Browning

Dislikes:
A tad heavy
Ammo sourcing

I own one in .30 Remington, and I love her to death!

IMG_0847.JPG


She was made in late 1917, which makes her 95 years old! Still a lotta years left too. She may get rebarrelled though, as there isn't a whole lot left down there.
 
Blastattack said:
First thing is first:

http://thegreatmodel8.net/

THE best place anywhere to get info on these fine rifles! Cam, Jack and many others are more than happy to answer any question you might have about these guns, and have decades of experience to back up what they say.

Second: Buster Charlie (from numerous US gun forums) has a pictorial dissassembly guide for the rifle. They're fairly easy to take down and clean, which is absolutely the first thing I would recommend doing. Cleaning out up to 106 years worth of crud greatly improves the cycling and function of the rifle, and being sure to properly reassemble the various levers and springs on the inside wall of the receiver is critical.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buster_charlie/sets/72157623271360342/

Like everything Browning (and I mean the original JMB), the gun is incredibly robust and designed to just plain work. The only way to wear out any parts is to improperly assemble and fire the rifle, else it will outlast you and all your great-grandchildren. In good condition, the rifle should have no trouble digesting just about any ammo, though unless you are fortunate enough to have a .300 Savage or a .35, you'll be trawling gunshows for the elusive .25/.30/.32 Remington brass and loaded cartridges. This stuff isn't made anymore, and brass is fairly scarce.


Likes:
Simple
Rugged
Accurate (within it's intended range)
Reliable
Browning

Dislikes:
A tad heavy
Ammo sourcing

I own one in .30 Remington, and I love her to death!

IMG_0847.JPG


She was made in late 1917, which makes her 95 years old! Still a lotta years left too. She may get rebarrelled though, as there isn't a whole lot left down there.
Click to expand...

Nice rifle. I just picked up a nice Model 8A in .35 Rem with a decent bore from 1908 from a nice gentleman here in the EE. I have a nice Model 8D in .35 Rem as well that I may at some point have restored as it was treated a bit rough and has some pitting in the barrel jacket and the finish is very worn. Where would you have a barrel made up for one in case I want to eventually go that route? The barrel itself looks to be pretty easy to make up once you remove the locking lug block from the rear end of it.

Oh, and to answer the OP's question, they are one hell of a rifle! A bit on the heavy side, but very short and handle very well. They are even a little shorter than the M1 Carbine if you can believe it! This is one of the rifles that I am sure will multiply in my collection! The only thing I have read about is that the .35Rem ones don't like the 150 grain bullets and won't cycle them reliably and the Hornady Leverevolutions are a bit too hot for them and batter the action too hard. I just ordered some dies for .35 Rem so that the rediculous commercial prices won't affect me shooting them!

Cheers,

Ian
 
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