Introducing myself

[snaps]

Howdy everyone, I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself, tell you my story of how, quite by accident, I became interested in the Remington 8 / 81 and what I have done (so far) to address this issue.

I had never heard of a Remington model 8 or Remington model 81 prior to last week. At the request of my father I was trying to find some information on a rifle that (as far as my research shows me) does not exist. He said it was a Remington 300 lever action rifle chambered in .308 Winchester. It was a rifle that someone had told him about and he wanted to me to find out if it actually existed. My research turned up nothing, however in the course of my online search I used search terms such as “Remington .308”, “Remington lever action” and “Remington 300” – all of which fit with the description he gave me.

Well somewhere along the way the search term “Remington 300” brought up a photo and very limited info on a Remington Model 81 chambered in .300 Savage. I had never seen such a beast before but I was immediately attracted to the vintage industrial look of the receiver and safety lever. The photos (both vintage and modern) on this site (which I found a few days into my research) spoke to me on a level that I found extremely interesting.

All this to say I was intrigued and researched the Remington 8 / 81 for several days before decided that I had to locate one for myself. I cast my net and waited, but I didn’t have to wait for long before I had a bite. The catch was a Remington Model 81 chambered in .300 Savage. The rifle was located halfway across the country, but the photos looked good and the price was right so I proceeded to purchase.

The rifle is still in transit somewhere between here and there, however I’ll post some photos in the Model 81 photos section when it arrives next week. I have ordered the Remington 8 / 81 bible (GREAT REMINGTON 8 AND MODEL 81 AUTOLOADING RIFLES by John Henwood) and this should hopefully arrive in the near future as well. I’m sure there will be hours of great reading there.

The seller told me he removed the barrel for shipping purposes. While I have yet to receive the rifle I have absolutely no idea what is involved with reassembly. Are there takedown instructions anywhere that someone could point me towards? This will be of great help once the rifle arrives.

Also I’ll be hand-loading my .300 Savage ammo and so I am curious if anyone has any pet loads or advice in this regard that they could share.

I have since forgotten about the request of my father to find info on the seemingly nonexistent Remington 300 lever action rifle chambered in .308 Winchester, however I am quite pleased that the dead-end search he sent me on allowed me to discover the Remington 8 / 81.

I hope you enjoyed my tale as much as I enjoyed telling it.

Thanks and best regards from Canada

[TNyoteboy]

Hi snaps, I too was just finally able to get on the model 8/81 bandwagon recently. I still have relatives living in your neck of the woods, Gattineau, Kirkland Lake and Ottawa. Up until last year I had a cousin (one generation up from me, in his 70's, passed away last year, wife still lives near the airport?) living in Ottawa and I still have a cousin living in Gattineau (same generation as above). My Grandfather grew up in Eardley/Luskville and moved to the States back in the 20's. I have some relatives living in Ontario around Kirkland Lake and a cousin I'm pretty close to on Vancouver Island, BC (same clan as Kirkland Lake). Would love to come up there and see the area one day. Homes/cabins where my G'Dad grew up are long gone, but were supposed to be up in the hills North of Luskville (Beechgrove?) which are now in Gattineau Park.

Anyway, sorry to get off on a tangent, thought I would say Hi from a Canadian long ago!

[81police]

welcome to the forum! I will tell you some inside knowledge that you'll never be satisfied with just ONE! Glad to have ya Snaps and TNyoteboy

[snaps]

As far as putting the barrel back on its very easy there is a takedown screw under the forearm and once you get it you will have no trouble. If you do I will post some pics of the lever and other parts. Again great to have ya here hope you enjoy yourself.Pack

Pack, as you mentioned, once I saw what I was dealing with it was no problem reinstalling the barrel - although it took some trial and error on my part to figure out the bolt release wouldn't work with the barrel removed...you would have laughed to have been a fly on the wall for that event, me with the receiver in one hand and the barrel in the other trying to get the bolt to close...

[TNrifleman]

snaps,

Welcome to the forum. I am also a fan of the Model 81 in 300 Savage. I ran across one in a local gun shop a few years ago and just had to have it. I also got a real deal on 7 boxes of factory Remington 150 grain ammo which shoots great in my 81. Since I'm a handloader, I bought a set of RCBS dies, but haven't loaded any ammo yet. I'm still making empty cases.

Your story of how you came to appreciate these fine old Remington rifles is interesting. Life does that sometimes. The Henwood book is also an excellent investment for those of us who have been stricken with the "bug."

[TNyoteboy]

Anywhere you can find a used one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

[TNrifleman]

Anywhere you can find a used one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

I assume you are referring to the Henwood book. Try Amazon.com. They have the book and also have ties to many smaller book sellers that may have a good used copy. You might also try ABE books.

[ChopperDoc]

Amazon was way to expensive. Try this one. Good people and the price is right. Brand new, hard cover, nearly 1/2 the cost of the used ones on Amazon.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =128874147

[tbury]

Welcome, we have several Canadians in the group here (I am in Kentucky and am not Canadian; but some of my friends are ). I have two 8s and an 81; 25 rem, 30 rem and 35 rem respectively. My 81 shoots the 35 exceptionally well.

Off hand 100 yds:


Mine has the Krieger modification to make the magazine removable.

[ChopperDoc]

tbury,

I am in kentucky as well. In the Louisville area. How about you?

[tbury]

I am in Lexington and work at UK.
Tbury