https://thegreatmodel8.net/

I'm posting this for forum member jack1653.

This is yet another really cool conversion done by Pete for our friend Jack. This brass spittin monster started out as a standard Model 81 in .35Rem.

An original POE magazine was fitted, and the barrel assembly cut down to a shade over 17". The custom Thompson SMG foregrip was done by Jack himself. What a beast!

Hey Guys,

Thanks for posting the pictures for me Cameron. You did great in getting the pictures to look good.

Well guys, this rifle has been a long time in the works. It is the last of the original VerSchneider Conversions that Pete did for me. It was an after thought and brought about by conversations with 81police about his carbine. I decided to kick it up a notch and add the POE magazine. The magazine was possible through the Creamer Collection and I very much appreciate Bob's willingness to go along with the idea and part with the magazine.

The carbine was a handfull according to Pete's emails. I recall getting one email after he had the carbine put together. He said he had done it just like the others he had made and was confident that it would work with the POE magazine. However, when he took it to do the test firing, things went okay for the first 7-8 shots and then the barrel hung up so it was back to the bench. If I recall correctly, which these days are in doubt, Pete said the heat had built up in the barrel to the point that he had to re-mill the barrel and take another 1/10,000 or so off the barrel. It was the first time he had ever fired more than the standard 5 rounds in the carbine. Then things started to break and some components had to be replaced. Time passed and Pete's new work kept him on the road more than he wanted so the gun took a back seat for a while.

Time passed and then I received the email that I had been long awaiting. Here is what Pete said: "It has digested several 15 round clips worth of 200 grain Core Lokts, fast and slow, without a hiccup. I'll admit it was fun to shoot, not any fun to work on. That rifle fought me every step of the way, other than getting the mag to fit. From that point, she's gone thru several changes of internals, a shroud nut and a barrel nut. Made me nuts. But, I seem to have gotten a meshed set of parts in there now. Maybe it had something to do with the barrel, it has 3 repair codes on it and the shroud had 2 rivets and silver solder holding it together, and it's not the barrel the receiver came with. Hard to say. I've had it for so long I had forgotten some of the "fun" I had getting apart the 1st time. Either way, it's together now in carbine form and waiting for your Tommy Gun for-end. There is a surprise attached to the receiver for you."

The surprise that Pete had for me was the Marables Tang Peep sight. You just can't get ahead of Pete. As I stated in my post about the VerSchneider Conversions, the guy is a genius when it comes to the Remington's. I admire his work and he is a real Gentleman. I wish the best for Pete and his family and look forward to getting with him one of these days.

The Tommy Gun grip was not an original idea. It came by the way of 81police through a picture of the "The Thompson style forearm reminiscent of Texas Ranger Manuel Trazazas Gonzaullas 15 round police Model 8. If you look at that picture you can see where my grip is embedded into the forearm instead of sitting on it. I did have to modify the grip to achieve what I wanted but that was fairly easy to do. The rest of the modification was pretty straight forward.

As a final comment, the carbine will be going with me to Texas in March for my visit with 81police. We plan on shooting all of the Police models and the VerSchneider Conversions. We will attempt to get some videos of the rifles in action. We know one thing for sure based on our shooting last year. It will be raining a "torrent" of brass in Texas.

Regards,

Jack1653

Great job on the handgrip Jack. You just have too many toys.This work, the beautiful case you made for the three barrel model and your beautiful FN just blow me away. Can`t wait to see the promised video of this one in action. My "Jackitus" has taken me off in pursuit of custom mausers lately.Have added three and am building two more. I`ve got to get back in the fold and add some more 8/81`s. Still have that idea of converting one to 7.62 x39 with an SKS barrel. That,with a multi round mag and short barrel off a paratroop SKS would be interesting.
Little less oomph than the 35 might help with the functioning and breaking things.
Joe

This reminds me of my secret desire. Years ago, before they were being imported, I owned a MAS49/56 in 7.5mm. This was about the nicest shooting autoloader I have ever had, until I bought my model 8. I always wanted to buy one and take it to a gunsmith to have it tuned and sporterized. Sadly when I last inquired about it I found out most gunsmiths are no longer gunsmiths. They are people who assembly M16s from parts and call themselves gunsmiths, so I dropped the idea.

This rifle is an example of a true artist of a gunsmith. I wish I could take it down to my local smith who could not shorten the barrel of an old trap shotgun to 20 inches because "no one can cut through metal without leaving jaggy edges".

I wish someone would come to my neck of the woods with their fancy Model 8/81s. I would make a HD documentary on them.

Hey Western,

Where are you located? I have been known to make a trip now and then and depending on location maybe I could make it happen.

jack1653

Jack

I am in Central Washington. There is a lot of hunting and outdoors fun in the Cascades, and if you come into town I will put together a scratch crew and we will videotape and photograph your weapons. Because of cost, it is cheaper to shoot in the summers.

Then I will turn whatever I shoot into a low end documentary on the model 8. On this forum we have enough knowledge to make it a real nice one.

There is also a chance to get a grant to shoot a documentary - one of our history professors is an expert on the history of hunting.

Hey Western,

I would like to visit Washington again. I was out to your beautiful state 4-5 years ago to do some salmon fishing. I stayed at Concrete and fished the Skagit River with some vintage bamboo fly rods. I had hired a guide for the trip and we had a great time and caught a lot of salmon which were released. I would like to have a little more information about what your documentary would include and how I might contribute to your efforts. If you would prefer to email me about your plans, send the email to jack1653@att.net.

I live in northeast Georgia and that would be quite a drive for an old man. I do have some Remington 8 & 81's that might be used for your documentary. Maybe we could enlist some additional members to make the trip. I have commitments for mid July through July 31.

Regards,

Jack

Way=cool, and all the possibilities....

I shot two documentaries in the 1980s in Northeast Georgia (the days before digital), Cleveland: Town of the Dolls and Unicoi Means New Way.

Sadly, the Bush era was the great heyday for government documentary funding. I used to be able to get 20,000 bucks to shoot a movie or produce a documentary, then pay back the grant agencies when I earned the cost back again (I never make any money - my job pays plenty, I shoot video now days for the fun of it). The Obama administration (and the economy) turn off the money tap for that sort of thing. So grant funding of educational projects is VERY difficult now.

Still, let me look for money. It is easier when doing a documentary on guns for the director to come to the gun owners than the gun owner come to the director. It may be this becomes a slow motion project completed as money comes into my bank that takes several years to finish, but I may be able to do this documentary. Or let me put it this way, if there is any way to do this documentary, I will give it a shot. It would mean members of this forum putting up with a disabled ex-cop in his mid-40s camping out in their backyard (to save money) while he interviews people and videotapes their prized Model 8s and 81s.

Related to full disclosure my work is online and listed in IMDB. The best place to see my work is http://www.youtube.com/user/voldamane/ where I keep samples of student work, and work I have done on a non-profit basis (the for-profit and government work I do is owned by whoever pays me to make the video). You are welcome to buzz it.