https://thegreatmodel8.net/

Hi,

I have an early Remington model 8. I was inspecting it today to prepare for shooting it, and it appears that the barrel will no longer reciprocate within the barrel shroud. It only moves back a couple millimeters before stopping. This is even if the gun is taken down and the barrel assembly is separate from the receiver. No amount of manual force can move the barrel past a couple mm. This is weird because I definitely have inspected it several times since the last time I shot it, and the barrel would move as it is supposed to within the shroud. Now, today it seems to have abruptly stopped functioning correctly, even though I have not shot it or dropped it or done anything to it at all - it's just been leaning up in a closet. I do not want to shoot it in this condition because I do not imagine it would be a good idea to "force" the action. What has happened? How do I fix it? I'll bring it to a gunsmith when I can but if there's something simple I'm overlooking please clue me in. Thanks.

Sir,
I once had an 81 in 300 savage which locked up the barrel all by itself,at a most inoportune time. It was during a follow up shot on a deer at 150-170 yds. My first shot went over the deer's back and hit the snow behind it, so I had adjusted my hold/aim to hopefully hit home, only to discover my gun was locked up with the barrel about halfway opened and halfway shut. I was really po-ed. When I got it home and got it apart,(quite a job in itself)I figured out that the recoil spring inside the barrel jacket had stuck it's end wire between the barrel and the barrel nut washer. I'm no expert on gunsmithing these m-8/81s,but my guess was that the washer became so worn that it allowed space in between itself and the barrel it self to allow that spring end to get jambed in there. I installed a brand new washer and no more problem. I also put a slight bend on the spring end. I have no idea if that could be your issue,but I thought it was worth mentioning. Recoil from 300 savage is substantial,and I believe may have been a contributing factor.
Thanks for your time,
Roger