Remington Model 81

[Calfed]

Back in the day, before SWAT teams, Law Enforcement used the Remington Model 81 and Winchester 1907 self-loading rifles for "high risk" arrests. These semi auto rifles were beautifully made and finished and chambered in .25, .30, .32, and .35 Remington and .300 Savage.

Here's my Model 81, in .30 Remington...

http://i.imgur.com/oZz6p02.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/W1vanXw.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/QNmqPK5.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/Sf1PkUE.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/cZmQFPo.jpg?2

[bruce]

Great rifle! Yours looks to be in excellent condition. How does it shoot? Sincerely. bruce.

[PhillipM]

Didn't those have a LEO only extended magazine?

[dave]

There was a conversion for the Rem. model which made it into a 20 rnd. removable magazine rifle. I had one in the earlier Rem. model (08?). They were made and installed by some 'Police Equipment Company" in Miss. or Mo. as I remember. A lot of police and prison guards were equipped with them, a very desirable collectors item!

[Johnny P]

Link to the law enforcement rifles. Friend had a beautiful example of one of these, and was so proud of it I figured he would never sell it. He did.

http://thegreatmodel8.remingtonsociety.com/?page_id=659

[Calfed]

Great rifle! Yours looks to be in excellent condition. How does it shoot? Sincerely. bruce.

Thanks, bruce.

This one, equipped as it is with a Redfield peep sight, shoots very nicely. I'll look around for the target, but it shoots just a bit over 1 moa with the Buffalo Arms .30 Rem ammo.

[Calfed]

Didn't those have a LEO only extended magazine?

Both the Remington 8 and 81 could be modified to accept an extended magazine. However, it required machining of the receiver to accept those magazines.

Back in 2009 I saw one (can't remember whether it was an 8 or an 81) at Peterson's in Albuquerque. It had just sold for $2000--about 4 times what a regular 81 was selling for.

[Calfed]

There was a conversion for the Rem. model which made it into a 20 rnd. removable magazine rifle. I had one in the earlier Rem. model (08?). They were made and installed by some 'Police Equipment Company" in Miss. or Mo. as I remember. A lot of police and prison guards were equipped with them, a very desirable collectors item!

That's the one.

The regular model, like mine, has to be fed through the top. They used to make stripper clips for them, but AFAIK, those unobtanium now.

[Calfed]

Link to the law enforcement rifles. Friend had a beautiful example of one of these, and was so proud of it I figured he would never sell it. He did.

http://thegreatmodel8.remingtonsociety.com/?page_id=659

Yep, they are around. But pricey!

[dave]

I was mistaken when I said 20 rnd. and looking at the pics. I think mine was a 10 rnd. Saw it in a small gun shop in Hot Spings, 350 with two boxes of ammo. Bought it for a friend who had an interest in the rifles. I tried to trade him out of a Krag carbine but no go. So I put an add in Shotgun News , 700 bucks and must have got 10 calls, even one from Alaska! I think I sold it too cheap but that was years ago! it was a Model 8.
Another "Keeper" I should have hung on to, at least for a longer time!

[JBinIll]

Once had a Model 8 in in .32 Remington with the buttstock branded Paxton (Illinois) Police Dept. Here in the heart of Dillinger country no self respecting PD or Sheriffs department was without either Remington or Winchester autoloaders and Thompson SMGs.

[PhillipM]

Once had a Model 8 in in .32 Remington with the buttstock branded Paxton (Illinois) Police Dept. Here in the heart of Dillinger country no self respecting PD or Sheriffs department was without either Remington or Winchester autoloaders and Thompson SMGs.

The most beautiful Tommy gun I ever saw was a 1928 owned by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The blueing and wood finish were immaculate.

[Shooter5]

Granpa used a Model 8 from the 1930s to 50s then switched to the Model 760. I like them alot. The mechanism is somewhat similar to many of the recoil actuated firearms by JMB including the M2 HMG. I shoot a Model 81 in 300 Savage, the parent cartridge for 762 NATO. Also have been a member of the The Great Model 8 site for years. The AK47 designers undoubtedly copied its safety. The US military briefly considered it for a service rifle but an automatic was not to be until the Garand; but what might have been...? They shoot great but check out a youtube video first before field stripping one!

[Andouille]

Couple of on-line articles about Frank Hamer (who should need no introduction) and his Model 8's:

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2011/9/22/frank-hamer-legendary-lawman/

http://thegreatmodel8.remingtonsociety.com/?page_id=434

That said, a buddy of mine who had several 8's and 81's said that the 35-cal was the one to have because you could load .357 diameter handgun bullets in it easily and cheaply. I have no personal experience with this myself but always found his advice reliable.

[Calfed]

Thanks for the links, Andouille

I got out Fourth of July Weekend with my youngest son to shoot some of the collection, including the Remington model 81. Because of a problem we had sighting in a Garand (unnoticed loose front sight) we only had time to shoot the 81 at 50 yards.

My son shot this three shot group @ 50 yards

http://i.imgur.com/oyUG9qI.jpg?3

I shot this one, also at 50 yards.

http://i.imgur.com/MXfimdX.jpg?2

we were using some PCI commercially loaded ammo.

http://i.imgur.com/rnWKVCR.jpg?2