Remington Model 8/81 Barrel and Action question

[colesdav]

Folks -

I've inhereted my grandfather's old Remington Model 8... but on further inspection it's got an issue. The barrel is stamped .300 Savage, which is obviously non-origional since the .300 Savage was only offered in the later Model 81. Every serial number on the gun matches, even the barrel sleve, but I can't find a number on the internal (actual) barrel. So, a few questions:

1) There is a .35 stamped on the bolt head - I know the caliber was indicated on the barrel chamber, but is this stamp on the head an indication that the origional rifle was chambered for the .35 (an option with the Model 8)?

2) .300 Savage ammo seems able to be extracted by the .35 bolt and it fits in the magazine. Can .300 be fired in this gun with a .35 action? What about headspacing, pressures, etc? Family verbal history tells me that my grandfather fired this gun recently before his death (unrelated), which leads me to believe this setup works?

3) If the .35 stamp is indeed an indicator that the rifle was chambered for .35, should I just keep my eyes open for a .35 barrel and swap it back to origional?

I would like nothing more than to take a deer this season with my grandfathers old gun... it's in excelent shape mechanicaly and It perfectly matches the schematics that I have - near as I can tell, there were no internal customizations, etc other than the wrong barrel.

There is a part of me, esp in consideration of the slam-fire problems that the model 8s had, that thinks I'd better just buy a Model 81 and hunt with that... not as historically pleasing, but probably safer... though I want the strait grip vs the 81's pistol grip... anyone know if stocks are swappable?

Obviously I'd LOVE a model 8 that shot .300 Savage, but I'd be more than happy with a .35 for some whitetail...

Thoughts?

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I had a model 81 in .300 that had a .35 bolt head also? The gun looked brand new inside and out. It turned out to be a jam o matic and I took it to a local gunsmith that didn't know about these old guns. I sold it and the guy that bought it sent it to a real gunsmith and he claimed it had an oversized chamber. By the way this gun kicked way out of proportion to it's chambering.

 

[colesdav]

Interesting... thats one fear I have, the .35 on teh bolt head NOT refering to the chambered caliber... I would assume that it was a standard .300 savage, if it weren't for the fact that the Model 8s weren't offered... so i KNOW the .300 barrel isn't origional... but was the bolt/action swapped out also? Your post makes me reconsider the possiblity of the origional rifle having been a .35... though the oversized chamber problem you had is suspicious...

 

[colesdav]

Update: I've pulled the gun appart and the firing pin is broken... thanks to screwed up chambering? What causes a firing pin to break... I've heard it referenced in several spots, esp among you target shooters so I suppose it's not uncommon...

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Old guns were made better than most new guns, but the steel used wasn't as good. Dry firing could have caused it to break or just age + shooting. By the way the model 81's in .300 Savage were prone to cracking the bolts. I don't miss mine as it kicked like a mule.

 

[cat9x]

Extractors (the part on your bolt head) used on model 81's whether in .35Rem or .300Sav should always read "35".

You can swap your 8 back to .35 but you need to change your springs as well as they may or may not have been changed during the conversion. The main problem in 8's converted to .300Sav is that the springs almost always are not changed to the coincide with the barrel and this can present problems and potentially unsafe to fire as noted in John Henwood's The Great 8 & 81 Autoloading Rifles.

Colesdav check out these guys for more info

http://vintagesemiautorifle.proboards105.com/

 

[colesdav]

Yes, I found some parts suppliers last night it it seemed that there were many concurent parts between the .35 and the .300. I also found a reference to John Henwood - I've ordered it up and I'm glad to hear he talks about swapping to .300... I've ordered a new firing pin, and it doesnt look like it would be too hard to get hold of the proper springs... I would frankly love to keep it in .300 if I can do it safely, plus it seems that procuring a .35 barrel may take some time... I'll see what Henwood has to say on the subject.

 

[cat9x]

Henwood basically says it's not a good idea and only addresses the issue I think for safety concerns and awareness.

Be sure to check your firing pin against your broken one, 8's and 81's used several firing pins that differ every so slightly.