colesdav
Member
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?
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?