Remington Model 8 - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Remington Model 81 Woodsmaster) Semi-automatic rifle

Remington Model 8
Side view of a Remington Model 8
Type	Semi-automatic rifle
Service history
Used by	Federal Bureau of Investigation Texas Rangers - same model .35 killing Bonnie and Clyde
Production history
Designer	John Browning C.C. Loomis
Manufacturer	Remington Arms
Produced	1905–1911 (Remington Autoloading Rifle) 1910–1929 (FN Model 1900) 1911–1936 (Model 8) 1936–1950 (Model 81)
No. built	26,000 (Remington Autoloading Rifle) 4,913 (FN Model 1900) 80,600 (Model 8) 55,581 (Model 81)
Specifications
Mass	8 lb (3.6 kg)
Length	41.1 in (104 cm)
Barrel length	22 in (56 cm)

Cartridge	.25 Remington .30 Remington .32 Remington .35 Remington .300 Savage
Action	recoil-operated
Feed system	Fixed 5 round box magazine,(5-,10-,15-round box magazine)

The Remington Model 8 is a semi-automatic rifle designed by John Browning and produced by Remington Arms, introduced as the Remington Autoloading Rifle in 1905, though the name was changed to the Remington Model 8 in 1911.

History

On October 16, 1900, John Browning was granted U.S. patent 659,786 for the rifle, which he then sold to Remington. Outside the U.S., this rifle was made by Fabrique Nationale of Liege, Belgium, and marketed as the FN Browning 1900.

Under an agreement between Remington and FN, the Model 8 would be sold in the US while the FN 1900 would be sold elsewhere. Despite having a larger market, the FN 1900 was sold predominantly to hunters in Western Europe and Canada. Because of the new and yet unproven nature of the autoloading rifle, the FN model never experienced the same level of sales as the Model 8. Cameron Woodall of The Great Model 8, a website dedicated to the rifle, postulates that this was likely due to the difficulty convincing European hunters to spend money on an expensive rifle that few people had ever seen before. Due to lackluster sales, only 4,913 Model 1900s were ever produced compared to the over 80,000 Model 8s produced.

Design and features

The Remington Model 8 rifle was the first commercially successful semiautomatic rifle offered for civilian sale in the United States.

It is long recoil-operated and uses a rotating bolt head. After firing, the barrel and bolt, still locked together, move rearward inside the receiver and compress two recoil springs. Then the bolt is held back while the barrel is returned forward by one of the springs permitting extraction and ejection. Once the barrel is returned, the bolt is returned forward by the second spring; in so doing it picks up a fresh cartridge from the magazine and chambers it. The Remington Model 8 has a fixed 5-shot magazine and bolt hold-open device which engages after the magazine is empty. It is a take-down design, meaning that the barrel and receiver are easily separated with no tools, allowing for a smaller package for transport.

Remington created four new calibers for the Model 8 rifle: .25 Remington, .30 Remington, .32 Remington and .35 Remington. These cartridges were rimless designs to allow reliable feeding from box magazines. The Model 8 was offered in five grades of finish (Standard, Special, Peerless, Expert and Premier) and was the first truly reliable high power semiautomatic rifle ever commercialized (1906).

Use

The primary market for the Model 8 was sport hunting. The Model 8 was used as a police gun, modified to use detachable extended capacity magazines, among other changes. While seeing limited use in World War I, it was used by the French Aéronautique Militaire in very small numbers. It is noted as the rifle of choice by famed Texas Ranger Frank Hamer. Hamer's rifle was a customized .35 Remington Model 8 with a special-order 15-round magazine from Petmeckey's Sporting Goods store in Austin, Texas. He was shipped serial number 10045, and this was just one of at least two Model 8s used in the ambush of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. The rifle was modified to accept a "police only" 20-round magazine obtained through the Peace Officers Equipment Company in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Variants

Model 81 Woodsmaster

In 1936, Remington dropped the Model 8 and introduced the Model 81 Woodsmaster with improvements by C.C. Loomis. The Model 81 was offered in .300 Savage and the .25 Remington chambering was dropped after a limited number of 81s were chambered in this round. It was additionally offered in Standard (81A), Special (81B), Peerless (81D), Expert (81E) and Premier (81F) grades. The Federal Bureau of Investigation acquired some Model 81 rifles chambered for .30 Remington and .35 Remington in response to the 1933 Kansas City Massacre. Production of the Model 81 ceased in 1950.

References

^ "Model 8 Autoloading Centerfire Rifle". Remington Arms. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
^ "Model 81 Woodsmaster Autoloading Centerfire Rifle". Remington Arms. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
Miller, David. The History of Browning Firearms. p. 75.
^ Herring, Hal (2008). Famous Firearms of the Old West: From Wild Bill Hickok's Colt Revolvers to Geronimo's Winchester, Twelve Guns That Shaped Our History. TwoDot. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-7627-4508-1.
^ Gilbert, Glenn. "A Century of Remington Autoloading Rifles". American Rifleman. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
^ Woodall, Cameron. "F.N. 1900". The Great Model 8 & 81. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
^ Shideler, Dan (14 March 2008). Standard Catalog Of Remington Firearms. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-4402-2699-1.
Wood, J B (1 December 2003). The Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part IV - Centerfire Rifles. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 276–277. ISBN 1-4402-2648-2.
^ Guns and Ammo, July 2007
"The Great Model 8 & 81 » F.N. 1900".
"The Guns of Frank Hamer". 28 July 2011.
Vanderpool, Bill "Bring Enough Gun" American Rifleman October 2013 pp.80-85&115-116

External links

History of Model 8 & Model 81

v t e John Browning
Semi-automatic pistols	FN M1900 Colt M1900 Colt M1902 FN Model 1903 M1903 Pocket Hammer M1903 Pocket Hammerless FN M1905 M1908 Vest Pocket FN Model 1910 M1911 Colt Woodsman Baby Browning Hi-Power
Rifles	Winchester Model 1885 Winchester Model 1886 Winchester 1892 Winchester Model 1894 Winchester Model 1895 Remington Model 8 Remington Model 24 FN Trombone
Shotguns	Winchester Model 1887 Winchester Model 1897 Browning Auto-5/Remington Model 11 Remington Model 17 Stevens Model 520/620 Browning Superposed Ithaca 37
Machine guns	Colt–Browning M1895 Browning M1917 Browning M1918 automatic rifle Browning M1919 Browning M2 machine gun
Cartridges	.25 ACP .32 ACP .38 ACP .380 ACP 9mm Browning Long .45 ACP .50 BMG
Family	Jonathan Browning (father) Val A. Browning (son)

Remington firearms and cartridges

Rifles

Bolt-action	.22 Junior Special JuniorTarget 521TL Remington–Keene rifle M1903 Springfield rifle Pattern 1914 Enfield M1917 Enfield Mosin–Nagant Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 Model 30 Model 34 Model 504 Model 511 Model 512 Model 513 Model 521 Model 580 Model 581 Model 582 Model 600 Model 660 Model 673 Model 700 Model 710 Model 720 Model 721 Model 770 Model 783 Model 788 Model 798 Model 799 M24 sniper weapon system M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle Modular Sniper Rifle
Pump-action	Model Six Model 14 Model 121 Model 141 Model 572 Model 572 Fieldmaster Model 760 Model 7600
Semi-automatic	Nylon 66 Model Four Model 8 Model 24 Model 241 Model 522 Model 552 Model 597 Model 740 Model 742 Model 7400 Model 750 R4 R5 Remington Gas System Model R-25 RSASS
Automatic	Adaptive Combat Rifle
Single shot	Rolling block

Shotguns

Pump-action	Model 10 and 29 Model 17 Model 31 Model 870 Model 887
Semi-automatic	Model 11 Model 11-48 Model 58 Model 878 Model 1100 Model 11-87 Model 11-96 Model SP-10 SPR 453 Versa Max V3
Break-action	SPR 18 SPR 94 SPR 100 SPR 210 SPR 220 SPR 310

Handguns

Semi-automatic	1911 R1 Model 51 R51 RM380
Revolver	Remington-Beals Model 1858 Model 1875 Model 1890
Derringer	Model 95 Rider Single Shot Pistol Zig-Zag Derringer
Other	Naval Model 1865 Pistol XP-100

Cartridges

Categories: