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  #1  
Old 10-26-2019, 09:49 AM
Calfed Calfed is offline
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I won a Remington model 81 at auction. Think it is an FBI model...









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Old 10-26-2019, 10:17 AM
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It looks correct. It is highly unusual to see one of them and you are very fortunate to have found one. I believe all of the FBI M81 rifles were chambered in .30 Rem. At least for a while, the FBI used a special more lightly loaded version of the .30 Rem cartridge, and the FBI version of the M81 rifle used the lighter recoil spring of the .25 Rem rifle. Originally, the FBI M81s had a fitted leather case, but I have never seen one of those. .30 Rem ammo is somewhat difficult to find today, but it is occasionally seen at gun shows, often the "white box" FMJ loads made for law enforcement and prison use by Remington back in the 1950s-60s. You can use .30-30 dies to reload for it. Not exactly correct, but they will work. You can also convert .30-30 brass to .30 Rem if you have access to a lathe. I have made several hundred .30 Rem cases that way. At one time, it was not too difficult to find new .30 Rem brass as Remington continued to sell a run of brass every so often. But I don't think they have made any for the last several years.

Last edited by DWalt; 10-26-2019 at 10:39 AM.
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Old 10-26-2019, 11:04 AM
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Very nice score indeed. Congrats.
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Old 10-26-2019, 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by DWalt View Post
It looks correct. It is highly unusual to see one of them and you are very fortunate to have found one. I believe all of the FBI M81 rifles were chambered in .30 Rem. At least for a while, the FBI used a special more lightly loaded version of the .30 Rem cartridge, and the FBI version of the M81 rifle used the lighter recoil spring of the .25 Rem rifle. Originally, the FBI M81s had a fitted leather case, but I have never seen one of those. .30 Rem ammo is somewhat difficult to find today, but it is occasionally seen at gun shows, often the "white box" FMJ loads made for law enforcement and prison use by Remington back in the 1950s-60s. You can use .30-30 dies to reload for it. Not exactly correct, but they will work. You can also convert .30-30 brass to .30 Rem if you have access to a lathe. I have made several hundred .30 Rem cases that way. At one time, it was not too difficult to find new .30 Rem brass as Remington continued to sell a run of brass every so often. But I don't think they have made any for the last several years.
Thanks, DWalt!

As you know, the tip off for the FBI model is the lettering on the receiver.

I have a "civilian" Remington model 81 in .30 Remington caliber which I bought years ago.




Because the Lyman 41 sight covered the serial number, the FBI had Remington shift the serial number and manufacturer lettering over to a spot just below the model information.

My non-FBI Model 81



The FBI model 81



Of course, there are other more subtle differences, but this one is the most obvious.
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Old 10-26-2019, 06:58 PM
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I'm a big fan of Rem 81's , have two myself, first in .300 Savage then .35 Remington. Not real common at the shooting ranges I go to, always seem to drawl curious people asking what they are. Nothing like blue steel and walnut.

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Old 10-26-2019, 09:35 PM
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Of all my M81s, my personal favorite caliber is the .300 Savage. I usually reload lightly using lead gas-check bullets. Factory-level loadings of the .300 Savage cartridge fired in an M81 produce too much recoil for me to enjoy shooting. Even modest MVs (around 2000 ft/sec) still allow the action to function reliably.

The .300 Savage is a very underappreciated caliber today, as it has been eclipsed for some time by the .308 Win. Actually, the ballistics of the .300 Savage and the .308 Win factory loads are nearly identical, especially so in that the .300 Savage is the parent of the .308/7.62x51 NATO. One of the simplest cartridge case conversions ever is making .300 Savage cases from .308 Win brass. Just size a .308 case through a .300 Savage FL die, and cut/trim the neck to length.
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Old 10-27-2019, 01:00 AM
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I've been using commercial PCI ammunition in my "civilian" Model 81. It is fairly accurate. I also have a 100 piece bag of .30 Remington brass that I bought years ago, along with a set of Redding dies, but haven't loaded for the rifle yet.







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Old 10-27-2019, 01:25 AM
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Reed's reloading supply house in Oklahoma City once specialized in carrying reloadable brass in some offbeat calibers. I bought some .30 Rem brass (and a few other oddball calibers) from them over five years ago. Their prices were pretty good at that time. They still have it, but currently listed at $1.15/case (100 cases for $115). Same price for .25 Rem and .32 Rem brass. A little pricey when I can make my own from .30-30 brass, takes about 5 minutes each on my lathe.

Last edited by DWalt; 10-27-2019 at 01:28 AM.
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Old 10-27-2019, 02:04 PM
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Reed's reloading supply house in Oklahoma City once specialized in carrying reloadable brass in some offbeat calibers. I bought some .30 Rem brass (and a few other oddball calibers) from them over five years ago. Their prices were pretty good at that time. They still have it, but currently listed at $1.15/case (100 cases for $115). Same price for .25 Rem and .32 Rem brass. A little pricey when I can make my own from .30-30 brass, takes about 5 minutes each on my lathe.
Reeds used to carry some interesting ammo for relics. I have a 6.5 Dadateau Mauser and noticed back in the day that Reed's carried loaded ammo for it.

I was lucky to find some R-P .30 Remington brass and loading dies at Graf's years ago for a decent price. I still have never loaded any ammo though.
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Old 10-27-2019, 02:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Muddyboot View Post
I'm a big fan of Rem 81's , have two myself, first in .300 Savage then .35 Remington. Not real common at the shooting ranges I go to, always seem to drawl curious people asking what they are. Nothing like blue steel and walnut.
Those are fine looking rifles, Muddyboot
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Old 10-27-2019, 04:34 PM
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I have an 81 in 300sav and it's a Krieger conversion to detachable mag. I knew and used 8 & 81 since I was a kid. I always wanted a police model with high cap detachable mag but didn't know much about them. I jumped on the Krieger and didn't realize that their where no hi cap mags ever made for them. Although it's a really well done conversion it just uses the factory box mag. For hunting purposes it's not a big improvement, I had stripper clips for 35Rem and never carried them hunting. Deer hunting 5 shots is plenty.
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Old 10-27-2019, 04:47 PM
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They’re cool old rifles OP- I have an heirloom Model 8 in .35 Remington. 1914 mfg and it’s finally time for a rebluing job
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Old 10-27-2019, 04:48 PM
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Those are fine looking rifles, Muddyboot
Thank you... as I'm sure you can tell, both have had work get to their current condition.
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Old 10-27-2019, 06:28 PM
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I had stripper clips for 35Rem and never carried them hunting. Deer hunting 5 shots is plenty.
There's really not much purpose for having stripper clips for the 8/81 as they can be reloaded easily with individual rounds. However, any of the original 8/81 stripper clips are highly prized collectibles, usually selling for $50+ each. I once bought a fairly nice M8 mainly because it had five stripper clips and about 100 rounds of factory .30 Rem ammo with it. Those two items alone were worth more than what I paid for the rifle package.
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Old 10-27-2019, 06:35 PM
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I have an 81 in 300sav and it's a Krieger conversion to detachable mag. I knew and used 8 & 81 since I was a kid. I always wanted a police model with high cap detachable mag but didn't know much about them. I jumped on the Krieger and didn't realize that their where no hi cap mags ever made for them. Although it's a really well done conversion it just uses the factory box mag. For hunting purposes it's not a big improvement, I had stripper clips for 35Rem and never carried them hunting. Deer hunting 5 shots is plenty.
I've been in the hunt for a Kreiger conversion Model 81, but as you know, they are rare.

Back in 2011 I was in Albuquerque and stopped in at Petersons Guns. They had several unmodified Model 81's that were going for about $500 each. A POE high capacity magazine equipped model 81 had just sold for $2000. I got to examine it and the workmanship was very good. Didn't realize at the time what a good deal $2000 was for that rifle.
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Old 10-27-2019, 10:58 PM
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I've always liked the Model 8 and 81.
Currently refitting the steel butt plate to a Model 8 in 32cal that someone must have cut the stock off just a little bit.
The stock and butt plate # to the rifle but they certainly didn't fit very well as they sat. A little window glazing compound and some thin strips of leather filled the gaps in places.
Nice rifles they are. Yes they always draw some curious looks at the range.
I have a C-Grade in 25Rem. That needs a stock toe repair. Always something.
A real creampuff to shoot though and accurate too.
If you like the Model 8/81 but don't care for any of the heavy recoiling or really loud report calibers (300Sav),,get one in 25Remington caliber.
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Old 10-27-2019, 11:23 PM
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Those are very unique rifles. Ive always wanted to pick one up for the sake of them being interesting curios, but the odd caliber and limited availability of components for them has always lead me to shy away. Those of you that have shot them, how are they?

Congrats on the auction win! Any way you slice it, those are very cool old rifles.
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Old 10-27-2019, 11:48 PM
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Definitely a unique rifle with some very cool engineering. When I turned hunting age, my grandfather gave me his Model 8 in .30 Remington and a bunch of ammo. I always found it to be too muzzle heavy and poorly balanced for field use; burned a lot of powder killing rocks and beer cans, however.

Being from an Italian family, the Model 8 was always referred to as a, “———— machine gun.”

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Old 10-28-2019, 12:23 AM
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If you stay with a Model 8 or 81 in 35Remington or a Model 81 in 300Savage,,ammo or reloading needs aren't much of a problem.
Dies in those calibers are still inexpensive. Brass can be sometimes hard to find but it's usually not long before some becomes available.

The 25, 30 and 32 Remington cases are all essentially the same. The 30Remington is the one most often seen as a component new unprimed case. Remington makes a run every so often.
You can form the other two from the 30Remington. Or as already mentioned above, the basic case can be lathe modified from a 30-30 Winchester case.

Any of the 3 caliber die sets will be a premium price. Sometimes a deal can be had on a used set but you have to be fast to grab them up.
The shell holder from the modern 30RemingtonAR cartridge fits.
But they sell a S/H specific to the 30Rem cart family as well.
In sizing 30Rem down to 25Rem, it helps to size them down to 7mm first,,then to 25. But if you are careful, you can do it in one step.
30Rem up to 32Rem requires only a single pass into the 32Rem FL sizer.

The 32Rem uses standard 32Winchester Special bullets when reloading.
(There may be another bullet that was made for the 32Rem,,I don't know. I've always used easily available 170gr Jacketed F/N 32WinSpcl bullets .321d)
The 25Rem use any standard .257d bullet.
30Rem use a .308d bullet. (Though the 30Rem bores are known to be a bit 'tight' and will mic out at .306/.307 , I've never known or heard any problems from the use of standard .308d bullets.
30-30Winchester bullets are popular to use in the caliber.

Any caliber reloaded for these rifles will be limited in OAL by the box magazine in the rifle and what length cartridge it will accept. Check w/a dummy or loaded round (carefully!) to make sure the OAL is short enough to allow loading and feeding.


30-30 reloading data is often used in the 30Remington
25-35 Winchester data is often used in the 25 Remington
32 Winchester Special is often used in the 32Remington.

IIRC Lee Reloading data and I believe another source or two list the calibers in that way.
Some list the calibers separate.
Some manuals don't list the calibers at all anymore except the 35Rem and the 300Sav.
Older loading data should be gone over and checked against other sources and from other yrs/manuals. The data changes often and what may have been a safe load in one years manual may not be in another.
It's just the way it is in using older manuals and data. Gotta be careful.


I load 25, 30, 32 and 35 Remington for Model 8 and 81 Rifles. I don't load 300Savage.
I've used jacketed and cast bullet loads and have found that in most instances loads at the 'Starting Load' or just above that in the loading manual will operate the Model8/81 actions just fine.
I shoot paper only so I have no reason to try and magnumize my rifles. They are near 100 y/o in some instances, complicated and parts can be fragile and hard to find. Some parts are caliber specific, expensive, need to be hand fitted and in short supply.
No need to push limits is my thinking.

They are fun shooters with their Browning long recoil actions.
They'll take a WhiteTail just as well as a plastic stocked stainless steel beauty with a 3 to 9X scope on it will.

When you get your fill of the Model 8 and 81, you can start looking for an FN Model 1900 in 9mm.
That's the European version of the Model 8 rifle built at FN and marketed on that side of the world.
Euro Walnut stocks w/ graceful pistol grip butt stock, full length ribbed bbl,
Have fun....
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Old 10-28-2019, 01:31 AM
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There's really not much purpose for having stripper clips for the 8/81 as they can be reloaded easily with individual rounds. However, any of the original 8/81 stripper clips are highly prized collectibles, usually selling for $50+ each. I once bought a fairly nice M8 mainly because it had five stripper clips and about 100 rounds of factory .30 Rem ammo with it. Those two items alone were worth more than what I paid for the rifle package.
Stripper clips for 8 /81 are about as useful as a detachable 5 round mag. for hunting purposes. The stripper clips were suppose to be for military sales Rem was hoping to make in WW1. Some were bought by France but more of the FN 1900 were sold. Not that many of either was sold to French military. Just small lots early when Europeans were hurting for rifles. They were bought for air corps.
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Old 10-28-2019, 01:35 PM
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At one time I did some load experimentation with the .30 Rem in an M81 using various bullet types and weights, even cast bullets. I had several hundred .30-40 Krag military bullets (220 grain FMJ) and loaded them using Unique powder. I had suspected that the rifling twist wouldn't be adequate to stabilize the long 220 grain bullet, but in fact they shot fairly good groups at 50 yards. I experimented by raising the powder weight a little at a time until I got positive functioning of the action. The 220 grain bullet must be very deeply seated to fit into the magazine. I also remember getting good results with 130 grain jacketed bullets. The nice thing about using the M8/81 is that any bullet type will work as it does not have a tubular magazine.

"The stripper clips were supposed to be for military sales Rem was hoping to make in WW1."
The U. S. Army did in fact do some testing of the M8 during WWI for possible military use, but it was not adopted. Actually stripper clips were available prior to WWI. I have an M8 rifle advertisement from ca. 1909-10 that shows .35 Rem cartridges loaded in a stripper clip. For the .300 Savage, any military stripper clips for the 7.62 NATO, .30-'06, 7mm/8mm Mauser, etc. cartridges can be easily modified for use in the M81 rifle as the .300 Savage has the same rim diameter.

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Old 10-28-2019, 02:20 PM
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My first deer gun was a #8/ 35Rem, so it has some sentimental value. I like 35Rem cartridge for woods deer hunting. I did find the 8 & 81s not the best balanced for shooting running game. I swithched to 14 & 141s that are better natural pointers. I have loaded a lot of 35 and some 30R, I have shot 32 & 25 with factory ammo. Based on my experience with 35 & 30 they both liked RN bullets best. I haven't shot the 300sav / 81 enough to say that. I think it may do well with a bigger range of bullets. The Sav 99s seem to do well with all bullet styles, being more affected by bullet weight. I have 40rds of 300sav loaded up with pulled GI FMJs from 7.62 that I'm going to try out in 81. I have dies for the Rem cartridges but haven't loaded for the 25R.
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Old 10-28-2019, 02:56 PM
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Those are very unique rifles. Ive always wanted to pick one up for the sake of them being interesting curios, but the odd caliber and limited availability of components for them has always lead me to shy away. Those of you that have shot them, how are they?

Congrats on the auction win! Any way you slice it, those are very cool old rifles.
I find my .30 Rem model 81 to have tolerable recoil. The recoil is a little odd, in a way that is hard to explain, but tolerable.

It is fairly accurate (probably helped by the peep sight).

Here area couple of targets from my "civilian" .30 Rem M81, shot with commercial ammo...

My son shot this three shot group @ 50 yards



I shot this one, also at 50 yards.


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Old 10-28-2019, 03:06 PM
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Given my affection for the Browning A5 shotgun (I have two) I really should pick up one of these.
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Old 11-09-2019, 11:23 PM
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It looks correct. It is highly unusual to see one of them and you are very fortunate to have found one. I believe all of the FBI M81 rifles were chambered in .30 Rem. At least for a while, the FBI used a special more lightly loaded version of the .30 Rem cartridge, and the FBI version of the M81 rifle used the lighter recoil spring of the .25 Rem rifle. Originally, the FBI M81s had a fitted leather case, but I have never seen one of those. .30 Rem ammo is somewhat difficult to find today, but it is occasionally seen at gun shows, often the "white box" FMJ loads made for law enforcement and prison use by Remington back in the 1950s-60s. You can use .30-30 dies to reload for it. Not exactly correct, but they will work. You can also convert .30-30 brass to .30 Rem if you have access to a lathe. I have made several hundred .30 Rem cases that way. At one time, it was not too difficult to find new .30 Rem brass as Remington continued to sell a run of brass every so often. But I don't think they have made any for the last several years.
One thing I'm interested in is finding out, if possible, what route these rifles took to get into the private market.

The FBI is not known for selling off their weapons to the public
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Old 11-10-2019, 12:50 AM
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One thing I'm interested in is finding out, if possible, what route these rifles took to get into the private market.

The FBI is not known for selling off their weapons to the public
My guess is that some of the "obsolete" M81s may have been used as retirement gifts or awards for certain FBI agents, who later sold them. But I have nothing to back that up. I once knew a retired FBI agent who spent his whole career there back in the 1940s-1960s (he was even involved in the JFK assassination investigation), but he died nearly 20 years ago. You would nearly have to be able to talk to such old-timers to find out.
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Old 01-04-2020, 02:21 PM
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I finally brought home the rifle and got to look at it more closely.

The rifle displays characteristics of both the early model FBI model 81 ("stacked" model, manufacturer and serial number markings on the receiver, Lyman 41 sight) and the later FBI model 81 (grooves in the barrel jacket, standard rear sight, etc). One theory that I had was that since these are take down rifles, perhaps someone at the FBI had at one time mated a late barrel/forend to an early model receiver and no one had ever corrected it.

Well, scratch that theory...the barrel yoke bears the same serial number as the receiver...



So the mystery continues.

I also noted that the screws on the receiver have been staked. I've not seen that in any other Model 81...even the few FBI model 81's that I've seen


Can anyone identify the numbers stamped on the barrel yoke?


Finally, the barrel code seems to be "NNO". If I'm interpreting this correctly, that would indicate July, of 1944, which seems late for an early FBI model.
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Old 01-04-2020, 02:52 PM
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A cool gun and very unique- definitely would be expensive to make today. I inherited a .30 Rem Model 8 with the straight stock. Fun for the range, but for me it’s too muzzle heavy.
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Old 01-04-2020, 02:58 PM
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What an excellent purchase. I wish you luck in finding the .30 Remington brass though. I've looked into buying a Great Model 8 several times, but the scarcity of the brass has scared me away. Especially in a Semi-auto. Range report looks promising as well!
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Old 01-04-2020, 03:19 PM
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Originally Posted by AManWearingAHat View Post
What an excellent purchase. I wish you luck in finding the .30 Remington brass though. I've looked into buying a Great Model 8 several times, but the scarcity of the brass has scared me away. Especially in a Semi-auto. Range report looks promising as well!
Thanks 'Hat! Years ago I bought a bag of 200 pieces of Remington .30 brass (I thought it was 100 pieces, but checked and discovered it was 200 pieces).
I've also got a set of Redding .30 Remington dies and about 150 rounds of PCI loaded .30 Remington ammo.
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Old 01-04-2020, 06:04 PM
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Calfed what is the unique to the Bureau lettering on the reciever?

Thanks.
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Old 01-04-2020, 06:48 PM
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I find my .30 Rem model 81 to have tolerable recoil. The recoil is a little odd, in a way that is hard to explain, but tolerable.
Nice shooting, as usual.

With regard to "odd recoil", I have a Star Megaster that gives an odd "two-stage recoil" sensation. I wonder if the Model 81 is the same because there is just so much going on in the long recoil system.
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Old 01-04-2020, 06:54 PM
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Calfed what is the unique to the Bureau lettering on the reciever?

Thanks.
The Great Model 8 & 81 >> The F.B.I. Model 81

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Identifying the Early Type FBI Model 81

– RECEIVER – Remington script and serial number were placed beneath trade name.


If you look at the side of the receiver of an FBI issued Model 81, you see this...



If you look at the side of the receiver of a "non-FBI" model 81, you see this



The FBI requested Remington to move the Remington script and serial number over under the trade name because the serial number would be blocked by the Lyman 41 sight.
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Old 01-04-2020, 06:56 PM
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Nice shooting, as usual.

With regard to "odd recoil", I have a Star Megaster that gives an odd "two-stage recoil" sensation. I wonder if the Model 81 is the same because there is just so much going on in the long recoil system.
I've not shot the Star, but the model 81 has kind of a hard "push" rather than a sharp recoil. Something like that.
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Old 01-04-2020, 07:15 PM
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Long recoil shotguns such as the Remington M11 and the Browning A5 also have that somewhat strange feeling double-shuffle recoil. There is a very substantial mass of moving metal (the barrel and breechblock) which come to a sudden stop inside the receiver. As I said earlier, full loads of .300 Savage produce an unpleasant amount of recoil (at least to me) with the M81. I understand the .35 Remington does also, but I have not fired an M8/81 in .35 Rem. Therefore I keep my .300 Savage reloads on the mild side, just enough to produce reliable functioning.

Some years ago, I let my brother fire one of my .300 Savage M81s using full factory level reloads. He is a reasonably experienced shooter and a fairly big guy. After he fired the second shot, he decided that he had all the fun he wanted.

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Old 01-04-2020, 09:13 PM
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Thank you Sir. Also thanks for additional images.

Very neat rifle!
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Old 01-10-2020, 02:12 AM
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81Police, a co-administrator over on the The Great Model 8 and 81 forum made an educated guess on the likely reason for the combination early and late features of my FBI model 81 and he makes a lot of sense.

Quote:
Your barrel assembly is not original to the rifle. The hand stamped "16651" on the top of the jacket head was possibly done by the FBI. As you'll see there's another serial number stamped on the inside of the jacket head (placed by Remington)...22096. So...the barrel assembly of your rifle is still an authentic Model 81 FBI item, but it's a Late-Type or 2nd style assembly from another gun. The cool thing is that barrel assembly 22096 is one of only 4 known Late-Type/2nd style serial numbers recorded! Are you sure the date code isn't DNN?

Your rifle #16651 was probably manufactured sometime in 1941 and started out as a the "Early-Type" or 1st style FBI 81. The FBI had numerous issues with the 81 (which is why the Late-Type or 2nd style was transitioned). One primary issue was the loosening of the barrel jacket from the jacket head. My guess is that since your mis-matched Late-Type 81 barrel assembly was hand stamped on the jacket head, would indicate the FBI intentionally mismatched the rifle to resolve issues with the original #16651 barrel assembly.
FBI Model 81 - thegreatmodel8.remingtonsociety.com
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Old 01-10-2020, 11:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Calfed View Post
I finally brought home the rifle and got to look at it more closely.

The rifle displays characteristics of both the early model FBI model 81 ("stacked" model, manufacturer and serial number markings on the receiver, Lyman 41 sight) and the later FBI model 81 (grooves in the barrel jacket, standard rear sight, etc). One theory that I had was that since these are take down rifles, perhaps someone at the FBI had at one time mated a late barrel/forend to an early model receiver and no one had ever corrected it.

Well, scratch that theory...the barrel yoke bears the same serial number as the receiver...



So the mystery continues.


I also noted that the screws on the receiver have been staked. I've not seen that in any other Model 81...even the few FBI model 81's that I've seen



Can anyone identify the numbers stamped on the barrel yoke?



...Finally, the barrel code seems to be "NNO". If I'm interpreting this correctly, that would indicate July, of 1944, which seems late for an early FBI model.


...That # on the top of the yoke/bbl jacket extension looks like an added after the factory ser# to match up another bbl assembly with the receiver 1/2....see below.
>
>
...The only time I've seen those screws staked into position is on guns that were worked on by gunsmiths outside the factory or by their owners.
Those 2 screws are very short. They are threaded just under the head itself into the frame. Then a very short section of each w/no threads protrudes out into the frame for internal parts to pivot on.
One is shorter than the other.
Other than requiring complete disassembly to hook everything back together again, backing one or both of those out won't damage anything.
They rarely come loose if ever.
>
>
---The number on the side of the bbl yoke/bbl jacket extension is an orig ser# from the rifle a bbl assembly using that 'yoke' was orig fitted on at the factory.
Rem started stamping the 'Bbl #' in that position about 1/2 way through the Model 8 production and continued that way into the Model 81 production.
(Orig early Model 8 bbl # was on the very small bottom edge of the yoke where it abuts the frame.)

The 'matching ser#' you see on the top of the yoke/bbl jacket extension is likely an added marking from outside the factory (IMO) when the bbl assembly was added to the receiver/butt stock 1/2.
Perhaps an FBI armorer placed that there.

Also, the pin or rivit used to assemble the bbl jacket to the extension/yoke has been re-inserted and re-riveted on this assembly. The jacket screws into the extension with very fine threads and then the rivet is used to secure it. On a factory assembly the rivet head is then polished off so it's barely noticable if at all. This one shows the peening marks in the blued surface of the yoke and the rivit/pin clearly.
(FWIW,,the bbl itself is screwed into the shank that contains the locking recesses on the breech end and then that assembly is pinned as well. They used a 'blind pin' to lock them together. It's inserted on the right side at about 3 oclock and then the assembly polished smooth. Again very hard to see. )
>
>

Don't know anything about FBI, early or late .
Usually,,,on the Rem date codes the Month is stamped first (single letter) then the Year (single or double)
Then any additional codes like a Repair, Canadian Sales, Returned No Work, Employee Sale,,ect.

But I've seen some that just don't follow the Remington Rules.
I have a Remington 30S Express here right now that has 4 letters stamped on it, 2 letters duplicated. Looks like the Yr of mfg duplicated.
So who knows what you may find on things. It was a factory after all and not every one was fully awake all the time!

Last edited by 2152hq; 01-10-2020 at 11:23 AM.
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Old 01-10-2020, 10:48 PM
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Thanks, 2152.

You have confirmed much of what 81police posted over on the Remington 8/81 forum.

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Also, the pin or rivit used to assemble the bbl jacket to the extension/yoke has been re-inserted and re-riveted on this assembly. The jacket screws into the extension with very fine threads and then the rivet is used to secure it. On a factory assembly the rivet head is then polished off so it's barely noticable if at all. This one shows the peening marks in the blued surface of the yoke and the rivit/pin clearly.
(FWIW,,the bbl itself is screwed into the shank that contains the locking recesses on the breech end and then that assembly is pinned as well. They used a 'blind pin' to lock them together. It's inserted on the right side at about 3 oclock and then the assembly polished smooth. Again very hard to see. )
It is difficult to see, but there actually is no pin/rivit in the hole.


This confirms information over on the Remington 8/81 forum about the late (or 2nd) batch of FBI Remington model 81's. At the Bureau's request, Remington induction brazed the barrel jacket to the barrel jacket yoke because the yoke was loosening from hard use.



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Originally Posted by 2152hq View Post
Don't know anything about FBI, early or late .
Usually,,,on the Rem date codes the Month is stamped first (single letter) then the Year (single or double)
Then any additional codes like a Repair, Canadian Sales, Returned No Work, Employee Sale,,ect.
You are correct...I read the barrel date code backwards...it is actually ONN

Where are the additional codes stamped? I noticed a "50" stamped on the trigger guard.
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