Remington Model 8 in .35 Rem.

[Battis]

I have a Remington Model 8 in .35 Rem on hold for a week. I've researched it, watched videos, read some more - it looks like a great rifle. The brass and dies are available, bullets and molds are available, the gun's in great shape, price is under $500.
Anything to look for, any quirks in shooting, reloading, etc? I don't hunt, and it's not a collector's item, but it has that "something".
I have four of the Winchester Self Loaders from the same era. This Remington jumped out at me.

[TXGunNut]

Texassako is a fan of the 8 and 81, I've enjoyed watching him shoot his so much I fondle every one I see in the used gun rack. Fascinating JMB design.

[Battis]

I knew nothing about it until I went home and did some research, then I called the store and put it on hold. The retracting/recoiling barrel is really interesting. I'm going back tomorrow to give it a thorough going over. Browning was truly a genius.

[TXGunNut]

Sounds like fun, start gathering brass!

[GRUMPA]

Sounds like fun, start gathering brass!

My thoughts exactly, most may list them but they aren't always available. But that is a conversion that never seems to slow down for me, folks still can't believe you can make them from 308 brass with the right equipment.

[Earlwb]

I think that the only problem with a Model 8, is trying to find the empty brass cases after you fire it. In the forest brush etc. the cases tend to just go poof, never to be seen again. Mine can throw the cases quite a distance when you fire it. But when they made the guns, most people weren't interested in saving the cases. A box of rounds could last you a long time, if you only shot what you needed for food. In more modern times with deer tags and hunting seasons where you could only bag one deer a year, a box of ammo could last upwards of 20 years then. So reloading wasn't really something on people's minds like it is nowadays.

[CraigOK]

Sounds like you found a fun new toy. Were you looking for a new gun or just browsing? I ended up buying a revolver from a guy at the range one time after we chatted about 44mag vs 45colt. Wasn't in the market for one, but its it's probably my favorite pistol.

[376Steyr]

If your Model 8 has a curved steel buttplate, take some extra shoulder padding when you go to the range. I once shot a Model 8 in 35 Rem in only my shirtsleeves. I only made that mistake once.

[Battis]

I was looking for one rifle that would round out my list, and that was the 1910 Winchester Self Loader .401. I figured I'd never find one after looking for a few years (locally), so I bought the 1917 .30-06, telling my wife it'd probably be the last rifle I'd buy. Sure enough, a week later, a .401 came into the store. Well, I got it and it was definitely the last rifle I'd buy. Then, yesterday, I saw the Remington Model 8 .35 Rem. I have it on hold and it's definitely the last rifle I'll ever buy...
The funny thing is that I had about 10 fired .35 Rem cases that I got last year (I liked the box) and last week I converted them into .401 WSL.

[GunGuy2756]

I picked one up about 15 years ago in 30 Remington. Ammo is somewhat rare and averaged $1.00 a shot. It worked well enough but the curved steel buttplate made it uncomfortable to shoot.
After reading that these rifles are a nightmare to get back together I never attempted to tear mine down for cleaning. It was also stated that they are such a PITA some gunsmiths don't want to deal them either. Again, this is something I read on the net and can't verify. I sold it off on GB for much more than I paid.

[Battis]

There's a few disassembly/assembly videos for the Model 8 on YouTube that should help. I replaced the recoil springs in three Winchester Self Loaders - the .401 was definitely the hardest to do. Once you get the technique down, and make tools that they might have used back in the day, they're not hard to do. Just shut the doors and windows and let the nasty words fly.
Hands down, the hardest rifle that I ever put back together was one that was never meant to be taken apart - the Remington Nylon 66 .22.
I'm not a fan of heavy recoil. With the Winchester Self Loaders, I found the lowest powder load that ejects the empty cases. The .32 and .35 are nice to shoot. The .351 is worse than the .401 - the .401 is a heavy rifle, like the Model 8.

[Lloyd Smale]

had a .30. It was a great gun. accurate and very little recoil due to the weight of it. Rob Applegate collects them and he did a custom rifle for me years ago and I gave it to him as a gift for the work.

[Bent Ramrod]

I had one in .25 Remington for a while, and occasionally fired a friend's .35 Remington. Recoil is a little disconcerting, as it's kind of a one-two punch, as the bullet exits and the mechanism moves. More pronounced in .35 than .25, obviously.

I never had trouble losing empties with mine; the gun dropped them in a nice little pile by my right foot. I can't recall what the friend's .35 did, but he had a Winchester autoloader in .401 that really flang them shells out there. He got one of those nylon mesh shell catchers for that one.

The look of the thing is like a Mauser pistol--just Cool, that's all. You can find out everything about the gun, including disassembly, in the book The 8 And The 81 (can't remember author's name). The Second Edition is kind of pricey, but the First has all you need and may be found used at a more reasonable price.

[Battis]

I picked up the rifle today along with a set of Lee dies. The blue is mostly gone but there's no rust or pitting. It functions perfectly. It looks like it was made in 1928.
I found this site with some great info:
http://thegreatmodel8.remingtonsociety.com/?page_id=8

[Battis]

I found posts on various forums where shooters used .357 pistol bullets in their .35 Rem rifles with decent results. But the rifles used were lever action. I'm wondering how those bullets might work in the semi-auto Remington Model 8. Any ideas?

[Duckiller]

I have one made in 1913. Bought it in 2014. .357 pistol boolits work great. If the load is too light you may have to manually cycle out the fired brass. Mie was clean when I bought it. Don't believe they are that difficult to strip down and clean.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I really want an 8 or 81!

[historicfirearms]

I had good luck with the RCBS 35-200-fn boolit in mine. Loads that will reliably cycle will have a fair amount of recoil, but not anything an average shooter can't handle.

[Earlwb]

My example was made circa 1911-12. One of the early ones. Ser # 12xxx. Although mine has a serial number that implies it was made around 1908, the stamping on the barrel has a patent for 1911 shown.

Of course when I had it out last to check on it and oil it some, I found that I had forgotten how to operate the optional rear peep sight on it. The sight is stuck in the down position and I couldn't get it to move to the up position. I think one loosens the lock nut and then pulls it up or out and that unlocks it so you can move it up for use. But now I am not sure.\

If you don't already know about it they have a serial number listing and manufacturing dates here:
http://thegreatmodel8.remingtonsociety.com/?page_id=450

[Battis]

I got alot of good info on the Remington Society site.
Mine doesn't have the rear peep sight. One of my Winchesters has it. They're pricey on ebay.
I'd like to take the barrel assembly apart to clean and lube it. Any suggestions for a spanner wrench?