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Post by surplusfreak on Apr 8, 2009 0:04:20 GMT -5
First a little background. This is the only gun I (am soon to) own that is not a military surplus item. As such I have come to realized that these things are a bit of a collectors item and don't wish to bastardize the thing. Just fyi, I have not taken possession of the rifle yet. I don't know the year but it's a model 81 chambered in .300 savage, which my research dictates it was made after '41. So on to the questions. Does anyone know where you can get stripper clips for these guns anymore? I've searched all over the net and came up empty. Is it even worth searching? I'm assuming it will be a thumb buster like my M91/30 to load without one. Also it seems like none of the pictures i can find of these (anywhere) show any kind of scope. Waste of time? Just wrong to do? If it's worth doing does anyone make a "kit"? Just curious. Does anyone know the effective range of the .300 savage? I don't use my guns for hunting, my concern is finding a place where it is safe to shoot it. My concern stems from an incident where my m91 shot clear through a tree and kept going for a ways (about 40yrds ). Needless to say i started putting the targets a lot closer to the ground for that gun after that. I really appreciate any help I get on this! Thanks!
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Post by Hardrada55 on Apr 8, 2009 8:53:24 GMT -5
Stripper clips for Remington Autoloaders are collector's items in themselves. They seem to be running about $30 a pop on Gunbroker or E-Bay...., if and when you can locate one. Some of our members may have some with which they would be willing to part. I have several that I bought 15 years ago for about $20 a piece. Scopes - Look on the auction sites. They usually have one or more that are scoped. Also don't forget what a great resource our sister website www.thegreatmodel8.net/ can be. I've always wanted to mount my Saturn Boone scope on a decent 81 in .35 Rem. But, I would find one if I could that had already been tapped for some other scope, and that was still in good condition. The general consensus (you guys out there correct me on this...) seems to be that these firearms are collectible and if the gun is not already scoped, putting a scope on one, with the attendant drilling of holes, reduces the collector's value to that of a "shooter". I always think of the .300 Savage as a 150 yard cartridge. But all my shooting is colored by the reality of my aging eyeballs and the fact I was never a very good shot to begin with. Your mileage may vary. I don't doubt a full patch 7.62 Russian could shoot through a tree, but so would a full patch 30-06 or .303. A soft point .300 Savage? Depends on the diameter of the tree. Better safe than sorry. Besides that point, I think the .300 Savage would be an excellent hunting caliber, only slightly less potent than a .308.
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rmh
Junior Member
Posts: 95
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Post by rmh on Apr 8, 2009 14:14:51 GMT -5
Most state or federal land open for hunting will likely have designated target range areas with dirt mounds as backstops. Nothing like a big bulldozed berm to stop a bullet.
Besides a scope, you may be interested in an apeture (tang) sight. Lyman, Marbles, Redfield, and Williams I believe made sights for the 81 that will use the factory mounting screws at the rear of the receiver.
Stripper clips are rare, you might as well try loading cartridges without one before making a search. Being commercial rifles, they were made to slightly more user-friendly specs than military rifles.
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Post by surplusfreak on Apr 9, 2009 3:18:05 GMT -5
Thank you guys for all of your advice! That sucks to hear about the stripper clips... does anyone have a picture of one with some dimensions? I'll probably just make my own if I can. I have finally had a chance to see the gun in daylight and even put a few rounds through it. This thing kicks worse than my Russian! Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, it appears as though my gun has had a scope on it in the past. It has four staked screws that hold nothing on along the top of the receiver. I can only assume that was for a scope. Hopefully I can find a modern mount with the same spacing. When I picked up the gun today I noticed it has a third sight on the back of it that doesn't appear to be factory, at least it doesn't fit like it is (well it didn't, i fixed that problem). You'll have to look at the pictures but it appears to be adjustable and, as far as I'm concerned, about useless. Can anyone tell me why this is used and how to employ it properly? Also I have determined from the barrel that it was made in Aug. of '46 and is serial 29xxx. Also does anyone have a digital instruction book on these things so I can really clean the guts of this thing. I got the block out and cleaned but the rest of it i just kinda half-assed as I didn't want to screw the gun up. Use this link to see the pics... the pictures of the internals are before i cleaned them... didn't do after pics. viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=85053847&albumID=2805374&imageID=46530399
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Post by 81police on Apr 9, 2009 7:38:49 GMT -5
surplusfreak, Congrats on a nice rifle. Everything Hardrada55 said is gospel. I have a rifle with the same scope mount hole pattern as yours, I'm not sure what type of base that is myself. Stripper clips are not too hard to find, but usually go for a premium on large auction sites. They are frequently on ebay and gunbroker and a few have been sold on this site and it's sister site. There is one on gunbroker right now but it's not for your caliber. I have heard that M14 stripper clips will work but never tried it myself. www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=126630904Your gun looks pretty clean, I personally would not strip it completely down, especially if it's functioning properly. If you think you absolutely have to do it, i'd recommending purchasing John Henwood's "The Great Model 8" book. Again good looking rifle! Cam
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rmh
Junior Member
Posts: 95
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Post by rmh on Apr 9, 2009 19:42:48 GMT -5
The "3rd sight" is a tang-mounted aperture or "peep" sight. Yours was made by the Marble's and should have an application code "R6" stamped into the underside of the mount. "R6" is for the Remington Model 8 and 81 rifles; it would be considered correct to the rifle if that is the code. I don't know if Remington offered these as a factory order option.
To use the sight: Place in the upright position and when looking through the sight, try to center the front bead in the middle of the hole. This is best down with both eyes open- you look through the sight, not at it. The sight is adjustable for elevation, but not windage. Different apertures can be found which have larger or smaller diameters (for low light or high light conditions). When the aperture is removed, it is referred to as a "ghost ring" sight. Basically the same sight principle was used from the buffalo hunting days to your modern diopter by H&K.
If you've had to shim your sight and it's the correct "R6" sight, I would suspect something else is amiss like an improperly set mounting screw or a bent tang.
As for the scope mount, you may not find it easy to locate a matching mount. Many different manufacturers were around back in the day that offered "sidemounts" for the Remington 8/81, and aren't around any longer- Pachmayr, Stith, Griffin & Howe, and others. Maybe someone can help you match up what you have with a rifle that has scope mounts so that you'll know what to look for.
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Post by surplusfreak on Apr 10, 2009 2:04:13 GMT -5
I did not shim the sight originally... i did however fold and replace the one that was there to straighten it up. You can see it in the picture of the right side of the sight. The bottom of the sight appears to have been ground down at some point as the writing on the side is half gone. i didn't check the bottom for any markings specifically. Since it is unlikely that I will find a scope that will fit in the existing holes. Is there any kind of rail i can buy that will replace the rear sight so I can mount a long eye relief scope... similar to what I am looking to do on my m91, which isn't tapped for a scope. Now I understand that the barrel is removable on this rifle but it would still be pretty accurate. Might be a project for me to undertake later.... like after i'm done paying for it .
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tbury
Full Member
Posts: 126
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Post by tbury on Apr 10, 2009 6:53:03 GMT -5
If you have them try the stripper clips that are used for a Springfield 1903. The base of the 300, 35 rem, and 30-06 are very close. The correct stripper clips do not look too different than the standard military ones. Guys, correct me if I am wrong.
That sight you have goes for 125 to 200 dollars on ebay, so do not discard it. Most of these sights according the the Henwood book were sold through Remington as and option.
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Post by zanoya on Apr 10, 2009 23:22:34 GMT -5
As far as stripper clips on an 81, on mine at least, I don't think it is possible to use them... The slot is much smaller than any I've seen on military rifles, and I tried M-14 clips, but they are too thick. Unless the commercial clips were MUCH thinner, it doesn't appear that they could be used. My 81 is a .35, mfrd in 1938. Is it possible that at some point, they "phased out" the slot and stopped cutting them all the way? That's kind of the impression I get looking at mine.
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Post by surplusfreak on Apr 11, 2009 3:00:17 GMT -5
$200 for that little thing??? If I sell that i can almost afford the ammo for this thing lol. Anyone know what the value should be for some vintage NOSIB remington ammo should be for this? The rifle comes with an old box that i don't dare fire off.
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tbury
Full Member
Posts: 126
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Post by tbury on Apr 11, 2009 15:57:12 GMT -5
Search ebay and gunbroker for the R8 marbles sight and see what they have gone for.
300 savage is pricey but not hard to find even in local gun shops. Vintage may bring a high price if it is in a savage brand box. As long as the ammo is not corroded I would not be afraid to shoot it. I have shot 40's and 50's vintage ammo with no problems.
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Post by tnrifleman on Apr 13, 2009 6:28:25 GMT -5
surplusfreak,
Welcome to the forum.
I think you will really like the Model 81 when you get it. I have one in 300 Savage and it is an excellent rifle. 300 Savage ammo is very close to 308 Winchester in performance. My 81 shoots 150 grain bullets quite well.
For stripper clips, try Bob's Gun Parts in Arkansas. (Google it). He has them as well as some parts. God luck with your vintage Remington rifle.
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tjmga
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by tjmga on Jan 12, 2010 16:34:10 GMT -5
surplusfreak, This may be too late to help. I just removed a scope side mount from a model 81 in .300 Savage. It mounts with 4 holes just under 1" apart in a horizontal line about .5" down from the top of the reciever. The mount is Williams mount. I could not find any model numbers. It is aluminum and the screws appear to be number 8's. There are 2 large thumb wheels that may be for adjustment or removal. Good luck, tj
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Post by surplusfreak on Feb 17, 2010 22:06:05 GMT -5
tjmga,
Do you still have the mount? Are you wanting to sell it? Will a modern scope work with it?
Thanks
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