The Remington Model 8 is a centerfire, recoil-operated, self-loading rifle designed by John Browning and produced by Remington Arms beginning in 1906.[1]
John Browning was granted U.S. Patent 659,786 on October 16, 1900 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 Patent 1900.)
The Remington Model 8 rifle 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, bolt is also returned forward by the second spring; in so doing it picks up a fresh round 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 takedown 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.[1] These cartridges were rimless designs to allow reliable feeding from box magazines. The Remington Model 8 was the first truly reliable medium power semiautomatic rifle ever commercialized (1906).
The primary market for the Model 8 was sports hunting. The Model 8 was also used as a police gun and is noted as the rifle of choice of famed Texas Ranger Frank Hamer.[1] 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 8's used in the ambush of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.[1] The rifle was modified to accept a "police only" 15 round magazine obtained through the Peace Officers Equipment Company in St. Joseph, Missouri.[2]
In 1936, Remington dropped the Model 8 and introduced the Model 81 "Woodsmaster" with improvements by C.C. Loomis.[1] The Model 81 was also offered in .300 Savage and the .25 Remington chambering was dropped after a limited number of 81's were chambered in this round. Production of the Model 81 ceased in 1950.
