driftrider

I was out prowling around at a local gun store today and found a rather unusual rifle that piqued my interest. It was a Remington Model 81 semi-auto in .35 Rem. It looks very much like a John Browning design, and is pretty old. The finish is about 85%, the bore looks good, and they are asking $350 for it.

Anyone own or have owned a Model 81? Is this rifle a good gun, and worth that price? I was thinking that it would make a good brush rifle, and be just a neat rifle to own if it's not a POS design.

Thanks,

Mike

Hairtrigger

The 81 is a newer version of the Remington model 8. Yes Browning did design it. They are na neet gun. I have one in 300 Savage. You can remove the forend and find a lever to remove the barrel as in each rifle is a takedown model. They are different from most as they have a barrel shroud that makes them look like a varmint barrel.
If I could have walked out the door for $300 it would have left with me.

early

The model 8 & 81 Remington rifles combined with the the 35 Remington cartridge are thestuffof Northwoods Legend.

Once upon a time they were the absolute King of the deer woods, and had a well deserved reputation as such.

The nastalgia, and history of these fine rifles is an asset of great value indeed.

No, Ive never had one, but someday..........

early

Pioneer2

It's kinda funny how the safety resembles the selector on the AK 47 isn't it?Soviet design theft from several models as well as the German assault rifle .Lane Simpson [Guns + Ammo]speaks very highly of this gun in both terms of accuracy and reliability................Harold I believe they were issued to police and prison guards in .351 SL with 10 round clips.

DM

It's the rifle my father used to become an unbelivable game shoton deer. I can only guess, but i'msureheput well over 50deer in our feeezer withit untill he bought a new Rem. 742 in 30-06, when they came out. He wanted something with more power as times were getting better and he was thinking of hunting in Canada by then, as it's close enough to drive to from here...

Keep in mind that this was in the early days and he had a wife and 6 kids to feed... pretty much theonly meat we had was what we hunted. We still made all our own butter, cheese and sausage, and had a huge garden... We wereliving off the land and our little farm.

Isaw my dad make more than one double, and even tripples on running deer with that 35, (iron sights) and also with his 3006.(scoped) In all those years, inever saw him wound a deer that we didn't find... And inever saw him gut shoot a deer... ever!

He loved his 742 and it was also an excelent rifle, that he harvested more deer with it than he didthe 35. (that went to my oldest brother) He also harvested moose, bear and elk with his 742 finally tradeing again, this time for a Browning auto... Years later he wished he had his 742 back, and bought a used one that ended up having problems. So years later again itraded intoa used one for him to use that we still have today... (t's been very good)

Dad is now 94, and a few days ago he was talking about some of the shots he made with his old 35 Rem. declareing that "it was a real deer slayer!"

DM

driftrider

Man, see I knew asking about this was a bad idea, because now I want it!!!

If I could only get the wife to understand MY needs!![8D]

Mike

Pioneer2

Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission!HA....................Harold

TUK101

Thats too funny. It seems that everytime that I pull that trick it comes back to bite me in the rump. Spend the money on me, tranny in truck goes out. Oops, I guess that I really didnt need that gun? It doesnt always work that way, but more times than not it seems to.