thegreatmodel8.remingtonsociety.com

I have owned a model 81 for about 15 years now and never realized they had quite the fan base. I bought mine when I was 14 because my grandfather had one and I loved it. I just found this website today, learned lots of new info. What is the deal with detachable magazines, are there any current manufactures out there? I see krieger is a popular collector and have researched them to some extent, but are their any others worth buying. I deer hunt with mine and a detachable mag would be unbelievable. Any information or If anyone can point me to someone that will sell me one, I would really appreciate it.

robert54843,

We're glad you found us and are happy to have you as a member!

I share your affection for the detachable magazine 8/81's. Unfortunately Krieger only built their version for a short period of time, and most others out there are one off gunsmith jobs. I know of one man who's had experience working on Krieger's and can convert a standard rifle to a "Krieger-like" magazine. You may contact him at the address below.

Pete
prverschneider@energysolutions.com

Welcome, i know this suggestion isn`t much but have ya tried stripper clips.
Ya can reload pretty fast with them.

Thanks for all your help and the lead. I emailed Pete so hopefully he gets back to me and I can push forward. I have seen stripper clips before also. My issue is not quiet speed of reloading but safety and a detachable magazine would be nice not to have to worry about my kids accidently hitting the bolt realease and tearing into their hands. haha. I love the gun as did my Gramps and hopefully my kid will like it as much as I do

Did you get a quote on the magazine job and or use him ? Does he sell spare mags for his job ? Thanks

Tag

Tag

I have two 81's with Krieger detachable magazines. I do not see much advantage to them except in very cold weather. The model 81 is one of the most difficult rifles to load, especially in cold weather. The detachable magazine is some what easier but they have their problems. They tend to have the shells come out easy and often pop out when you load. They weaken the action because some parts are held in by a very tiny "C" clip that is not strong. The stripper clip is every bit as good and easier to use. The stripper clip is very fast and can be used in cold weather while wearing gloves. I just wish they were not so expensive. I have used SKS stripper clips to some degree of success.

I have discovered that 81 stripper clips, both for .35 and .300, are identical to M14 clips, which are quite literally a dime a dozen.

I ordered some 1891 Argentine Mauser stripper clips from Sarco for $0.90 each. Haven't gotten them yet, so I haven't tried them.

As I understand, for .35 Rem and .300 Savage, the case head size is pretty much the same as 7.62x51, so M41 clips work well, too. I may get a few of those to try out to see how well they work.

I have in mind to shoot my .300 Savage Model 81 in Highpower Rifle matches. Stripper clips would pretty much be essential for that!

Apparently Pete never got back to Robert. To bad.
Stripper clips work fine for fast reloads but the detachable mag works best for unloading.
Especially when done frequently as when moving from one location to another.
Big advantage to the Win 351 and 401.
Jim C

I have found while surfing the web, that someone on the forums here does conversions, I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction!

Pete no longer performs any work on 8/81's of any kind. To my knowledge there isn't anyone doing this work today. You could always message Jack1653 as he has done some magazine work personally and though he wouldn't likely do any work he may offer his advice.

Hey Blitzkriegws,

I have done Conversions on both the Model 8 & 81 in every caliber. The biggest issue is finding the 15-shot extended magazine produced by the Police Officers Equipment Company many years ago. If you can locate one, be prepared to pay big bucks for one. I saw one in Tulsa at the gun show that was priced at $2000.

The process for conversion is proprietary and was shared with me by Pete VerSchneider. I took some liberties with Pete's process to improve the conversion process but I still will not give out the process out of respect for Pete.

If you will PM me with your questions, I will try and help you. The one thing that I will tell you is that DO NOT ALTER THE MAGAZINE!!!

Regards,

jack1653

Jack, haven't you also worked on the Krieger conversions?

Hey 81police,

You are correct. I do not like working on the Krieger's for several reasons. It is just too hard to improve on what Kreiger did and I had found them pretty easy to buy when I wanted one. I did not have the appropriate tooling machine that is required to mill the trigger guard for an appriate fit. The magazine release button is a real challenge to find as is the tiny springs and pins. The pinning of the internals is not easy and I just did not need the challenge. Probably a result of gettin older!

Regards,

jack1653

For those of us poor chaps with Krieger rifles that are missing their custom-milled magazines, with or without riveted side springs, it would be nice to hear from folks who've taken the plunge and made a stock mag work.

I'm sorry to have been absent without leave for so long - but that's what "working for the man" can do to a fella! Just got out of school for break, and the honey-do list is pretty lengthy.

Anyway, I saw this thread right off and one of the extra Model 81 mags I collected will be having a visit with some machine shop tools soon enough. After lots of comparing photos of Krieger mags to stock mag bodies, looks like it's not too tough as long as you don't go fast and take off too much metal.

The addition of rivet holes and rivets to "permanently" attach the side springs is another thing to do.

Once I do mine, I'll post the efforts later this summer - be well all!

Adam

I think you can do it using assorted sharp files and hand grinder. As to the side springs I was thinking of heat sinking the upper and silver solder them on. The location is critical so some precise measurements would be required. You could put a pin in and use silver solder to reinforce it. A rivet could be made, but a anvil would be required to set it and it would have to be thin so the head does not interfere with the follower. But I think it can be done, but like you said you have to be careful not to remove too much metal as you can not put it back.

Having hunted White tails in northern NY for forty years carrying a 1909 pre M8 in .35 I can tell you there is no real need for a detachable mag. I do have a Krieger in 300 Savage in my collection but have only used it afield a couple of times. Easier to unload and you do avoid that possibility of accidently closing bolt on ur thumb. Only did that once. Many were modified by different companies for law enforcement agencies at the time.
I have always been of the mind that if you empty five at a running dear without putting him down a detachable mag will be of no benefit in getting any further follow up shots. Always just carried 5 extra shells in my pocket with a rubber band around them so as not to rattle when walking or still hunting.
On another note if you are going to undertake a conversion you must take into consideration that in order to allow removal of mag the safety lever stop screw in the mag needs to be eliminated. This will allow the safety lever to over travel.
Krieger eliminated this problem on the one I have by installing a stop pin in the trigger plate.

This thread might be where I belong right now.....

I just brought home a model 81. It functions well and I am a happy guy.....

The magazine has what appears to be a brass bolt through it side to side. When I got the rifle, I honestly didn't know it didn't belong there. Any ideas? I know that 3 cartridges is the maximum capacity and I am learning that 5 is correct.

I've learned that this webpage is where I belong for this rifle. As I get more comfortable I'll break the old girl down and get to a thorough cleaning. I'm sure I'll have more questions then.

Any insight is genuinely appreciated.

BZimm