First range trip with 108 year old .25 Remington!

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9.3shooter
Posts: 154
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:08 am

First range trip with 108 year old .25 Remington!

Post by 9.3shooter »

Recently acquired this on GB from a seller I know. Has a Fajen butt stock, replacement I believe barrel jacket, no numbers on it. Otherwise appears to be original.
I have been unable thus far to get the barrel nut off of it though, so its hoped that after this shoot session that it may have gotten clanked around enough to free it up, believe its a rust issue after the reblue job. It comes off part way then just stops and without resorting to bigger tools and risk damaging something I decided to just shoot it and see how it does.
Well it does just fine thanks very much! I was more than tickled with how it shot, on paper at 50 with the first shot. It wants to group well too, using at first a sighter load with 117 gr Hornady RN bullets.
Then moved to another handload with 117 gr Hornady Spires with Norma N202, about equivalent to IMR 4895 and it shows much promise. After reading the weird stories about big chunks of wood inside the jackets on some rifles, I was really hoping that was not the case here, but in reality I still dont know and wont until I can get the bloody barrel nut off. I will have a go at it later today.
There is rusty colored oils leaking out near the muzzle after the shoot, I had squirted in a fair amount of WD and other oils in hopes of freeing things up, so we shall see.
If however I cant bust it loose then I will just keep shooting it.
But for this first shoot, I was delighted with its performance. Sweet little rifle!
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cantgrowup
Posts: 129
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2019 9:27 am

Re: First range trip with 108 year old .25 Remington!

Post by cantgrowup »

Do you have a Rem 8/81 specific tool that you are using to get the barrel bushing nut out of the shroud? Instead of WD-40 or regular lubricating oils, try some Liquid Wrench, Kroil, or other penetrating oil.
9.3shooter
Posts: 154
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:08 am

Re: First range trip with 108 year old .25 Remington!

Post by 9.3shooter »

Yes, I have "the" tool and it works fine, but I get about 2 revs on it and thats it, it stops cold. Funny you mention Liquid Wrench, just saw some at the store and thought well I already have WD40!.
I tried again after posting above, but no go. I thought shooting it might help but alas it didnt.
For now guess I will just shoot it, though if you think the LW stuff might work better I will get a can and try it.
I wonder too about heat perhaps, but what would be the best to apply it? I thought about letting a heat gun shoot right down the muzzle in hopes of getting that nut hot. Not sure.
I also wondered if its possible that some PO might have buggered the threads putting it on, although it does start out, then just stops, I dont know.
Rifleman
Posts: 242
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:07 pm

Re: First range trip with 108 year old .25 Remington!

Post by Rifleman »

One of my 81's barrel nut's and such was so tight I thought too I'd never get it apart. Soaked it for three days with Kroil (maybe the best nut buster lube out there) and used a hair dryer on high. Kept at it on the third day. Really leaned into the takedown tool to put alot of pressure on it. All of a sudden it tweaked and was able to take it apart. If ya have rusty oi coming out of the barrel more than likely the barrel has a light coat of rust on it, maybe a bit in the ends of the barrel shroud. The 81 that gave me fits had its barrel coated in a red colored ooze and had rusty colored oil leaking out.. I too had shot alot of WD40 into it, not counting the Kroil before I got it apart. Polished up the barrel with three grades of emery cloth and it was like new again.
9.3shooter
Posts: 154
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:08 am

Re: First range trip with 108 year old .25 Remington!

Post by 9.3shooter »

I will keep trying but man its really on there. Rather leave it alone than bugger something up I have to fix.
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