Remington was not the first American manufacturer to introduce a center-fire semi-automatic rifle. Truth be told, Winchester’s Model 1905 came first, but its potential was limited by its direct blowback action. The gun’s hollow fore-end contained an inertia block, an admittedly creative solution that kept the receiver compact and streamlined, but made the gun unbalanced. The .32 Winchester Self Loading and the .35 Winchester Self Loading cartridges for which it was chambered were an even greater handicap. They lacked the power to reliably anchor medium-size game and, even for small game, they were of limited value. These limitations kept the Winchester Model 1905 from catching on as anything more than an expensive novelty. In contrast, the gun that became the Remington Model 8 was a fully realized semi-automatic rifle capable of reliably cycling powerful center-fire cartridges. Originally introduced as the Remington Autoloading Rifle in 1906, the name was changed to the Remington Model 8 in 1911, even though the rifle itself was essentially unchanged.

Designed by John Moses Browning while he was working on his first semi-automatic shotgun, the Browning Auto-5, the new rifle used the same long-stroke recoil operating system as his new shotgun. The gun’s lightweight barrel and its buffer and recoil springs reciprocate within a large diameter barrel jacket made of thin-walled steel. The twin-lugged bolt locks into a barrel extension. A five-round fixed box magazine that could be filled by means of five-round stripper clips fed the action. Additionally, four unique chamberings—.25 Rem., .30 Rem, .32 Rem. and .35 Rem.—were developed for the Remington Model 8.

It was the first mass-produced semi-automatic rifle chambered for a round more powerful than the most popular deer cartridge of its day, the .30-30 Win. Remington was not shy about using the unique power of its semi-automatic rifle as a selling point. Remington ads from 1907 touted the ability of a Remington Autoloading Rifle in .35 Rem. to pierce a 5/16" steel plate. Promotional artwork portrayed outdoorsmen face to face with bear, wolves and other dangerous animals. Remington’s message was clear, the Model 8 is a gun you can rely on in close-quarters life or death situations.

Winchester countered with the Model 1907 and Model 1910, which were chambered in .351 Winchester Self Loading and .401 Winchester Self Loading, respectively. A heavier inertia block compensated for their increased energy, but the extra weight in the fore-end was not sufficient to tame the recoil of the more powerful chamberings and made the guns even more muzzle-heavy than the Model 1905. Even though Winchester ads trumpeted the Model 1910 as “the gun that shoots through steel,” it was not as powerful as the .35 Rem. What the ads didn’t say was that the steel the 1910 shot through was 1/4" steel plate rather than 5/16" of the Remington.

The Model 8’s popularity with hunters was restricted by the limitations of its design. Its long-stroke system of recoil operation and slim-wristed buttstock seemed to attenuate perceived recoil, and its poor center of balance, while nowhere near as bad as the Winchester semi-automatics, made for awkward carry and handling. Additionally, the economic deprivation of the Great Depression further eroded already weak sales.

During the 1930s, both large and small manufacturers were forced to cease production of a number of interesting, unique and desirable firearms. Several firearm manufacturers went under as well, but DuPont’s purchase of Remington in 1934 provided re-energized leadership and an infusion of capital and that kept Remington afloat through those hard times. The Model 8 survived thanks to a timely redesign that streamlined production and lowered costs. Remington also added a thicker wrist and fore-end to better absorb the gun’s stout recoil.

The new gun, dubbed the Model 81, debuted in 1936. But if the Great Depression’s hardships limited the gun’s commercial success with hunters, they also spawned a crime wave that earned the powerful Remington semi-automatics a small but enthusiastic group of followers: America’s law enforcement officers.

At the time, the rural Midwest was set upon by bands of highway bank robbers like Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow who relied on fast, heavy cars and firepower for escape. Their cars were usually Fords whose heavy doors stopped most handgun bullets, and their firearms of choice were sawed-off Browning Auto-5 shotguns or M1918 BARs stolen from National Guard Armories.

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