I had come across a post from member "Packmule" on converting a Remington model 8 and 81 to a carbine version and wondered how this could be done and have the rifle still function, eg: extract and chamber rounds", sucessfully. I have a Remington model 81 which I am familiar with, and know that inside the barrel jacket is a brazed "barrel jacket reinforcement", on which the buffer and recoil spring set against. Any shortening of this barrel jacket would effect the distance of the buffer and recoil spring to the point it would no longer be able to be put into the tube without removing the brazed jacket reinforcement in the barrel jacket. Then you have the problem of proper cycling of the barrel to properly extract the fired round and chamber the next. Any changing of the positioning of the barrel jacket reinforcement would be a "hit or miss", on the rifle functioning at all. Too much recoil and you would slam the bolt into the back of the reciever and possibly destroy it and or the shooter. Too little and it would not function at all. In short you'd have a nice looking wall hanger but nothing as far as a functioning rifle. I posted on the topic: "Modern Remington model 8 carbine", that "Packmule" initiated but have yet to receive any response as to how this could have been done and the rifle still function. I would have have to assume that what was done was not tested and the rifles that were converted were merely "wall hangers", for looks only.
Usually on a forum of this type, information is presented to the reader or enthusiast on how something was done and it's end results. Not merely presenting a photo and short comment about something done on a rifle, that there is no valid proof of, or being able to give an educated response to it's author.
Packmule starts out by posting he wanted to copy something similar to Carbine Williams rifle without using the short stroke piston action that Carbine Williams invented on his Model 8. I'm positive that if the barrel and barrel jacket could have been shortened without affecting the cycling of the rifle, Carbine Williams would have come up with that option. Since his objective was to shorten the rifle and lighten the weapon, and still have it function reliably.
My objective here is not to criticize anyone, but merely to open up a discussion on a topic already started, in order to be able to understand how something was done, and not just for looks but functionality.
