The Remington Model 81 was the successor to the very popular Remington Model 8 which was famously used by law enforcement in the ambush of Bonnie and Clyde in 1934. Designed by John Moses Browning, the famed inventor of the 1911 pistol and many other firearms, the Model 8 and 81 both used the long-recoil method of operation as used in the Browning Auto-5 shotgun and the Browning M2 .50-caliber machine gun. This type of operation was used due to its greater reliability over gas-operation which back then could not be done with the powders then available. The only drawback to this method of operation is, in addition to the primary recoil movement of the ignition of the cartridge, there is a second, smaller recoil bump from the barrel stopping at its rear most position before moving back into the forward position. While this may sound uncomfortable, from personal experience it is not is not even noticeable. Like the Auto-5, the Model 81’s magazine has a capacity of 5 rounds. In this case, it is a box magazine fixed to the gun and is not intended to be removable, though some police models did have detachable magazines. These were not intended for civilian sales. The Model 81 was available in five different cartridges, all with interesting histories. These are the .25 Remington, .30 Remington, .32 Remington, .35 Remington, and the .300 Savage. For now, we’ll cover just the Remington rounds since this rifle is chambered for one of them. The .25, .30, .32, and .35 Remington cartridges were designed to complete with Winchester’s .25-35, .30-30, .32 Winchester Special, and .35 WSL cartridges. Winchester later introduced the improved .351 and .401 WSL cartridges in an effort to beat the .35 Remington. Ultimately, the only two cartridges that lasted into the 21^st Century were the already popular Winchester 30-30 (introduced as far back as 1894), and the very effective .35 Remington. The .32 Remington, although no longer popular, is still produced by Precision Cartridge Inc., the ammo being found through Graf and Sons. Reloading supplies can also be found through G&S. The .32 Remington is effective on the same range of game as the .32 Winchester Special it was designed to compete with. The rifle shown here is was made in 1936 (the year the 81 entered production) and is in excellent condition. It is a very early example, sporting the serial number “94”. The rifle’s receiver has been engraved, presumably with the name of the original owner, on the right side of the receiver: “A.H. Malerick”. The font used was a very italic style of writing. As for the finish, the receiver and barrel jacket retain about 95 percent of the original finish. Even the bottom tang retains its finish, which is unusual as this is usually the first spot to exhibit finish due to being the spot where the hand grips the rifle. There is minor loss towards the front of the barrel jacket. The receiver has a few small spots of pitting on the right rear coner of the receiver. There is a minor ding in the barrel jacket’s right side which is visible as a small spot of finish loss. It does not affect the operation of the gun. Indeed, the 81 is in great shape mechanically, and operates as it should. The bolt exhibits minor wear, but nothing that can be felt or will impede the operation of the rifle. The trigger pull is consistent and short as with any well-kept 81. The bore is in excellent condition. The wood furniture has some wear in a few places but nothing serious. It is mostly just wearing of the finish. Like most hunting rifles, this one was fired on an infrequent basis, which is supported by the level of finish remaining. Given the low serial number and the high level of original finish remaining, this Model 81 would make an excellent addition to any Remington collection.