Remington Nylon guns (66/77) in Alaska

[FL2AK-Old Town]

How many of you guys up here own any of the Remington Nylon type rifles from the old days?

I've been doing some research them lately, and I read on the internet (which means it MUST be true) that, because all of the working parts are plastic, the guns require NO lubrication, and, subsequently, are much more reliable in cold weather than traditional auto loaders made from blued steel that requires lubrication, which can freeze up in the cold.

Is there any truth to ANY part of that? Either that they require no lubrication or that they are somehow inherently better suited for cold climates? Those of you who have owned or do own them up here, what are your overall opinions?

Late last year, a friend in FL gave me her childhood 22, a Remington 77 Apache with a 5-round magazine, manufactured April 1988. I actually didn't want it (I never really liked "plastic" guns.), but I didn't want to offend her, either. Besides, a free gun is, well, free. It has a broken magazine retainer, but I've ordered that part from numrich. I'm wondering if I didn't stumble into something here.

[Arcticwildman]

I've had my 66 out in -35 temps and it never failed on me. I loaned it to a friend a few years ago and I think he tried to take it apart and clean it and put it back together wrong because it wouldn't work right after that. They are supposedly a real pain to put back together if you take them apart. I took it to Andy and he found the disconnector spring was just rattling around inside of it. Should be good to go now. I don't know about the 77's but the 66's are becoming quite the collectors piece. Saw one in Cabela's the other day for almost $500.

[FL2AK-Old Town]

I've had my 66 out in -35 temps and it never failed on me. I loaned it to a friend a few years ago and I think he tried to take it apart and clean it and put it back together wrong because it wouldn't work right after that. They are supposedly a real pain to put back together if you take them apart. I took it to Andy and he found the disconnector spring was just rattling around inside of it. Should be good to go now. I don't know about the 77's but the 66's are becoming quite the collectors piece. Saw one in Cabela's the other day for almost $500.

LOL. Mine is all in pieces as we speak. We'll see how the reassemble goes. I might have to take it to Andy as a "basket case." And yeah, I see some price that are, to me at least, insanely high, on gunbroker. (Of course, those are asking prices. I also see "zero bids" next to those prices.) And I don't think the 77's command that price. (I would have preferred a 66 for the lack of detachable magazine-for obvious reasons.)

Do you ever lubricate yours? (My Marlin Model 60 will jam after a hundred or so rounds regardless of weather or lubrication.)

[Arcticwildman]

I sprayed some Rem-oil in it every now and then but mostly I just let it do it's thing. It never jammed or anything until my buddy used it. You really can't clean them all that well because of the way they are designed (as you found out it sounds like :-)

[Arcticwildman]

I wonder why Remington doesn't start producing them again? They are still a cool gun 20-30 years later and they would probably sell a ton of them.

[LeonardC]

I've got a couple of the 66s. One I shot a lot. It finally started to slow down and I had to clean it. I only took it apart enough to spray it down with cleaner and it was as good as new. If you take them down "too" far I've heard (from a friend that did) the little parts can fly off in all different ways never to be seen again. I don't lube mine. Loading from the butt, I some times have trouble getting the first round loaded (double feed?), but after that it goes bang every time. It's in deep storage; a "just in case every thing goes wrong" type of gun.

I've seen an old Remington ad that was tied to AK. Seems it was a boat picture with fishermen (?) talking about how weather proof the 66 was.

J.B. Wood, Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part III: Rimfire Rifles, says Remington Discontinued the Nylon 66 in 1988. I bought mine when GI Joes closed them out. I think they were $100 +/-.

Guns were way ahead of their time.

[FL2AK-Old Town]

I've got a couple of the 66s. One I shot a lot. It finally started to slow down and I had to clean it. I only took it apart enough to spray it down with cleaner and it was as good as new. If you take them down "too" far I've heard (from a friend that did) the little parts can fly off in all different ways never to be seen again. I don't lube mine. Loading from the butt, I some times have trouble getting the first round loaded (double feed?), but after that it goes bang every time. It's in deep storage; a "just in case every thing goes wrong" type of gun.

I've seen an old Remington ad that was tied to AK. Seems it was a boat picture with fishermen (?) talking about how weather proof the 66 was.

J.B. Wood, Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part III: Rimfire Rifles, says Remington Discontinued the Nylon 66 in 1988. I bought mine when GI Joes closed them out. I think they were $100 +/-.

Guns were way ahead of their time.

What cleaner did you "spray it down" with? Seems to me that Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber and all of those brake cleaner-esque type cleaners would wreak havoc on those plastic stocks and parts. Brake cleaner will all but dissolve a lot of plastics. I would think alcohol would be about your only option.

[GrassLakeRon]

Pre-patent 66 from the 60's. Was my fathers.

Ron

[Lowrider]

I used to have 2 and I gave one to #3 son and he left it in his car and it was stolen. The other one (brown 66) I got from a fellow in Anchor Point who owed me some money...great gun and it never gets any PM so I guess it has lubed itself. Barrel will rust if you don't keep it oiled. I tapped the muzzle and use a suppressor on it sometimes but that ruins the look and makes it into a pretty long affair. I don't know the AK history but I've had it for 28 years and it's scuffed up a bit but still shoots in cold or hot weather. I wish they would make another run and I'd sure buy another!!

[ADfields]

Yea you take it apart out of order and you will hear things hit the wall and never see them.


As to working better in the cold I don’t know . . . but steel and aluminum do just fine in the cold without oil too. Wax helps but the big thing is if you bring a cold gun inside (even plastic guns) it needs ample time to dry any condensate well before going back out in freezing cold.

[gunbugs]

The "Gun Digest" Firearm assembly/disassembly volume 3 for rimfire rifles is an excellent resource for taking these apart and putting them back together. Well worth the price. I always have it on the bench when I'm getting deep into a Nylon Remington. And I've had a bunch of them apart and back together over the years.

[ADfields]

The "Gun Digest" Firearm assembly/disassembly volume 3 for rimfire rifles is an excellent resource for taking these apart and putting them back together. Well worth the price. I always have it on the bench when I'm getting deep into a Nylon Remington. And I've had a bunch of them apart and back together over the years.

Don't have that one but I too keep a picture book handy, never remember how the cartrage shoot and stop goes.

This is my Nylon 66 picture book.
http://www.nylonrifles.com/Nylonpdf/66DIS.pdf

[FL2AK-Old Town]

The "Gun Digest" Firearm assembly/disassembly volume 3 for rimfire rifles is an excellent resource for taking these apart and putting them back together. Well worth the price. I always have it on the bench when I'm getting deep into a Nylon Remington. And I've had a bunch of them apart and back together over the years.

You guys are scaring me. I downloaded a PDF of an exploded view and started taking things off untilI could see the part I thought I needed. Still haven't figured out how to get it out of there yet, but the part is on its way.

[ADfields]

You guys are scaring me. I downloaded a PDF of an exploded view and started taking things off untilI could see the part I thought I needed. Still haven't figured out how to get it out of there yet, but the part is on its way.

It's not that bad but they are harder to see what you’re doing inside of than most guns. 77 is same as 66 but without the hardest parts to put back, tube mag feeding system.
Follow the order and use the pix to orient parts the correct way round.
If you get stuck no big deal, I get puzzle guns all the time . . . just try not to lose parts.
Here is some video to watch.
http://www.nylonrifles.com/wp/video/

[LeonardC]

I think it was Gun Scrubber. There's plastic and then there's other stuff. I think the Nylon is other stuff. It didn't hurt mine. Maybe I was just lucky. In any case, I have a copy of the Remington Field Service Manual. It covers the 77. If you'd like a copy, PM me and I make a copy and snail mail it to you. Might be mid week before I can get it done.

Edit: nice link Andy!