Author Topic: Remember the old Nylon 66 (Read 3342 times)

Sourdough · « **on:** November 17, 2009, 08:43:08 AM »

When I was a about 12, my Dad gave me a Nylon 66. Someone had given it to him, but since it was plastic he thought of it as a toy and came home and gave it to me. I shot that thing so much Dad said I was going to wear it out. So I undertook to do just that. When I left home and went into the Air Force I left it with Dad.

When My first son came along I picked it up and took it with me to Alaska. At the age of 10 Kirk decided he was going to wear it out. Kirk shot it till he left home to join the Navy. Kirk did bust the stock. Sent ir to Remington and they replaced it no charge.

Then my second son Skyler decided he was going to wear it out. Sky and his buddy Eric, complained it took too long to load. Then they got those tubes for fast reloading. Those boys never shot one shot, once they shot the first shot they did not stop till the gun was empty. My wife supplied them bricks of .22rf and they would shoot up a brick in one afternoon.

I went for a walk this morning up the pipeline corridor. I took the old nylon because it weighs so little. Shot a nice Red Fox about 300 yards from my yard. 25 yard shot, and the old nylon 66 put the bullet right where I wanted it, just like it always has. Don't think this gun will ever wear out.

diggler1833 · « **Reply #1 on:** November 17, 2009, 02:03:45 PM »

Great story.

One Eye · « **Reply #2 on:** November 17, 2009, 02:24:59 PM »

One of those "great guns". Loved mine.
Dan

pmeisel · « **Reply #3 on:** November 17, 2009, 03:19:33 PM »

Great gun. Never had one but shot a friend's.

Reminds me of the Remington 572 I learned on, another friend's. Told my wife I wanted a Remington pump 22 and she found me a well used but nice model 12. It's sitting next to my desk right now.

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #4 on:** November 17, 2009, 03:22:56 PM »

I never owned one but my neighbor has one, the barrel is marked "smoothbore"
It is the only one I have ever seen marked that way.
Too bad if it is rare, he has used it as a barn gun and it is reasonably rusty

BBF · « **Reply #5 on:** November 17, 2009, 03:46:56 PM »

Got one and keeping it

stevinator · « **Reply #6 on:** November 17, 2009, 05:57:40 PM »

Just saw one at a gun shop,hadn't seen one in years.I think they wanted 129.00 for it.I think the FIL bought the nephew one years ago for about 60.00 with the scope new.

Sourdough · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2009, 08:19:31 PM »

Dad gave me mine in about 1961 or 1962. The original buyer looked at it more as a toy than a real gun. So when my Dad and he got to talking one day about Dad having kids, he just up and gave it to Dad. With the plastic stock Dad also looked at it as a toy. That is when Dad gave it to me. I'll never let it go. When I am gone Sky will get it. He will probably use it to teach his kids how to shoot.

pcking78 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 20, 2009, 06:20:58 AM »

I never had the semi-auto 66 but I grew up shooting my father's nylon 12. It is the bolt action tube fed model with the butter-knife bolt handle. It quit shooting a while back but upon closer inspection discovered that the barrel pin had vibrated out while my father carried it on his Kubota RTV. I found a "loose" replacement at a bearing shop in town and with some blue loctite the barrel has no perceptible movement. It still shoots well and the only problem is that sometimes the rifle uncocks itself when you close the bolt. If anyone has a fix for this i would appreciate it. This, along with an early 70's win 94 are two guns that I will always have that came from my father.

P.S. sorry if I rambled, the Nylon's are great guns, for sure. I know there must have been a lot of people out there that cut their teeth on one.

mechanic · « **Reply #9 on:** November 20, 2009, 03:50:19 PM »

We have a similar story Sourdough. My Dad bought one from a co-worker for $10.00. He never "gave" it to me, but I shot it for years. He would complain because I had shot up a brick of ammo, but the next day he would bring home another. After I married, they got rid of that gun. If I ever get a chance at another, I will buy it. Best little gun I ever owned.

I actually won a few NRA medals with it shooting against Anchsutz rifles on a 50' range. No one could believe the groups it shot.

robert4570 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 21, 2009, 08:06:14 AM »

I too had one as kid , sold to buy something else but always missed it.
Fired thousands of rounds thru it with out a failure , I kept it clean of course.
Found a like new one at gun show couple years ago and bought it.
They are almost indestructible and are great little plinkers .

Dand · « **Reply #11 on:** November 21, 2009, 06:01:45 PM »

Before the Ruger 10/22 came along the Rem Nylon was THE 22 to have in much of bush Alaska. Like you say, they are indestructible and accurate. I inherited one from my father-in-law - its a little battered but functions fine. My boys like it because its so light. But the stock is full size - a tad big for them yet. I might let the boys use it more as they get older but I really don't like them getting in the habit of spray and pray. Also, it is a little tricky to be certain its fully unloaded and empty of ammo - just have to watch that close. A neighbor has one in top condition. Wonder why they don't still make it?

eye shot · « **Reply #12 on:** December 05, 2009, 10:00:25 AM »

I allways wanted a 66 but in 1964 I got a Nylon 11 bolt action clip feed with a little Weaver scope on it. After being drafted and winning a three day pass for shooting the best in the company the drill sargent asked where I learned to shoot. I told him wood chucks and squirls with that little Remington. It still in my gun cabinet.

bilmac · « **Reply #13 on:** December 05, 2009, 12:15:28 PM »

If I remember right they made smoothbore guns to shoot 22 shot for awhile. Maybe even had a bit of choke. They had some sort of plastic targets and a thrower. The targets came apart when hit and were reusable.

Shooting plastic targets seems a little boring, but wing shooting bugs sounds like a hoot.

Brithunter · « **Reply #14 on:** December 05, 2009, 07:36:04 PM »

Doh!!! .................. I try extremely hard to forget the Nylon 66 Mohawk that I had. It was just junk. Cleaning it one day I discovered that the barrel and a bulge with radial cracks in it under the plastic stock so not visable when assembled. The importers fianlly got me a new barrel after about 7 months wait which cost 3x what I paid for the rifle. Then every few hundred rounds hte firing pin retainign pin would break. I finally made one out of an allen key ground to fit and it lasted a lot longer before it too broke. I got fed up witht hsi hassle so traded it in for a new CBC version and that was even worse if that was at all possible. Lucky the junk dealer was visiting the gunshop when I was there so he brought it for a song and sent it off to Africa.

If you offered me one as a gift I would politely decline

JBlk · « **Reply #15 on:** December 06, 2009, 01:33:17 AM »

I had the fancy model with crome plating and the black stock.Sure made a great squirrel rifle.I never could understand why the production run was so short for this rifle.My son got my rifle and that was the last I saw of it.Many years later the Wife bought me a reproduction of that rifle but it was a poor excuse for the real 66.

ferryboatcaptain · « **Reply #16 on:** December 17, 2009, 10:06:54 AM »

GREAT RIFLES , my dad got me a used one years ago , been shot alot, still shoots great . FBC

Mckie Hollow · « **Reply #17 on:** December 19, 2009, 02:46:28 PM »

I have one of those Apache Black models with the chrome barrel. Had it for years. They are going for $300 to $400 @ the local shows.

Oldfenderguy · « **Reply #18 on:** December 25, 2009, 07:21:25 AM »

Still own the old Nylon 66 (Apache Black with Chromed Barrel) that I purchased new way back when, probably sometime in the mid 1960's.

Hate to think how many rounds of Super-X have been put through that gun, in all kinds of miserable weather conditions, and it still shoots as good as when new.

Right now it has a high quality 6X range finding Mil-Dot scope mounted, and it will shoot 5/8" groups at 50 yards all day long. Below is a typical 50 yard grouping. Most of the shots were right at 5/8", with a couple flyers that were no doubt my fault and not the guns.

Needless to say, even after 40+ years my Nylon 66 is still a 'keeper'...

Mckie Hollow · « **Reply #19 on:** December 26, 2009, 05:19:55 AM »

Wow. wish Mine would shoot like that. I've tried all differant brands of ammo, including some match ammo. It still won't shoot as good as I would like. What's the trick?

Oldfenderguy · « **Reply #20 on:** December 26, 2009, 07:25:35 AM »

Quote from: Mckie Hollow on December 26, 2009, 05:19:55 AM

Wow. wish Mine would shoot like that. I've tried all differant brands of ammo, including some match ammo. It still won't shoot as good as I would like. What's the trick?

I've tried all kind of ammunication in my Nylon 66, solids, hollow points, high dollar stuff, low dollar stuff, but the most accurate has been with the low cost 40 grain Super X plated round nose rounds (shown below)...

I get good goupings with the Super X hollow points, but not nearly as good as with the round nose Super X bullets.

Mckie Hollow · « **Reply #21 on:** December 26, 2009, 11:07:00 AM »

Thanks. I'll have to try some of those Winchesters.

Austin1 · « **Reply #22 on:** December 31, 2009, 10:48:32 AM »

My 66 shoots great but as the temp changes so does it! it will still shoot small groups but wanders from left to right usually going far of to the right? And sometime high. It drives me nut's! I have tried 3 scopes on it same thing I really like how light it is and it's fun to shoot but I won't trust it on a Grouse hunt I take my 39 Marlin or even my very first gun the Coey with me.
I was told they do that, anyone else hear that and is there a fix? I did put some glass bedding behind the big barrel screw& boss to toughin it up but it did not help the wandering problem?

alleyyooper · « **Reply #23 on:** January 01, 2010, 06:56:01 AM »

Mine was stolen back in the late 70's. It was a favorite of mine since it was the first gun of any kind I bought with my own money.
I picked it because my aunt had one she shot pest with and kept it on the kitchen counter by the range.

Al

Bigeasy · « **Reply #24 on:** January 01, 2010, 07:36:47 AM »

That old Remington publicity picture from the 60's of trick shooter Tom Frye sitting on a pile of 100 thousand wood blocks, each with one neat hole thru it, shot while tossed in the air, was done, I believe, with a Nylon 66. I think he missed 6, with no jams from the rifle..

Larry

Oldfenderguy · « **Reply #25 on:** January 02, 2010, 03:51:19 AM »

Here is a little more information on his 'wood block' feat;

"No greater tribute could be bestowed on any rifle than what it accomplished in the hands of Tom Frye, trick shooter and field representative for Remington. In 1959, to break Ad Topperwein's world record of hitting 72,500, 2-1/2" wooden blocks thrown into the air, Frye used three Model 66's to hit 100,004 wooden blocks out of 100,010 thrown. To do it, Frye shot 1,000 shots an hour, eight hours a day, for 13 consecutive days without one malfunction or misfire. That's rimfire reliability!"

MZ5 · « **Reply #26 on:** January 02, 2010, 07:37:12 AM »

I've got one of the Brazilian Nylon 66s. Great gun. Still Remington-made (joint venture w/Brazilian gov't) and on Remington tooling, but after Remmy quit manufacturing in the USA. Love it. Got it from Dad when I was a kid. It'll probably never wear out.

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #27 on:** January 02, 2010, 03:50:42 PM »

I got one of the Brazilian ones as well. The Remington ones I have seen here are bringing 300 plus for ones that are missing screws or have chunks of plastic gouged out. Only problem I have had with the one I have is missing a screw for the front sight, shoots great and never jams. This was another of my wifes garage sale finds. DP

S.B. · « **Reply #28 on:** January 05, 2010, 02:41:55 AM »

Just bought another after all these years, payed $125 OTD, in excellent condition while in Chatsworth Illinois at ISRA rally. Doubt this one will go anywhere other than my keeping. Wanted another for several years. Great little rifles, trappers around here favor them for light weight.
Steve

gendoc · « **Reply #29 on:** January 16, 2010, 03:00:36 AM »

when my cousin and i were 12, our fathers gave us each one for christmas.
they were used but in great shape. they both shot excellent
one day we were hunting rabbits it an open field. and we sat down to rest awhile, then noticed
buzzards circle'n above us..... we layed down on our backs to see if the buzzes got closer and they did
so we began to pick them off in mid-air. i'd say 100yrds or so high. that was fun and i'll never forget it.
that was a long-long time ago.... we both still have the guns after our son's have tried to wear them out too. soon they will be our grandkids.

to me, the best remington i have ever had

i also aquired a 77 about 10 years later. and it performs about the same and still got it too...