Please help identify a (boring) mystery item!

[happyslug]

16. Remington, through its Parent DuPont, always had access to Military Contracts.

In the 1960s, the Congress had decided it was time to close down the Government owned Armory in Springfield and turn to private contractors for weapons. Colt had purchased the rights to the AR-15, so when the AR-15 was adopted as the US Rifle, Colt obtained the Contract and the Springfield Armory was closed (The Springfield Armory is now a Community Collage and a Museum of firearms).

This cause a problem, for with the closing of the Springfield Armory, all production capacity to produce the M-14, the M16 predecessor were sold. Thus when the M16 ran into trouble there was no way to produce the M14 (Only produced 1967-1964 and except for troops going to Vietnam never did replace the M1 of WWII and Korea fame), thus the US was looking at reverting to the M1 during the times of problems with the M16 (The problem was passed off as the result of a change in type of powder used in the Ammunition fired by the M16, but the real problem was the the bore of the M16 was NOT parkerized, as had been the case with the M1, M14 and the Russian AK series of weapons, thus the M16 needed to be taken out of the field and rebuilt with new barrels and bores, but in period 1966-1967 the only readily replacement weapon was the M1 from WWII).

Anyway, back to Remington. In the 1960s the US Army as looking at a replacement for its Model 1903 Sniper Rifles which were "done" i.e. to old to rebuild. The US Army said it did NOT use the M1903 in Vietnam, but Janes Weapons said the it was used. Technically the \ M1 sniper rifles had replaced the M1903 in that role, but it was found NOT to be ideal. A variation of the M14 was then introduced, in the form of the M21. It was found do be very good BUT it was not a bolt action with its inherent increased accuracy. At that point Remington managed to get the Army to adopt its Model 700 Bolt Action rifle as base for the M24 series of Sniper Rifles. From what I have read, many in the Army preferred using the Winchester pre 1964 Model 70 Bolt action rifles for it had a "conventional" Mauser Bolt that actually held onto the Cartridge as it feed the round into the chamber. The Remington Model 700 (and the WInchester Model 70 post 1964) used a simpler bolt that just push the round into the chamber. In most situation no difference between the two methods, but if moving rapidly while operating the bolt if the bolt was a Model 700 Type action the round could drop out of the weapon before the bolt was closed (This was impossible with a Mauser type "Control Feed" bolt). Thus many in the Army wanted a Mauser Type Action (which the pre 1964 Winchester Model 70 was) but Remington, citing its better control over weapons technology won out and the Remington Model 700 became the basis for the M24 sniper system. This also killed the Winchester pre 1964 Model 70 action for several decades (the pre 1964 model 70 action came back in the 1990s when computer designed equipment made it profitable, prior to 1964 such actions involved a lot of hand fitting).

Remington had produced the last Model 1903 Springfields, the Model 1903 A4s during WWII. US infantry doctrine at that time required the ability to use rifle grenades and while it such grenades could be used with the M1, it was complicated. The Model 1903 Springfield had better accuracy and easier to use rifle grenades with, thus every WWII infantry squad was suppose to have 10 M1s, 1 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and one Model 1903 Springfield (Some squads varied from this, my Father's squad had two BARs in Normandy and no Springfields).

Winchester and other arms makers produced other weapons, but Remington was the big weapons maker. Remington fell on hard times in the 1970s to 2010 do to the switch in firearms buying. Prior to 1970 it was 9 rifles or shotguns for every pistol sold in the US. Today, it is 6 rifles or Shotguns for every 4 Pistols sold. Thus Colt and Smith & Wesson saw a huge jump in sales, while Remington and Winchester saw just a slight increase in sales.

Winchester's sales were so poor the they ended up being sold off and then closed down. Remington, being larger, has survived was had been sold off by Dupont, showing how the sale of rifles and shotguns had gone down.

Remington still has extensive military contracts, mostly for small arms, as does it former parent Dupont. Thus, unlike Winchester, Remington is still in business for it was quicker to pick up new technology.