Remington Model 14 Rifle: Slick Slide-Action

Slide-action rifles have put meat in the pots of American families for a long time. Colt beat the competition to the punch in 1885 with its Lightning magazine rifle in three action lengths: short for the .22 Short and .22 Long rimfire cartridges; medium for the .32-20 Win., .38-40 Win. and .44-40 Win.; and long for cartridges ranging in power from the .38-56 Win. to the .50-95 Express. Lightning production ended at Colt around 1904.

Remington introduced the first truly successful slide-action centerfire rifle in 1909 and called it the Model 14. It was designed by J.D. Pedersen, who later became famous for designing a blowback-operated unit that allowed a soldier in the field to quickly replace the bolt of his 1903 Springfield service rifle and convert it to semiautomatic operation.

The Model 14 was chambered for the .25 Rem., .30 Rem., .32 Rem. and .35 Rem., all introduced by Remington in the Model 8 autoloader in 1906. While designing the rifle, Pedersen closely studied the Colt Lightning and made improvements that would make his rifle superior in a number of ways.

The major complaint from hunters regarding the Colt was unreliable spent case extraction, and Pedersen solved that problem by incorporating mechanical camming of the bolt that improved primary extraction. This allowed the bolt to reliably snatch a fired case from the chamber, not only when its wall was heavily coated with early smokeless powder fouling but when it was rusty due to neglect on the part of the rifle’s owner.

Rapid Fire

The Colt Lightning could be rapid-fired by holding back the trigger while operating the slide. Remington considered this to be a safety issue, and the trigger of the Pedersen design had to be released after firing before the next shot could be fired.

Determined to make the rifle as foolproof as possible, he made sure the firing pin was blocked from forward travel until the bolt was fully forward and locked into battery. The bolt can then be unlocked only by firing (or dry-firing) the rifle or by pressing a release located on the side of the bolt.

Adding to the safety factor, as the bolt release button is depressed, both sear and trigger movement are blocked, thus preventing the rifle from firing as the bolt begins to unlock. The transverse manual safety button at the rear of the trigger guard is left in its engaged position as the slide is being operated to load or unload the rifle.

Hunters loved the Model 14 for a number of reasons, not least of which was that it was both sleek and lightweight. A receiver without openings protected the inner workings of the action from rain, snow and debris, and that did not go unnoticed. In the event of a case rupture during firing—not exactly uncommon in those days—the solid receiver protected the shooter from escaping propellant gases.

Function

The facsimile of a brass cartridge head embedded in the left wall of the receiver indicated what cartridge the rifle was chambered to. A hole through its center aligned with the breech end of the barrel vented propellant gas in the event of a blown cartridge case.

The magazine holds five rounds, with each cartridge inserted through a window in the bottom of the magazine just forward of the receiver. In those days, most people hunted to eat rather than for sport, and it was not only legal but popular to ground-sluice geese, ducks and other game birds with deer rifles. For this reason, Remington loaded the cartridges for which the Model 14 was chambered with full metal jacket as well as expanding bullets of softnose design.

Having the noses of hard-nose bullets resting against primers was not a good thing in a tubular magazine, so deep spiral grooves in the wall of the Model 14’s magazine cant each cartridge just enough to prevent that from happening. The design also prevents cartridges from rattling in the magazine.

On Remington’s later Model 760 pump gun, parallel steel bars are fastened to a steel tube to which the pump “handle” is attached. Pumping the slide to and fro cycles the bolt. Since the fore-end of the Model 14 is firmly attached to the tubular magazine, both travel together for cycling the bolt. Remington advertisements played up the fact that the separate cartridge carrier in lever-action rifles was not needed, therefore the Model 14 action cycled more smoothly.

Portability

Rifles capable of being easily taken down were quite popular in those days, and Remington stayed with that trend. Rotating the head of a through-bolt on the left side of the Model 14 receiver allowed the stock and trigger assembly to be pulled downward and away from the receiver.

Doing so transformed a rifle that measured 40.75 inches long to a 27.5-inch package that could be stowed in a canvas or leather carrying case available from Remington at extra cost.

Company advertising took another jab at the competition by stating that unlike the interrupted thread connection between the barrel and receiver of other takedown rifles, the Model 14 would not become loose from wear during numerous takedowns and reassemblies over the years. The promotional message went on to emphasize that the Model 14 action was as strong as that of any solid-frame rifle.

As was customary among all rifle manufacturers in those days, the front sight ramp of the Model 14 barrel was machined integrally with the barrel rather than made separately and attached. Open sights were standard, but various receiver-attached or tang-mounted aperture sights were available at additional cost.

Straight Forward

The common use of telescopic sights was still years in the future, and most hunters used open or aperture sights. Much to the chagrin of future collectors, when scopes did eventually arrive, the solid-top receiver and side ejection of spent cases made the Model 14 perfect for drilling and tapping for mounting one.

The field-grade Model 14 was rather plain, with no checkering on its American walnut stock. A carbine version an 18-inch barrel called the Model 14R was also offered.

Remington offered higher grades on a special-order basis. Moving one step up in price bought the Model 14-C Special, with its figured walnut and nicely executed checkering coverage. Next in line for more money was the Model 14-D Peerless, with European walnut and a lightly engraved receiver.

Then came the Model 14-E, with even fancier finish and engraving. At the very top was the Model 14-F Premier, which in addition to more engraving had the finest Circassian walnut replete with elaborate checkering pattern, along with a gold name plate bearing the lucky owner’s initials. The Premier’s stocks had curved grips, and those above the standard grade were available with no grip cap, or grip caps made of steel or horn.

Configuration

My rifle is a Model 14-C in .35 Rem. It has cut checkering on its nicely figured stock, the optional red rubber recoil pad, QD sling swivel posts and a Lyman folding tang sight. I love that little rifle. It weighs seven pounds, handles like a dream and will always be a pleasure to spend time in the woods with.

With most loads it averages around three inches at 100 yards, with an occasional group close enough to two inches to make me smile. The smallest cluster fired thus far was with Federal ammunition. Two of the 200-grain bullets went into practically the same hole and the third cut into the first two.

Another variation called the Model 141⁄2 in .38-40 Win. and .44-40 Win. was introduced in 1914 in both rifle and carbine styles. Unlike the Model 14 chambered for other cartridges, the wall of its tubular magazine did not have the spiral grooving. The half-magazine version held eight rounds while the full-magazine version filled with 11 rounds was quite popular among prison guards.

The most unusual Model 141⁄2 variation I have owned through the years had the safety on the side of its bolt rather than at the rear of the trigger guard. It was basically a sliding plate that could be moved to the upper position for Safe and to the lower position for Fire.

Bad Safety Design

Due to horizontal grooves machined into its surface, collectors call this a “thumbnail” safety, for good reason. One of the worst designs to appear on any firearm, it was extremely difficult to operate when wearing gloves and impossible to manage with a cold, wet thumb. That probably explains why it appeared on very few rifles.

Just over 125,000 Model 14 and Model 141⁄2 rifles had been produced when both were replaced by the Model 141 Gamemaster in 1934. At that point in time the .35 Rem. had become the most popular. Few rifles in .25 Rem. were sold, so it was dropped. Barrel lengths were increased to 24 inches for the rifle and 18.5 inches for the carbine

The front sight ramp was machined separately and attached to the barrel with screws. Stock and fore-end were increased in size and that, along with the longer barrel, increased the weight of the rifle to 7.75 pounds.

Through the years I have owned and hunted with several Model 141s and consider it one of the all-time great deer rifles, but I still prefer the trimness and lighter weight of the Model 14.

Other Variations

Another unusual variation I used to own was a carbine in .30 Rem. with a Model 14 barreled action and a Model 141 stock and fore-end. During the transition, Remington still had a few Model 14 barreled actions on the shelf but no wood for them, so it fitted them with Model 141 wood.

Remington’s great pump gun enjoyed some success with hunters all across the country, but its stronghold was the Northeast, where most shots at deer and black bears were at fairly close range. Longtime friend Dick Dietz, who was with Remington for many years, told me that more were sold in Pennsylvania than in all other states combined. That’s mainly because semiautomatic rifles were not allowed there for hunting, and when it came to getting off a well-aimed follow-up shot at a whitetail bouncing along through thick timber, the pump gun was about as fast as the autoloader.

When Model 141 production ceased in 1950, prices ranged from $48 for the standard grade to just over $300 for the Premier grade. Its 1952 replacement, the Model 760 Gamemaster, was not as handsome, and stampings had replaced machined steel parts, but it could be more accurate. It was equally reliable and most important of all, at $104 it was available in .30-06, .300 Savage and .270 Win. The .35 Rem. made a comeback in 1953.

---