Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Remington Model 16 represents one of those fascinating detours in firearms development that makes collecting so intriguing. Produced from 1916 to 1928, this semi-automatic rimfire rifle wasn’t chambered in the ubiquitous .22 Long Rifle as you might expect, but rather in the proprietary .22 Remington Auto cartridge. Designed by C.H. Barnes, the Model 16 was Remington’s answer to Winchester’s popular self-loading rifles. It featured an elegant takedown design and a unique tubular magazine hidden within the stock, accessed by pushing a button on the buttplate that would release the tube for loading. The .22 Remington Auto (5.7x23mmRF) cartridge was deliberately incompatible with other .22 rimfire ammunition. This design choice prevented the use of then-common black powder rounds that would have rapidly fouled the action. The cartridge fired a 45-grain bullet at approximately 950 fps, offering performance similar to the .22 Long but without any advantage over the more common .22 Long Rifle. With total production reaching about 17,720 units across four grades (Standard, Special, Peerless, and Premier), the Model 16 wasn’t a commercial failure, but its proprietary ammunition ultimately limited its appeal. Production of the ammunition ceased in the 1950s, relegating these rifles primarily to collector status today. This elegant plinker represents an important chapter in Remington’s early semi-automatic designs, even if its proprietary cartridge ultimately confined it to the footnotes of firearms history.
“Remington Model 16 Semi-Automatic Rifle.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5007/707/remington-model-16-semiautomatic-rifle. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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