Remington Nylon 66: Materials, Variants, and Collector Identification

Key Takeaways:

• The Nylon 66 used Zytel Nylon 101 for its combined stock-and-receiver structure.
• Stock color alone does not authenticate a variant; markings, metal finish, chambering, and fittings must also correspond.
• The Mohawk Brown was the most widely produced version, while Seneca Green and Gallery Special rifles were made in substantially smaller numbers.

Introduced in 1959, the Remington Nylon 66 challenged the conventions of the American sporting rifle. Instead of placing a steel action in a wooden stock, Remington housed the operating mechanism in an injection-molded nylon structure that combined the stock and receiver. A formed-steel cover enclosed the central action area and provided the mounting surface for the rear sight and tip-off scope rings.[1]

The result was a lightweight semiautomatic .22 rifle whose construction was genuinely unusual for its time. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History identifies its example as an Ilion, New York-made Remington semiautomatic rimfire rifle with a nylon stock.[2] Remington’s own corporate history records the Nylon 66’s introduction in 1959.[3]

Zytel and the Nylon Receiver

Remington developed the rifle in cooperation with DuPont, which controlled Remington at the time. The material ultimately selected was Zytel Nylon 101, a structural resin belonging to the Nylon 66 family of polyamides. Remington molded the stock and receiver in two hollow halves, joined them, and covered the action with a stamped-steel shell. The bolt and striker traveled in channels formed in the nylon receiver.[1]

This arrangement was more ambitious than simply substituting plastic for walnut. It reduced the amount of machining and hand-fitting required during assembly while allowing checkering and decorative details to be molded into the stock. The nylon structure was also dimensionally stable and did not respond to moisture in the manner of an inadequately sealed wooden stock.[1]

The conventional-looking receiver cover can mislead new owners into assuming that it is the rifle’s primary receiver. It is not. The cover supports the rear sight, retains several components, and carries grooves for a scope mount, but the internal mechanism is principally supported by the molded nylon structure beneath it.[1]

Operating Features

The standard Nylon 66 is a semiautomatic rifle chambered for .22 Long Rifle. Its tubular magazine is located in the buttstock and holds 14 cartridges. The standard barrel is approximately 19½ inches long. Rifles were equipped with a blade front sight, an adjustable rear sight, and grooves for tip-off scope mounts.[1][4]

The official Remington documentation identifies the Nylon 66 as an autoloading .22-caliber rifle and provides operating, maintenance, and component information for the discontinued model.[5] Because its construction differs substantially from that of a conventional steel-receiver rimfire, owners should consult the correct manual before disassembly.

The Nylon 77 is related but readily distinguished. It feeds from a detachable five-round magazine rather than the Nylon 66’s buttstock tube. A detachable magazine is therefore a strong indication that a rifle belongs to another model in the Nylon family, not the standard Nylon 66.[4]

Principal Nylon 66 Variants

The Mohawk Brown, or N66MB, was the principal production version. Made from 1959 through 1987, it combined a brown, wood-grain-patterned nylon stock with blued metalwork. Published production records list 678,473 rifles. Remington also sold 30,113 Mohawk Brown packages with a Universal MUA 4X scope and mount between 1975 and 1983.[4]

Seneca Green, designated N66SG, was offered from 1959 through 1962. Mechanically similar to the Mohawk Brown rifle, it used a green nylon stock. Its comparatively brief production run resulted in 44,979 rifles, making an intact Seneca Green example materially less common than the standard brown version.[4]

The Apache Black, or N66AB, appeared in 1962 and remained in the line through 1983. It paired a black nylon stock with a chrome-plated barrel and receiver cover. Published production totaled 220,564 rifles. Its bright metalwork is an essential identifying feature; a black stock alone does not establish that a rifle is an Apache Black.[4]

Introduced in 1978, the Black Diamond remained in production through 1987. It used a black stock with black diamond details rather than the contrasting ivory-colored treatment associated with earlier rifles. A 4X scope option was offered from 1978 through 1983.[4]

The Gallery Special, produced from 1961 through 1981, was built specifically for .22 Short ammunition. It incorporated a 20-round magazine, a right-side cartridge-case deflector, and a retainer for attaching the rifle to a shooting-gallery counter. Of the 16,474 Gallery Specials reported, most had Mohawk Brown stocks.[1][4] The chambering, deflector, and counter-chain hardware are more probative than stock color when evaluating one of these rifles.

Remington also produced commemorative versions. A 150th Anniversary model appeared in 1966 with a gold-colored commemorative marking on the left receiver cover; 3,792 were sold. The 1976 Bicentennial model used a Mohawk Brown stock, a commemorative receiver-cover marking, and an 18½-inch barrel. Published sales totaled 10,279 rifles.[4]

Tom Frye’s 1959 Demonstration

The Nylon 66 received valuable publicity shortly after its introduction. In 1959, Remington field representative Tom Frye attempted to surpass Ad Topperwein’s aerial-target record. Over 13 eight-hour shooting days, Frye fired at 100,010 wooden blocks thrown into the air and hit 100,004, missing six. Three Nylon 66 rifles were used and cleaned five times during the demonstration.[1]

A period Remington advertisement similarly reported 100,004 hits from 100,010 targets and presented the event as evidence of the rifle’s reliability.[6] The demonstration was promotional, but its essential figures are preserved in both period advertising and the later published history.

Identifying an Original Rifle

Color names are useful starting points, not conclusive authentication. Stocks, receiver covers, barrels, sights, and small parts can be exchanged. An Apache Black should have the appropriate bright metalwork, while a Black Diamond should exhibit the later black-on-black decorative treatment. A Gallery Special should retain its .22 Short markings and purpose-built gallery hardware.[1][4]

Molded checkering and diamond details are part of the stock’s construction. Painted embellishments, refinished metal, mismatched finishes, or absent Gallery Special hardware warrant closer examination. A period scope may improve a rifle’s presentation, but the scope alone does not prove that the rifle was sold as a factory-scoped package.

Serial-number interpretation also requires care. Nylon 66 receiver covers were not serial numbered until late 1967. Early serial numbers were placed beneath the barrel before numbering moved to the receiver cover. Consequently, an early rifle’s lack of a receiver-cover serial number is not automatically evidence of alteration.[1]

Collectors should evaluate the entire rifle: model and caliber markings, barrel date code, stock color, decorative treatment, metal finish, sights, gallery fittings, and serial-number location. Boxes, manuals, receipts, and factory correspondence can add documentary value, but they should correspond convincingly to the firearm.

The Nylon 66 remains historically significant because its synthetic construction was integral to the design rather than a cosmetic substitution for wood. Its major variants can usually be separated by a disciplined examination of stock color, metal finish, chambering, magazine system, and specialized fittings. On this model, physical configuration is more reliable than an unsupported seller’s description.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the Remington Nylon 66 introduced?
Remington introduced the Nylon 66 in 1959.

What material was used in the Nylon 66?
Its combined stock-and-receiver structure was made from DuPont Zytel Nylon 101. A formed-steel cover enclosed the action area.

How many cartridges does a standard Nylon 66 hold?
The standard .22 Long Rifle model has a 14-round tubular magazine located in the buttstock.

How can collectors distinguish Apache Black from Black Diamond?
Apache Black rifles have black stocks with chrome-plated barrels and receiver covers. Black Diamond rifles have black stocks, dark metalwork, and black diamond details.

What identifies a Nylon 66 Gallery Special?
The Gallery Special is chambered for .22 Short and has a 20-round magazine, right-side case deflector, and shooting-gallery counter-chain retainer. These features are more reliable identifiers than stock color alone.

Sources

1. John Gyde and Roy Marcot, “Throwback Thursday: The Remington Nylon 66,” American Rifleman, June 18, 2015.
2. Smithsonian National Museum of American History, “Remington Nylon 66 Semiautomatic Rimfire Rifle,” collection record AF.66832M.
3. Remington, “About Remington: Company History,” official corporate history.
4. Shooting Times editors, “Remington Timeline: 1959—Nylon 66 Autoloading Rifle,” September 9, 2016.
5. RemArms, “Nylon 66 Autoloading Rifle: Instructions for Operation and Care,” reproduced Remington owner documentation.
6. Remington Arms Company, Nylon 66 advertisement reproduced in “National Future Farmer,” Indiana University Indianapolis Special Collections and Archives.