The Box Magazine Fed Semi Auto Nylon Rifles
Remington’s first “nylon” was the Nylon 66 first introduced in 1959. It was very successful competing against the Marlin Model 60 which like the 66 was a tube fed rifle. By the 1970′s sales had tapered off due to competition from a number of detachable magazine/”clip” fed rifles most notably the Ruger 10/22.
In 1970, Remington introduced the Nylon 77. It was a 5 shot detachable magazine fed rifle similar in appearance and construction to the 66. Like the 66 it was made utilizing two molded plastic halves fused together to form a one piece integral stock and receiver. Without the cartridge feed system of the tube mechanism, the mag fed version was much simpler. The five shot magazine Nylon 77 didn’t exactly set the world on fire even though a ten round magazine was later offered. In three years Remington only produced 15,000 Nylon 77s.
MOHAWK 10C
Production didn’t cease however. By 1972 Remington decided that while the rifle didn’t sell well as the Nylon 77, perhaps a different marketing strategy was in order. Without stopping production they simply renamed it the Mohawk 10C. “Mohawk” was the descriptive name given to their brown Nylon rifles. Hence a Nylon 66 was “Mohawk Brown” as was the Nylon 77. The name “Mohawk” however was not found on the rifles themselves until the 10C came out. The 10C stood for 10 shot “clip” apparently to emphasize the magazine capacity in competition with the Ruger 10/22. The name Mohawk 10C and is located on the pistol grip cap as is the Nylon 77 and Nylon 66 on those respective rifles.
Production of the Mohawk 10C started in 1972 and produced about 128,000 rifles. In my experience the 10C is the most widely run across version of the detachable magazine model. I’ve had many people tell me they have a “clip fed” Nylon 66. When I ask them if they have ever looked at the pistol grip cap most have said no. Nine times out of ten they discover their rifle to be a Mohawk 10C.
The Nylon 77 and the Mohawk are identical rifles with the exception of the name on the pistol grip cap. Both had the “Mohawk brown” stock with white diamonds in the fore arms and white spacers around the butt and grip plates. The receiver cover and barrel were blued steel.
Mohawk 10C production ended in 1978 and by the 1980s even the production of the Nylon 66 was coming to an end. In fact, most 66s being sold during that time were being imported from Brazil (that’s a whole other story).
APACHE 77
The K-Mart ad for the Apache 77
The 1980s was the age of military style rifles, survivalism and camouflage. Remington apparently wanted to jump on the bandwagon and partnered with retail giant K-Mart to produce a nylon rifle to fit the times. Introduced in 1987, the produced a rifle identical to the Nylon 77 and 10C but with a green stock, black diamonds in the fore arm and black trim. The receiver cover and barrel had a black matte finish. The rather subdued new rifle was called the Apache 77.
Production of the Apache 77 ran from 1987 until 1989. The rifle was sold exclusively by K-Mart. Their is some disagreement as to the number of Apache 77s produced. There doesn’t seem to be any reliable production numbers available from Remington. One writer citing Remington as the source say the run was 54,000. My research (see here http://www.nylonrifles.com/wp/2009/01/apache77survey/) over the last ten years of collecting serial numbers from owners of Apache 77′s shows a serial number spread of over 100,000.
The discrepancy may be because Remington may have continued to produce the Nylon 66 during this same time period and the receiver covers (which contained the serial number) were used on both. It is possible that the run of covers and barrels were used interchangeably and serial numbers combined. Purely speculation on my part however.
It should be noted that Remington had another “Apache” rifle. Their black stock, chromed Nylon 66 was called the “Apache Black” version. That was the designation of the stock color and it is curious that Remington then called their green stocked 77 “Apache” as well. It is also interesting that all Nylon 66 are simply called Nylon 66 on their grip caps while the box mag fed versions are specifically named on the grip cap.
MAGAZINES
As noted the first Nylon 77 had a 5 shot plastic magazine. It was molded with “77″ on the side. Ten shot magazines were later offered and
Magazine markings
also included the “77″ on the side. Mohawk 10C magazines have “10c” on them. Apache 77 magazines have 77 on them. Ten shot magazines with 77 on them are still sold by Remington and the vast majority of magazines you are likely to find are these intended for the Apache 77. Original 77 mags are scarce and impossible to document unless you can prove that they have been kept with the original rifle. The magazine are interchangeable in any of the mag fed semi auto nylon rifles. It should also be noted that the Remington 581 and 541 both use a 5 and 10 round magazine that is identical to the 77 mag. The 581/541 mags are not marked.
COLLECTIONS
My personal collection of the detachable magazine fed Nylon rifles consists of 1 original Nylon 77 with 5 round mag, and three Mohawk 10Cs and one stripped 10C stock. I also have two complete Apache 77s plus a stripped stock. Interestingly the Nylon 77 while the most rare is the least well known and the least collected. The most popular is the Mohawk 10C. The Apache 77 can command high prices because people are mostly unaware of the numbers that were produced. It should be noted that unlike the Nylon 66 which had black stocked version and chrome plated versions, the 77/10c only came in brown with blued steel. In that the receiver covers and barrels are interchangeable on all semi auto nylon rifles it is possible to put a chrome barrel and cover on detachable mag fed nylon. They did not come from the factory that way however.
Top to bottom. Original 77, 10Cs, 10C stock, Apache 77s and Apache stock
Color contrast between Mohawk Brown top, Seneca Green/middle and Apache 77 bottom. Note the white vs. black trim
I’ve seen a lot of the green Apache 77s passed off as the highly collectable “Seneca Green” models on the gun auction sites by unscrupulous sellers. The Seneca Green is the designation for the stock color but is not found on the rifle itself. It was a Nylon 66 and was produced during the first year of production (1959). As such is it rather desirable. It is olive green color which is rather greenish brown with white spacers and diamonds. In fact it looks more brown until you hold it up to a regular Mohawk brown stock . The Apache 77 has more vivid green stock with black spacers and diamonds. Obviously the biggest difference is that Seneca Green 66 is tube fed while the Apache 77 has a detachable box magazine.
ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY
The box mag fed semis are every bit as accurate as the Nylon 66. The biggest problem with them is the rather flimsy plastic magazine. The magazine tends not to hold the rounds very well. Handle them gently or you will find they will unload themselves by spraying rounds all over the place. Like some other rifles, they work better with some mags and not others. You may find that you have to tweak the mags or the rifle for the mags to sit properly. There has been some discussion about how to do that in the forum. If you have problem with your rifle be aware that we have the Field Service Manual (FSM) for the 77, 10C and Apache 77 in the document section of this website.
ACCESSORIES AND MODIFICATIONS
There are not many accessories or modifications you can do with these rifle. There are no folding stocks or high capacity magazines available. It is what it is. About the only thing you can do is mount a scope and a sling. The original specs for mounting a sling on the Nylons used a two screw sling swivel mount. Mounting instructions are located in the document section. Original sling mounts are scarce and most people opt to mount a quick detachable sling stud for sling use. I have studs on one of my Apache 77s. In terms of scope mounting, the stamped steel receiver cover has a grove on it for mounting rings. Any scope with the narrow 22 or air rifles rings will fit on these rifles.
If you happen to have one of the detachable magazine rifles, by all means shoot it. If you don’t have one they make a nice addition to your collection to compliment your Nylon 66.
About The Author
Comments