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The Nylon 66 was the first mass-produced, widely-marketed polymer firearm.
Remington designers requested a synthetic material that had a high tensile-impact strength, was resistant to environmental temperature extremes, resistance to abrasion, malleable and able to hold color.
Within months, DuPont offered up Nylon Zytel-101, part of the Nylon 66 family of plastics. Remington initially designated the new rifle “Model 555,” but subsequently named the rifle after the Nylon family of plastics.
The driving force behind development of the polymer rifle was economy.Remington had hoped to reduce manufacturing costs by saving on the material costs of the receiver and stock.
