Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely gently used condition Remington 1861 "Old Model" Army Revolver in .44 caliber percussion. It is a 6 shot single-action revolver, with an 8-inch octagon barrel, which replaced the earlier "Remington-Beals Army Model Revolver". The top of the octagonal barrel still has the original barrel markings, which are mostly clear:

Other versions of this revolver were often called the "Model 1858" due to the patent date on the barrel, however at this point in production just the address was listed. Only Approximately 6,000 were produced before transitioning to the "New Model 1863", which was the result of numerous incremental improvements suggested by the Army ordnance department. These were however not rolled out all at once, so there are numerous "transitional' models that have features of both the "Old" and "New" Models.

One of these improvements was the "Safety Slots" milled between chambers on the cylinder. The milled slot positively secured the hammer between chambers for safe carry by placing the hammer's firing pin where it did not rest on a percussion cap, eliminating the risk of an accidental discharge if the gun was dropped or the hammer struck. This example does have these, as it is a later production "Old Model", however the cylinder is also non-matching, so it may have originally not had them. It also has the correct "mortised" cone front sight, also seen on the early "New Model" Army revolvers, but soon eliminated.

Overall condition is good with a worn blued patina overall, with some possible refinishing to the end of the barrel. We do not see any major rust peppering or other oxidation, making this a really nice example that looks to have seen moderate use during service, and was well cared for. The grips are in very good shape, with wear on the shoulders, and just a little bit of wood filler on the right front toe. There are no signs of the original inspection cartouches on either side.

The revolver functions beautifully, with a strong smooth action and a strong mainspring. It indexes correctly with a solid cylinder lockup, and a crisp dry fire. We have not noticed any of the usual "finicky" behavior of the action on this revolver. The ratchet on the back of the cylinder is still in great shape, with minimal powder burn. The bore is in very good condition, showing clear lands and grooves and a mostly bright finish. There is definitely some wear to the lands, but overall this is really a well above average bore, showing that it was well cleaned after being used. The cap nipples are all clear and in very good condition, showing some powder burn on the exterior, but no major damage or mushrooming from hammer strikes.

This revolver has serial number 14914 appearing on the underside of the barrel and on the frame under the grip. The back of the cylinder is marked instead with 9807, indicating that it was swapped out at some point, a very easy thing to do due to the design. The patina on the cylinder matches the rest of the revolver well, so it has definitely been with it for quite some time. This model was only made for a short period of time, before being superseded by the next model in the line, the "New Model" 1863. As this is a later issue "Old Model", the only thing really separating it are the markings on the barrel.

This is a genuine Civil War issued gun, with a matured patina, and a solid place in history. This is would make a worthy addition to any civil war collection. One of only 6000 made. Ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1862
Caliber: .44cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 8 inches
Overall Length: 14 inches
Action: Single
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

History of Remington 1861 Army "Old Model" Revolver:

Remington, like Colt, was in business of arms making long prior to the Civil War. They had been producing handguns since 1857 when they introduced the Remington Beals Pocket Revolver. With the outbreak of the Civil War all of the company's energy became devoted to the military production of longarms and hand guns. The martial hand guns produced during the Civil War period included the Remington-Beals Army and Navy Model revolvers, the Remington Models 1861 Army and Navy Revolvers, (a.k.a. as the "Old Model Army" and "Old Model Navy") and the Remington New Model 1863 Army and Navy revolvers.

The Remington is a single-action, six-shot, percussion revolver produced by E. Remington & Sons, Ilion, N.Y., based on the Fordyce Beals patent of September 14, 1858 (Patent 21,478). The Remington Army revolver is large-framed revolver in .44 caliber with an 8-inch barrel length. The Remington Navy revolver is slightly smaller framed than the Army and in .36 caliber with a 7.375 inch [Beals Navy 7.5 inch] barrel length. There were three progressive models made: the Remington-Beals Army & Navy (1860–1862), the 1861 Army & Navy (1862–1863), and the New Model Army & Navy (1863–1875). The three models are nearly identical in size and appearance. Subtle but noticeable differences in hammers, loading levers, and cylinders help identify each model. The 1861 Remington actually transitioned into New Model appearance by late 1862, slowly transforming throughout 1862, due to continual improvement suggestions from the U. S. Ordnance Department.

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