Original Item: One of a Kind. This is only the SECOND example we have had of one of these extremely rare revolvers, and the previous example was a cartridge conversion. This is a rare variation of the Remington Model 1858, usually referred to as the Remington-Rider Double Action New Model Belt Revolver. Joseph Rider of Newark, OH had patented some interesting improvements on the standard percussion revolver designs, which brought his work to the attention of Remington & Sons, who got Rider to relocate his work to their Ilion, NY factory. There he would help design the Remington-Rider .31cal double action pocket revolver, which achieved some success during the civil war. A "vest" version was also created shortly after this.

Rider would go on to become the Remington factory superintendent in 1865, a position he held until 1883. During this time he oversaw numerous improvements to their product line, including very important improvements to the "Rolling Block" design of Leonard Geiger. This resulted ;in one of the strongest and most successful breechloading rifle actions of the latter half of the 19th century, and leads many to consider Rider the true "father" of the rolling block.

During the 1860s after the success of the pocket and vest double action revolvers, Remington looked to England & Europe and noted the success of larger double action revolvers throughout the area. They realized that the Civil War would eventually end, so to think towards the future, they decided that a larger double action revolver in an intermediate caliber would be a good investment commercially. They decided to base this new pistol on the Remington 1858 Patent "New Model" Navy revolver, and developed the "Double Action New Model Belt Revolver". This design did achieve limited success, however with the cheaper single action models flooding the market, unfortunately not many were sold. Only an estimated 3,000 - 5,000 of these were produced during the period 1863-1873, so every example is quite rare.

This is a beautiful well-patinated "frontier-worn" example of the Remington-Rider Belt Revolver, fitted with beautiful aged ivory grips. It definitely looks to have seen long service, and is sure to delight any "Old West" Americana collector.

The top of the octagonal barrel still has the original barrel markings, which are somewhat faint in areas:

Under the barrel the serial number reads as 2006, which is also stamped under the grips in typical Remington fashion. The cylinder is worn, so all of the original markings have been removed, and Remington also often did not mark the cylinders, as they were designed to be somewhat interchangeable. The cylinder arbor pin is easily removed on the design, and spare loaded cylinders could be kept for quick reloading, a big advantage over the Colt design. There are also some assembly number stamped on various components.

The revolver overall shows the original blued finish almost completely worn away, replaced by a speckled oxidized patina. The ivory grips are simply fantastic, probably made from walrus or "marine" ivory, and have a lovely aged color and grain. There is some cracking on the bottoms, as is typical, and there is a repair on the rear bottom of the left scale. The right scale has a chunk missing at the bottom where a hole was drilled through for some reason. Definitely some interesting history to this revolver!

The revolver does function, however the action is definitely out of adjustment, as only a very strong trigger pull will fire the hammer due to wear on the action. We checked the bore, and it is actually in very good condition, with a mostly bright finish showing crisp lands and grooves. There is just a bit of speckled oxidation on one side the the barrel, and very little wear, so the revolver does not look to have been fired much. The cylinder still has all 6 original cap nipple cones, two of which are clear, with all showing wear from oxidation and hammer strikes.

A lovely example of a very rare early double action revolver, with some fantastic aged ivory grips. Ready to research and display!

Specifications: 

Years of Manufacture: circa 1863-75
Caliber: .36
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 6 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 12 inches
Action: Double/Single
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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