Original Item: Only One Available. The first Cartridge Single Action Colts and Remington revolvers came out in 1873 and 1875. Prior to that there were many different "cartridge systems" utilized by many different makers. However Civil War percussion Revolvers were everywhere on the market and Gunsmiths converted many of these Civil War Revolvers to the new Breech loading systems, many using factory supplied parts. Most of these early conversions were to rimfire, which required less modification.

This is just such a weapon, originally made during the Civil War Era, and then converted to take metallic cartridges. In sound solid condition these conversions tend to be rather rare as the window of demand was very limited and by 1873 and 1875 the new "Cowboy" guns were on open sale. The truth is many Desperadoes and law abiding citizens embarked ion there trek to the West Coast carrying a converted revolver like this.

This is a very nice example of a Remington New Model Pocket Revolver, most likely made after the U.S. Civil War, which was later factory converted to take .32 rimfire. This model was introduced by Remington in 1863 to take advantage of the lucrative "pocket revolver" market. Many Union officers liked to keep smaller caliber pocket revolvers as backup for when their larger revolvers ran dry. The model was quite successful, with the Ilion factory producing 25,000 revolvers between 1863 and 1873.

The design is typical compared to other makers, 5 shot single action with a 4 1/2 inch octagonal barrel. It has "spur trigger", and a cylinder arbor pin that pulls forward, allowing the cylinder to be removed easily, which aided in early cartridge conversions. This example is now nickel plated, however we do not know if this is the original finish, or whether it was refinished at the factory. This revolver has matching serial number 25765 appearing on the underside of the barrel and on the frame under the grip. The top of the octagonal barrel still shows the original markings clearly:

PATENTED SEPT. 14. 1858. MARCH 17 1863
E. REMINGTON & SONS. ILION. NEW YORK. U.S.A.
NEW MODEL

The revolver is now in .32 Rimfire caliber, having started life as a .31 Caliber PERCUSSION "muzzle loading" Weapon. It was then converted to a "Breech Loader", which looks to have been converted at the Remington factory itself. The company began these conversions in 1868, and also began producing "kits" that were sold to gunsmiths so they could to there own conversions. As the cylinder could easily be removed, the first conversions, called "Type I", were simply new cylinders for the revolvers. These had a removable backplate that allowed rimfire ammunition to be used, and did not even require modifications to the hammer or barrel to work. The cylinder and backing plate on this revolver are matching marked, with 2464 stamped onto the back of both.

Overall condition is very good, with the nickel-plated finish still very well retained in most areas. There definitely are areas of missing plating near the cylinder, especially at the front, and also on the edges of the barrel facets. There are some areas of light rust specking, but overall this has the look of a well cared for revolver. It has a very nice set of wooden grips, which show light wear from service. They have lost much of the original "piano varnish" finish, and are quite dark, so they could be made from ebony, not walnut.

The revolver functions great, with good indexing and a solid cylinder lockup. It does not exhibit any of the finicky behavior we often see with revolvers of this age. The bore is in very good condition, with clear lands and grooves and a partly bright finish. There is definitely some past fouling and oxidation, as expected from a revolver that saw use as both a percussion and cartridge arm during the black powder rea.

This very nice converted revolver will make a fine addition to any U.S. Military or "Old West" collection. Ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1870
Caliber: .32cal
Ammunition Type: Rimfire cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 8 3/4 inches
Action: Single
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver

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