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. 

This is just such a weapon, originally made during the Civil War, and then factory converted to take a metallic cartridge. At some point it was also fully nickel plated, though we do not know if this happened before or during the conversion. 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. 

The Remington Percussion revolvers were often called the Model 1858 due to the patent dates, but production of this revision started in 1863, and the "New Model Navy" is the correct designation from Remington. The top of the octagonal barrel still shows the original markings:

The revolver is now in .38 rimfire caliber, having started life as a .36 Caliber PERCUSSION Weapon. It was then converted to a "Breech Loader" which involved replacement of the cylinder with a new made cylinder from Remington, which licensed the White patent for a bored through cylinder. These were all 6 shot and chambered for .38 Rimfire.

The converted revolver is now loaded by removing the cylinder and removing the separate "back plate", exposing the drilled though chambers. When reloaded the cylinder is then re-assembled into the weapon for use. This was actually rather common, as these conversions only involved modifying the cylinder, which was fitted with either a rimfire or centerfire back plate. The hammer was not altered, and still could be used with a percussion cylinder.

Our example is in very good condition and still has lots of its original Nickel plating, we suspect from the time of the breach loading conversion. The cylinder shows some oxidation and wear, but no major flaking or pitting. Many parts have the numeral 29 as an assembly number, including the grip scales, grip frame, under the barrel, and on the back of the cylinder plate. In many cases these were stamped over the original assembly numbers. This leads us to believe relatively strongly that this revolver was sent back to Remington itself for the conversion, which also explains the high quality of the Nickel plating. The cylinder and plate are also marked with matching number 1340, so that they could be re assembled after plating. Under the barrel the actual serial number reads as 1801, which is also stamped under the grips in typical Remington fashion.

The action functions well, with nice indexing, crisp mechanics and a good cylinder lockup. We cycled it and did not notice any overshooting or timing error. The bore is in excellent condition, and does not look to have been shot much at all.

This will make a fine addition to any "Old West" collection. Ready to display!

History of Remington New Model Navy 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.

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: late 1864
Caliber: .38 Rimfire
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 6 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 12 inches
Action: Single
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

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