Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of a modified Civil War Era Remington New Model Police Percussion Revolver with a a great broken in look, complete with a period "Mexican Loop" leather holster. One could easily see this revolver being used anywhere in the "Old West".

This model was introduced by Remington in 1863 as a "Medium Frame" revolver based on the Remington Model 1858 Action, their answer to Colt's own "Police Model of Navy Caliber". During the 1860s, the large frame percussion revolvers were considered two unwieldy for use in the cities, while the "pocket" models did not pack enough of a punch. The "Police" models were a compromise that had more stopping power but were still smaller and relatively lightweight. The model was quite successful, with the Ilion factory producing 25,000 revolvers between 1863 and 1873.

The design was typical compared to other makers, it is a .36 caliber percussion, 5 shot single action with a number of different barrel lengths. It features the standard brass trigger guard of the full size revolvers, and a cylinder arbor pin that pulls forward, allowing the cylinder to be removed easily. It was not uncommon to keep a spare loaded cylinder, as they were easily swapped in. With the expiration of the Rollin White patent, the Remington percussion revolver design had a bit of an advantage based on the easily removable cylinder. They could be converted to use metallic rimfire cartridges by swapping out the cylinder, with little else required. These early rimfire cylinder had a removable back plate, and the hammer from the Remington would contact the edge.

This example is one of those early cartridge conversions, with a beautiful patina of age. Except for the replaced cylinder and possible alteration to the hammer face, it is more or less unchanged from its percussion configuration. It even still retains the loading rammer, which serves no purpose on a rimfire revolver. It still has the correct patent markings fully visible on top of the 3 1/2 inch barrel:-

It is also marked with serial number 15411 on the underside of the barrel and under the rosewood grip scales, which are each marked very faintly with 411 in pencil on the interior. This is relatively far into production, probably made during the late 1860s. The cylinder is marked with 1921 on the backing plate, which matches the number on the back of the cylinder underneath.

Overall condition is very good, showing a lovely matured patina, with the original blue faded to gray except for a few areas on the barrel right next to the frame. We can see some past light peppering, but no major oxidation. The brass trigger guard has a lovely matured color, and the grips are made from what looks to be rosewood, and are in great shape, showing only light wear and fantastic "spider webbing" dark grain lines.

The revolver functions perfectly, with a crisp tight action, accurate indexing, and a solid cylinder lockup. We did not notice any of the usual finicky behavior we often see with revolvers of this age. The cylinder arbor pin pulls out easily allowing the cylinder to be removed. The bore is in very good condition, showing a partly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There are some spots of past oxidation and fouling, but overall it's in very good shape for a rimfire converted percussion revolver from the age of black powder.

In very good display condition, this very lovely rimfire converted revolver will make a great addition to any collection involving early cartridge conversions, especially with the period holster! Ready to display!

Specifications:

Years of Manufacture: circa 1863-1875
Caliber: .38 Rimfire
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 4 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 9 1/2 inches
Action: Single
Feed System: 5 Shot Revolver

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IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.