Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely Remington Model 1861 Army Revolver in .44 caliber percussion, usually referred to as the "Old Model" Army. 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:

This revolver has matching serial number 9910 appearing on the underside of the barrel and on the frame under the grip, while the cylinder is marked with 2 and 9721, so it is not the original cylinder it was made with. Other versions of this revolver were often called the "Model 1858" due to the patent date on the barrel, however this version had the 1861 patent date listed, which refers to patent #33,932, dated December 17, 1861, shown at this link. This covered design improvements from William Elliott, which allowed the cylinder arbor pin to be withdrawn without lowering the loading lever. Other refinements included a re-contoured frame exposing the barrel threads at the rear, reducing both weight and manufacturing cost.

Unfortunately, some of these "improvements" were in name only, and only Approximately 6,000 were produced before transitioning to the "New Model 1863". The new arbor pin design of the Model 1861 sometimes caused the pin to shift forward under recoil, locking the revolver solid. As a result, many Model 1861 revolvers were later returned to the factory for modification or retrofit with the older Beals-style solid loading lever, however, this example still retains the original loading lever and arbor pin! There has been a screw put into the channel to keep the arbor pin from moving forward however, so it was not completely left as is. As this was the primary "improvement" of the 1861 patent, later models returned to the 1858 patent marking used previously.

Ultimately the "New Model 1863" that replaced the "Old Model" was the result of numerous other incremental improvements suggested by the Army ordnance department, in addition to getting rid of the 1861 style arbor pin and rammer. One of these 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 however, most likely because the cylinder was replaced during service, easily accomplished on a Remington.

Overall condition is very good with a lovely aged oxidized patina overall, with some of the original bluing still retained in areas. There is a bit of light peppering evident, but no major rust, and it really has a great "been there" look. The grips are in very good shape, with wear on the shoulders, and look to have been finished with a dark varnish at some point.

The revolver has a strong smooth action, with a good mainspring and tight cylinder lockup. 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 does still show faint rifling, but only on some sides towards the muzzle, with the rest of the barrel being pretty much "shot out", worn smooth from heavy use. There is some past fouling and oxidation present, but it is really wear from use that put the barrel in this state, so it probably saw extensive use during the war. All of the cap nipple cones are in very good shape and clear, showing light oxidation and fouling to the exterior, and very little "mushrooming" from hammer strikes. 

This is a genuine Civil War issued gun, with a great honest used look, and a solid place in history. This is would make a worthy addition to any civil war collection, representing one of the rarest variations of the Remington Army percussion revolver lineage. One of only about 6000 made and still with the original but problematic hollow loading rammer. 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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