Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of one of many late 19th Century sporting rifles made by Whitneyville Armory, located in Whitneyville Connecticut. This area, today near Hamden Connecticut, was so named due to it's association with the famous Eli Whitney, the inventor of the Cotton Gin. Whitney also manufactured firearms, such as Springfield Muskets, and his son, also named Eli Whitney, followed in his footsteps. The factory was expanded, and the area became known as "Whitneyville", making firearms throughout the 19th century. Eventually, after several consolidations, the factory became "Whitneyville Armory."

Under this name they produced various different firearms, though unfortunately they were not able to catch up with their competitors in terms of volume. However they still applied for and received patents, and are very well regarded among collectors. They also manufactured designs under license, and also produced designs by other makers once their patents began to expire.

This is a lovely example of a Whitney Arms Co. "Remington" rolling block derived design, which is referred to as the "Whitney-Remington", and this design is the Style II No.1 in .45-75 Winchester Center fire. It features a lovely heavily blued 30-inch long octagonal barrel, which is fitted with a Parker Hale style front hooded globe sight and Winchester style "buckhorn" rear adjustable sight. We can also see threaded holes on the receiver tang, so we assume it was designed to take some type of long range peep sight, though we do not know if one was ever installed. It has a half length fore stock, and a lovely "pistol grip" style butt stock that is checkered on the knob.

The rear tang of the receiver has the factory address information clearly marked, in the correct "reverse italicized" font:-

The barrel is marked 45-75 over the chamber, indicating the chambering. The trigger guard tang is marked with serial 20603, while the bottom of the barrel under the fore stock is marked with shortened number 0603, and there are no other markings on the sporting rifle.

Overall condition is very good, still showing much of the original blued finish on the barrel, particularly under the fore stock. The rolling block and hammer also look to have been blued, and retain the finish quite well, while the action shows a mottled oxidized patina, and was probably originally case colored. The action functions correctly, with the ejector presenting, though we did note that the hammer will "fire" even with the breech fully open, possibly due to being based on earlier rolling block designs. We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, showing a mostly bright finish with crisp lands and grooves. There is just a bit of past oxidation and fouling in the grooves, which has mostly been cleaned away. The stocks are lovely, with great color and grain, and the only real issues being some staining from contact with the metalwork, and some chipping on both sides of the fore stock near the front.

A lovely late 19th Century Sporting rifle by the well known Whitney Arms Co., ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Years of Manufacture: 1881-1888
Caliber: .45-75 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 30 Inches
Overall Length: 45 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: tube magazine

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

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 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.