Original Item: Only One Available. This is an exceptionally interesting and scarce U.S. Army Trials Contract Remington-Lee Model 1882 Magazine Rifle, chambered in .45-70 Government and serial numbered 9451. The U.S. Ordnance Department purchased just 750 Model 1882 Remington-Lee rifles for field trials, making these an important early chapter in the Army's transition from the single shot Springfield Trapdoor toward repeating bolt action military rifles. This example retains the correct U.S. and D.F.C. Army inspection markings and later received a 43 / B / N B stock marking associated with the Massachusetts Naval Brigade, giving it a particularly interesting post-trials service history.

This is an antique black powder firearm manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, it may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and does not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. This firearm is sold solely as a historical collector’s item and has not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only its present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

The Remington-Lee was one of the most forward looking military rifles of its era. Its designer, James Paris Lee, was born in Scotland and later emigrated to North America, eventually becoming one of the most influential firearms designers of the late 19th century. His work on detachable box magazines and bolt action rifles ultimately contributed to the development of the British Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield systems, but his earlier American military rifles had already demonstrated many of the concepts that would define later service arms.

Lee's detachable box magazine was particularly significant. At a time when many repeating military rifles still relied on tubular magazines, his design placed the cartridges in a removable box beneath the action. The concept went through several developmental stages, including early Lee-Borchardt and Lee-Cook arrangements, before evolving into more practical magazine designs. These rifles therefore represent an important step toward the detachable box magazine systems that later became standard on military firearms worldwide.

The first U.S. military Remington-Lee rifles were acquired by the Navy in the Model 1879 configuration. The improved Model 1882 incorporated a revised action, bolt, cocking piece, and magazine arrangement. In September 1884, the U.S. Ordnance Department purchased just 750 Model 1882 rifles for Army trials, along with bayonets and other equipment. Army records indicate that 713 were subsequently placed in the hands of troops for field testing alongside the Winchester-Hotchkiss and Chaffee-Reese magazine rifles.

The U.S. Army Model 1882 rifles fall within approximately the 8801-9800 serial range, making serial number:

9451

entirely correct for the contract. The rifle is chambered in the standard U.S. military .45-70 Government cartridge.

The top and side of the receiver carry the characteristic Lee and Remington markings:

THE LEE ARMS Co BRIDGEPORT CONN. U.S.A.
PATENTED NOV. 4TH 1879

and:

E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, N.Y. U.S.A.
SOLE MANUFACTURERS AND AGENTS
U.S.

Serial number 9451 is stamped on the top of the receiver adjacent to these markings. The 1879 date refers to Lee's patent and should not be confused with the manufacture date of this Model 1882 Army Trials rifle.

The barrel carries the correct U.S. military inspection markings, including:

U.S.
V / P

D.F.C.

The D.F.C. initials are those of U.S. Army Ordnance inspector David F. Clark, whose inspection marks are well documented on Army contract Remington-Lee rifles. His mark is also present on the bolt and on the stock immediately behind the trigger guard. Beneath the stock inspection marking is the stylized:

P

proof marking associated with final firing inspection. An additional marking consisting of an E within a five pointed star appears toward the rear right side of the trigger guard; its exact significance has not been confirmed.

The detachable magazine is marked:

PATENTED. MAY.28TH 1872. NOV.4TH 1879
AUG.28TH 1884. SEP.9TH 1884.

reflecting several stages in the development of the Lee magazine system. The later 1884 patent dates indicate that this is a later pattern magazine rather than necessarily the exact magazine originally fitted when the rifle entered Army trials.

This rifle also has a particularly interesting later service marking stamped into the left side of the butt stock:

43
B
N B

According to Eugene Myszkowski's The Remington-Lee Rifle, this style of N B marking is associated with rifles acquired for the Massachusetts Naval Brigade after the Army's Remington-Lee trials had ended. Surviving records and specialist research confirm that a substantial group of former Army Model 1882 rifles passed into Massachusetts naval militia service during the early 1890s. This gives the rifle an unusual service history spanning both U.S. Army trials and later state naval militia use.

Army Model 1882 Remington-Lees were originally fitted with Springfield pattern hardware, including military sling swivels and a stacking swivel. This example retains both barrel bands and the stacking swivel on the forward band. The original cleaning rod, which would thread into the rifle beneath the barrel, is unfortunately no longer present.

Rather than the Model 1879 style rear sight normally associated with the original Army trials configuration, this rifle is fitted with a later Buffington pattern adjustable rear sight. The leaf is marked:

R

for the rifle pattern sight. The Buffington sight was adopted for the Springfield system during the 1880s and provides both elevation and windage adjustment. Period and specialist research indicates that Remington had access to Springfield manufactured military hardware, making this sight entirely plausible as a later period service replacement or arsenal modification, although we cannot establish exactly when it was installed on this individual rifle.

The metalwork remains in very good condition overall, retaining a substantial amount of blue. There is some normal finish loss toward plum and gray in exposed areas together with scattered staining, but we see no extensive peppering or major destructive oxidation. The Buffington rear sight is complete and functional, with both elevation and windage adjustments operating correctly and the knurled adjustment hardware remaining in good condition.

The stock has a very attractive aged color and remains in good service used condition, with the expected dents, scratches, handling marks, and other wear from its long military career. We do not see major structural damage, although there is cracking on the underside immediately below the lower barrel band, centered around the cleaning rod channel. The Army inspection and later Naval Brigade markings remain important surviving features.

The bolt action cycles correctly during careful manual inspection and the rifle gives a strong dry fire. The detachable magazine releases correctly when the catch immediately forward of the trigger guard is operated, and the receiver mounted cutoff moves into position when the magazine is removed. The magazine itself has not been tested with cartridges, so we cannot confirm feeding. The firing mechanism, extractor, and associated bolt components appear present and mechanically responsive.

The bore is in very good service used condition, retaining a mostly bright interior with clear lands and grooves. There is moderate overall wear together with traces of old fouling that have since been cleaned, but no major bore damage is apparent.

With only 750 U.S. Army Model 1882 Remington-Lee rifles purchased for trials, surviving examples represent an unusually important experimental period in American military small arms development. Serial number 9451 adds further interest with its correct U.S. Army and David F. Clark inspection markings, detachable Lee magazine, later Buffington sight, and documented style of Massachusetts Naval Brigade stock marking. It would be an outstanding addition to a collection of U.S. military trials rifles, early bolt action arms, Remington firearms, .45-70 military rifles, or the developmental predecessors of the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield.

Specifications:-

Years of Manufacture: 1882-1883
Maker: Remington & Sons
Model: 1882 Remington-Lee Magazine Rifle
Serial No.: 9451
Caliber: .45-70 Government
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 32 1/2 Inches
Overall Length: 52 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action Magazine Repeater
Feed System: 5-Round Box Magazine
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

NOTE: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. 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.

More on the Remington-Lee Model 1885

This early bolt-action design was first patented in November 1878, as marked of this rifle's receiver, by JAMES PARIS LEE, an immigrant from Scotland who arrived via Canada. This is the same Lee who later became famous for his huge contribution to the British Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield series of rifles of WW1 and WW2. He had previously spent time in various pursuits before beginning to work on firearms designs, which led him to enter an association with Remington for a time. His first designs during the late Civil War were not entirely successful, but he did end up working with Remington until the early 1870s, after which he went back out on his own.

During this time he made several designs for the U.S. Army Ordnance Dept, and more importantly, developed a box magazine design, patented in 1875. This was intended to be a safer alternative to tubular magazine, which unfortunately could have accidental discharges. He returned to Remington to refine the design, and developed a Bolt-Action military rifle, patented in 1878, with the purpose of entering it into military trials. Specifically, the design was partially made to fill a U.S. Navy Board of Ordnance request for magazine rifles to become their new standard service rifle. They had two designs already, the Hotchkiss and Remington-Keene, but both of these were tube magazine designs, and they wished to evaluate a gun with a detachable box magazine. This bolt action rifle design was revolutionary at the time.

Unfortunately, Remington had already produced the Remington-Keene, and were unlikely to want to produce another magazine rifle, so Lee started the Lee Arms Co. to market this design. He then entered into a contract with the Sharps Rifle Co. to use their production facilities, and was able to get a U.S. Navy Contract in 1882 for 300 Lee Model 1879 Rifles in .45-70. This also gave Lee access to designer Hugo Borchardt, who would himself design several noteworthy arms, who would help Lee refine his magazine design. He devised an effective production method, which involved the use of two stamped steel sections that were then brazed together. This resulted in what is known as the Lee-Borchardt magazine, or first pattern, which his has a distinctive protrusion at the top front of the magazine, and extended feed lips at the back, which was unfortunately not successful, as the cartridges often fell out during loading.

A second pattern called the Lee-Cook magazine was introduced, named after a designer at Remington, which did away with the protrusion on the front, and instead a small catch on the side of the magazine was introduced, which was then retracted once the magazine was put into the gun, somewhat of a forerunner of the "magazine cutoff". This however was eventually replaced with a more simplified design, which did not require the cutoff to keep the cartridges, similar to modern magazines. Instead, the cutoff was made part of the receiver, moving out of the way when the magazine is fully seated.

While this was going on, the business side of things had run into some hiccups, which explains why a designer at Remington became involved with the design that Sharps was supposed to produce. Sharps fell onto hard times during the lean Post Civil war years, and went out of business, which resulted in Lee entering into a new agreement for production with Remington, who would utilize the partially finished rifles made by Sharps to fulfill the original Navy contract for 300 rifles, and would produce all the additional domestic military contracts.

Using the then U.S. standard caliber of ammunition, the .45-70 round, this bolt action magazine rifle was revolutionary at the time. It was accepted by the U.S. Navy on a limited basis for the Model 1879 variant, with about 1000 being ordered, and the U.S. Army subsequently ordered 750 of the Model 1882 variant for trials. The U.S. Navy would later acquire 3,400 of the Model 1885 in two contracts. Remington however saw much more success with foreign contracts, with 32,000 being produced, including about 13,000 being sent to china. It was also sold in a quantity of 500 units to New Zealand in 1887. Eventually in 1892 it was passed over by the U.S. Military in favor of the M-1892 Krag–Jørgensen Rifle in 30-40 Caliber.

The M1885 Remington–Lee (also known as the M1885 Lee, and "Navy M1885") is a bolt-action, box magazine repeating rifle designed principally by James Paris Lee.

It first appeared in 1879, manufactured by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. Eventually Remington took over production and produced copies in .45-70. Arguably the most modern rifle in the world until the introduction of the 8 mm smokeless powder using Lebel M1886 rifle, the Lee utilized the first successful detachable box magazine, unlike the Lebel which still used a tube magazine.

The design was incorporated by the British into the Lee–Metford and Lee–Enfield rifles, thereby becoming one of the most widely used rifle designs of the 20th century. Remington's version of the Model 1879 saw only limited use by the U.S. Navy and the Model 1882 was tested by U.S. Army and issued on a very limited scale. Ultimately, it was passed up in favor of the Krag–Jørgensen in 1892.

New Zealand purchased 500 for its militia in 1887. These were chambered in Remington's .43 Spanish (11.15×58mmR) caliber. These were quickly replaced after complaints about ammunition quality.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom.

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.