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This is just such a weapon, originally made early in the Civil War, and then converted to take a metallic cartridge, in this case .44 Centerfire. In good service worn 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, although production actually started in 1861. The first model made was the "Remington-Beals", which was then superseded by the "Old Model" 1861 Army, which had an 1861 date on the top of the barrel, unlike the later "New Model Army", which like the Remington-Beals had the 1858 patent date. The top of the octagonal barrel still shows the original markings, though they are partly worn away:

Overall condition is good, with a good finish on the frame area, which possibly may have been refinished at some point. The exterior of the barrel however shows extensive wear on all sides, with rust pitting evident in many areas. We have considered the possibility that the barrel was swapped at some point, but as the serial number on the bottom is completely work away, we have no way to confirm this. The grip frame under the grip scales is faintly marked with serial number 15141, which should be for a later production "Old Model" 1861. There is also assembly number 59 stamped on the bottom of the grip frame. The grip plates themselves are definitely replacements, and are in very good condition.

There were several types of conversions, and this one does not look to have used factory parts. There is a metal plate attached to the front of the recoil shield, and the hammer was modified to have a small firing pin at the bottom for centerfire ammunition. The cylinder is quite interesting, and it looks like end may have been machined off around the ratchet, and then a new piece grafted to the breech end. This was then bored through to complete the chambers. We can see joints / seams on the sides of the cylinder, as well as on the chamber interior, where we can see that the ratchet is continuous with the front of the cylinder. Definitely some great research potential here.

We measured the cylinder and checked it with dummy rounds, and it takes a cartridge with a VERY thin rim, which is precisely what the .44 Remington cartridge is, though we unfortunately have no dummy cartridges on hand to test with. This means that most likely no adjustments were needed to the barrel and other components. There is no ejector, and the loading rammer is still intact, though now serves no purpose. The front of the cylinder is marked with assembly number 114.

Functionally, the revolver does cycle, and dry fire, but the indexing is not accurate, and it almost always overshoots the correct location. The cylinder lock is also deficient, so the cylinder can be rotated by hand even at the full cocked position. This revolver definitely looks to have seen extensive use in service. We checked the bore, and it is unfortunately very corroded, with no traces of rifling left, just pitting and scaling, even after being scrubbed out several times.

A "well worn" centerfire converted Civil War gun, as used on the American Frontier. This will make a fine addition to any "Old West" Americana collection. Ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1862 - converted later
Caliber: .44 Remington
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 7 3/4 inches
Overall Length: 13 3/4 inches
Action: Single
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

History of Remington New Model Army 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 New Model 1863 Army Revolver represents Remington's highest production martial pistol. Approximately 126,000 were manufactured from 1863 to 1875. After Colt, it was the Northern government's most purchased and issued pistol. Serial numbers of the New Model Army continued from the Model 1861 Army. Reference sources estimate this change from between serial number 15000 (Flayderman) to 22000 (Reilly). This is probably due to a long transitional period in which there was a gradual change over of the design features between the two models. The earliest production models utilized the 1861 frames and had a somewhat longer grip. The stamping "New Model" on the barrel of the early models can also be noted to have been stamped with a separate die. Nearly 110, 000 New Models were purchased by the government during the Civil War, at prices between $10.82 and $15.50 each. These prices were lower than Colt's and by mid-1863, Colt was eliminated from the government contract business. The State of New Jersey also purchased several thousand for Civil War issue.

The New Model 1863 Army was the last of Remington's .44 caliber percussion revolvers. Remington Armies were used from the beginning to the end of the Civil War in all fields. They were considered to be among the finest martial handguns of the day. The Remington New Model 1863 Navy and it's forbear, the Remington-Beals Navy, also saw action during the war. 

William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody used an ivory-handled New Model Army .44, serial number 73,293, from 1863 until 1906, when he gave it to his ranch foreman with a handwritten note which said that, "It never failed me."

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 most US States and most U.S. territories.

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