{"product_id":"original-u-s-navy-springfield-m1870-remington-rolling-block-sporterized-rifle-in-in-grade-2-as-found-condition-dated-1870","title":"Original U.S. Navy Springfield M1870 Remington Rolling Block Sporterized Rifle in in Grade 2 \"As Found\" Condition - dated 1870","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal item: One of a Kind. Over the years, IMA has purchased many collections and groups of antique guns, in which case we need to take all of them, as we did in Nepal. While these collections were generally full of guns that relatively good condition, they also had some that were less complete and unfortunately would take more restoration time than we were able to give them. We kept them in storage, possibly for future products, but have now decided to offer these \"As Found\" antique firearms to our customers as restoration projects. These are all original and as we received them, except for cleaning the dirt and grime off the exterior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease note that these are still real antique guns, and are being sold in \"As is\" condition at a significant discount from what they would sell at if we were to fully restore them. We will do our best to photograph and describe them and know that our customers will know exactly what they are getting. Some of these, such as this example, look to have possibly been project or parts guns, and are missing a significant amount of parts. These are being sold in \"Grade 2\" condition, and on these \u003cstrong\u003eALL SALES ARE FINAL.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Springfield model 1870 rolling-block U.S. Navy rifle was originally manufactured in 1870 by Springfield Armory, using the design originated by Remington Arms Company, under a royalty agreement. However, the initial 10,000 produced had the rear sight placed much too close to the chamber, and they ended up being sold to France for use in the Franco-Prussian War. This is one of those rifles, and as can be seen, the rear right is almost against the receiver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRight side of the receiver is marked with the maker and date:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eU.S.N.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSPRINGFIELD\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1870\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/center\u003e\u003ccenter\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tang of the receiver is marked with the patent licensing information, which is still visible despite the oxidation:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREMINGTONS PATENT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePAT. MAY3D NOV 15TH APRIL 17TH 1868\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter exportation, the stock was \"sporterized\", being cut off a few inches past the lower barrel band. It then looks to have seen a lot of use and weathering, resulting in this Grade 2 \"As Found\" offering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition Notes:\u003cbr\u003e- Overall condition shows significant oxidation and pitting on the metalwork.\u003cbr\u003e- Bore is white dark, showing no original rifling that we can see.\u003cbr\u003e- Action still cycles correctly, with an intact firing pin spring, however the ejector is missing.\u003cbr\u003e- Rear sight is broken\u003cbr\u003e- Stock wood is in poor condition, with significant cracking on the right side of the butt stock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very well patinated sporterized example of the hard to find first run U.S. Navy Springfield Model 1870 rifle, rejected and sold off to France. It has definitely seen a long and interesting life! Please make sure to look at all the pictures before purchasing, as ALL SALES ARE FINAL.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYear of Manufacture: 1870\u003cbr\u003eCaliber: .50-70 Government\u003cbr\u003eCartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge\u003cbr\u003eBarrel Length: 32 1\/2 Inches\u003cbr\u003eOverall Length: 48 1\/2 Inches\u003cbr\u003eAction type: Rolling Block with Rear Hammer\u003cbr\u003eFeed System: Single Shot\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory of the Springfield M.1871 Remington—Army\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the U.S. Civil War, Joseph Rider experimented with several breech loading weapon designs. In 1865, he was issued the first patent for what would evolve into the Remington rolling block action. The Remingtons continued to invest in Rider's work, and met with Ordnance Department officials in the hope of interesting them in this new design. The U.S. Navy Ordnance Department became interested in the design, and purchased several different models of rifles from 1867 through 1869. Field trials of these various rifles yielded mostly positive results.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1869, the Navy Bureau of Ordnance tested many different weapons, and settled on the .50 caliber Remington Rolling Block for use by both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines. An order was placed for 10,000 model 1870 rifles. After the rifles were produced, Navy inspectors realized that the rear sights had been positioned incorrectly, and were dangerously close to the chamber, making the weapon unsafe for use. All 10,000 rifles were rejected, and were subsequently sold to France for use in the Franco-Prussian War. The sale of the defective rifles enabled enough funds to be recovered that the Navy Ordnance Department ordered an additional 12,000 rifles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing the success of the model 1870, the Governor of New York ordered 15,000 Remington rolling block rifles and bayonets for his state's militia. These model 1871 rifles were very similar to the model 1870 rifles, but differed in some details. Field experience with the model 1870 showed that the mechanism jammed too easily in dusty conditions. Users also did not like loading the weapon at full cock. The model 1871 included a locking bolt in the breech mechanism. The user pulled the hammer to the full cock position, retracted the breech block spur to expose the chamber, and inserted the cartridge. When the breech block closed, the hammer automatically fell to the half cock position, and the weapon could not be fired until the hammer was once again pulled to the full cock position.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver 20,000 model 1871 rifles were eventually purchased by the state of New York. The U.S. Army did not greet the Remingtons with much enthusiasm, despite its superiority to the standard-issue Springfield model 1870. Foreign sales of the weapon were much more successful. Denmark ordered many of the model 1870 and 1871 rifles. In 1873, Spain ordered 50,000 model 1871 rifles, which were delivered in 1875. Numerous other countries, such as France, Chile, Argentina, Cuba, Greece, and Puerto Rico also purchased this rifle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNOTE: 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40613575688261,"sku":"ONSV10145","price":550.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONSV10145__01.jpg?v=1691196159","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-navy-springfield-m1870-remington-rolling-block-sporterized-rifle-in-in-grade-2-as-found-condition-dated-1870","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}