Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting example of a Remington Rolling block carbine, which has definitely seen quite a bit of modifications during its life. The carbine bears serial number G1674 on the receiver tang and trigger guard under the stock, but there are not any serial number markings on the barrel. It is equipped with a 20 1/2" barrel, which makes it somewhat hard to classify. It is similar to some of the U.S. Military contract rolling blocks, but it is much more likely to be one of many foreign contract examples. The receivers on these carbines and rifles were fairly standard in size and shape, which means that parts could be interchanged fairly readily between models.

This example definitely shows wear to the exterior, and we no longer can see any of the markings that would be on the side of the receiver and chamber ring. It is possible that it was not marked, and is some type of sample. The only military marking we were able to find is a boxed HW cartouche, however this is definitely a very important one. This is the inspection cartouche for Commodore Henry A. Walke, U.S.N., who inspected Remington pistols and carbines during 1866-1868 ONLY. This means that the stocks at least were from a U.S. Navy Contract Model 1867 carbine, but only those portions. Walke saw service during the Mexican-American war and U.S. Civil war, and would eventually rise to the rank of Rear Admiral. For more information on walk please see his Wikipedia page: Henry A. Walke.

The tang of the receiver is marked with the patent licensing information:

The condition of the carbine is very nice, showing an overall gray oxidized patina on the metalwork, with a bit of peppering in areas. The receiver area also shows some wear, possibly from removal of surface oxidation in the past. The stocks are in very good condition, with the fore stock only showing light wear, and the butt stock showing a bit more use. There are some initials carved into it, and some gouges and/or worn marks on the left side.

The action on the carbine cycles correctly, with the rolling block opening and the sliding ejector on the left side presenting correctly. It does show some modification though, and looks like the block was modified to accept both rimfire and centerfire ammunition. It also looks like the top of the block may have broken off at one point, and been reattached. Definitely some interesting modifications to this carbine! The bore is in good condition, showing a partly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. It does however show wear and oxidation, so this carbine looks to have been a good amount of use during its service life.

A very interesting Remington Carbine in .50 caliber. Ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: circa 1868-69
Caliber: .50
Cartridge Type: Rimfire or Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 20 1/2 Inches
Overall Length: 35 3/4 Inches
Action type: Rolling Block with Rear Hammer
Feed System: Single Shot

History of the Remington Rolling Block

During 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.

In 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.

Following 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.

Over 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

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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.

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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.