Original Item: Only One Available. The Remington Rolling Block rifle was a breech-loading rifle produced from the mid-1860s into the early 20th century by E. Remington and Sons (later Remington Arms Company). The action was extremely strong, and could easily withstand the increased pressure of the new smokeless powders coming into use by the late 1880s.

This is an original Egyptian contract Remington Rolling block rifle, supplied to Egypt starting in 1869 in .43 Egyptian. In all 300,000 of these were produced but 100,000 were diverted to France for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Some of these Remington M-1869 Infantry rifles have been re-imported over the past 30 years but they are hard to find in any decent condition. This was the model rifle used to fight the British at the Battle of Tel-El-Kabir in 1882 and the Mahdi's Sudanese Dervishes at the siege of Khartoum in which General Gordon was killed in January of 1885.

Unlike other examples, this one could have actually been there, as the breech of the barrel is covered in Egyptian arsenal markings. , many of which are numbers. These were most likely added by the Egyptian arsenals during various refits the rifle received. It even looks like some markings may have been crossed out, and new ones added! Rifles that were sent to France would never have these type of markings.

Additionally, we can see some faint markings on the left facet of the barrel, which are actually Belgian! There is the "Perron" or Tower of Liège proof, and to the right of this is a faint E / L G / * in a "Crowned" oval, indicating manufacture and inspection in Liège, Belgium after 1891. This most likely means that the barrel was replaced at arsenal at some point in the late 19th century. Definitely some great history to this rifle!

The Rifle comes with its original cleaning rod, and unlike almost all that we see, there are still legible Remington patent markings on the receiver tang! In this case the receiver has two lines of patent markings, indicating that it is from an early contract. The lines are still mostly legible, a real rarity:-

This rifle definitely looks to have been serviced at arsenal numerous times, and possibly had the entire stock replaced. The sight and barrel bands definitely look to have seen more wear than the barrel and the rest of the metalwork. However looking at the top of the barrel, we can see some wide indentations in the barrel indicating that originally it had been fitted to a stock with barrel bands that were a bit closer to the breech.

The stocks are in lovely condition, with a lovely dark red brown color, most likely made from American black walnut. There are some repairs to the fore stock where it meets the receiver, but it still looks great. The butt stock is even better, probably replaced not long before the rifle left service. Both sling swivels are still intact, though they look to be arsenal replacements from when the original wore through. The rear sight is missing the top cap and slider, as they often do. The cleaning rod is still present, and looks to be an arsenal fabricated replacement.

The bore on this example is actually in very good shape, most likely because it is a replaced barren from Belgium. It shows a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves, and there is just a bit of oxidation in the grooves and near the muzzle. The lands are somewhat rounded, so it did see a good amount of service after the barrel was replaced. The action cycles correctly and dry fires, with a strong mainspring. The firing pin is present, and the ejector is also present, though we have not tested it to see if it is able to eject a cartridge.

An Antique U.S. made Remington Rolling Block Infantry Rifle with a very interesting history, made under contract and supplied to Egypt, cleaned and ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: c.1875
Caliber: .43 Egyptian
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 34 1/2 Inches
Overall Length: 49 3/4 Inches
Action type: Rolling Block with Rear Hammer
Feed System: Single Shot

History of the Remington Rolling Block Rifle:

It was made in a variety of calibers, both rimfire and centerfire, including the 12.17x42 mm rimfire, 12.17x44 mm rimfire and 12.17x44 mm rimmed centerfire Swedish and Norwegian cartridges, .43 Spanish (11.15x58mmR), .50-70, 40-70,45-70, and later in .22 caliber. Later models were produced in .30-06 Springfield, 7×57mm Mauser, and 8×50mmR Lebel.

In 12.17x42mmRF and 12.18x44mmRF (two cartridges that were interchangeable), and towards the end of its service life also 8x58mmR Danish Krag centerfire, it served as the standard service rifle of the Swedish Army from 1867 to the mid-1890s (when it was replaced by the Swedish Mauser) and in Norway as the standard service rifle from 1867 to the mid-1880s (when it was replaced by the M1884 Jarmann). In .43 Spanish it was the chief service arm of the Spanish Army from 1870-1893, and was used by reserve and militia forces for many years thereafter. Many Rolling Block rifles were used by Argentina before being replaced in 1891 by the new 7.65mm Mauser, and were also widely used by Egypt and Mexico. The Remington rolling block also became the standard service rifle of the Danish Army. During the Franco-Prussian War, France acquired 210,000 Rolling Block rifles to make up for a shortage of the standard-issue Chassepot.

During World War I, the British Royal Navy purchased 4,500 Rolling Block rifles in 7mm Mauser from Remington's leftover stock after production had ended, issuing them to the crews of minesweepers and Q-ships. In November 1914, production of the Rolling Block was resumed, in the form of a French contract for rifles in 8×50mmR Lebel, designated by France as "Fusil Remington modèle 1914". 100,291 such rifles were delivered by 1916, and used to equip rear-line troops.

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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.