Original Civil War New Model 1863 Army Revolver Converted to Rimfire – Serial 74417 Original Items

Original Item. One Only. 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 Breach loading system.

This is just such a weapon, originally made between 1858 and the end of the Civil War, then was converted to take a metallic cartridge. In sound solid 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. 

A great tight example of what many Gun Fighters really carried. The 8 Inch octagon barrel  still has some of the original engraving, which would have read:

PATENTED SEPT. 14, 1858
E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, NEW YORK, U.S.A.
NEW MODEL

It looks like during the conversion to rim fire, the barrel may have been resurfaced, which unfortunately made the markings almost illegible.

Serial number 77296 is on the grip frame, the serial number range places the date of manufacture in or about 1864, meaning this was a true civil war manufactured gun. There is also the new serial number 22 on the frame, which is also stamped on the underside of the barrel, next to the original serial number, which can no longer be read due to refinishing.

Overall condition is good with original finish and some minor pitting. Still bears original walnut grips, tight cylinder lock, strong smooth action, great bore and overall nice condition. Perfect for any wild west collection looking for type of revolver a typical settler could afford.

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 forbearer, the Remington-Beals Navy, also saw action during the war. Those models will be further pictured and discussed in Parts Two and Three of this series of postings.