Remington Engraved Firearms – 1946 to 1980 - Remington Society of America

by Gene Myszkowski

The story of engraved Remington firearms begins with
the company’s earliest arms for the civilian market in
the years just preceding the Civil War. These included
the Remington-Beals 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Model Pocket Revolvers,
the Remington-Rider Double-Action Pocket Pistol, and the
Rider Parlor Pistol. Simple scroll engraving was put on some
of these pistols, but the names of the engravers are lost to
history. The company began producing large frame martial
revolvers in late 1860, and occasionally some of these were
embellished with various degrees of factory engraving.

Eliphalet Remington II, the founder of E. Remington
& Sons died in July 1861, and his three sons took over
management of the business. The practice of engraving
standard production pistols and revolvers continued through
the war years and in the years that followed. As the company
began selling rifles, some of these were also engraved –
sometimes with just a few embellishments, and sometimes
profusely engraved to impress the recipient.

By all accounts, he was a practical man, and rarely
gave away embellished firearms to influential persons – unlike
his competitor, Col. Samuel Colt, who brought marketing and
showmanship to a whole new level. Compared to Colt,
Remington was new at marketing, having entered the pistol
and revolver field in the late 1850s. The number of embel-
lished and engraved revolvers given away by Colt eclipse the
very few given away by Remington.

The very few production records that still exist from the 19th
century do not mention engravers, nor do they tell us
whether Remington had in-house engravers working in Ilion.
It is highly probable that E. Remington & Sons did employ
factory engravers, and kept them busy engraving all sorts of
pistols, rifles and double-barrel shotguns.
E. Remington & Sons issued full catalogs and
Illustrated Price Lists beginning in 1870. Only scarce refer-
ence was ever made to engraved firearms, and it is a wonder

Page 11 4^th Quarter 2008

how a customer would ever know that highly engraved arms were available
from America’s Oldest Gunmaker. It would not be until the 1890s that Remington
Arms Company catalogs would offer an array of engraved Model 1894 shotguns.
After the turn-of-the-century, Remington began offering different grades of
autoloading shotguns (later called the Model 11), Model 10 pump-action shotguns,
autoloading high-power rifles (later called the Model 8), and Model 12
slide-action 22 rifles. The workmanship, the quality of wood, and the degree
of engraving went up with the grade of firearm… along with the price.

Remington 1910 Catalog

Page 12 4^th Quarter 2008

Page 13 4^th Quarter 2008

Engraved Remingtons
Several selected images from the article. Non-members may purchase journals.Click any image to enlarge

On-line Search/Sort Journal Index

How can I submit an article for a
future issue?

How can I purchase back issues
of the RSA Journal?
On-line Journal Articles

New Journals have links to

From the editor

Classifieds

The Last word –

The Remington Society of America

An organization dedicated to the collection and study of Remington firearms, ammunition and history

Remington Engraved Firearms – 1946 to 1980

It's to join
The Remington Society of America...

The story of engraved Remington firearms begins with the company’s earliest arms for the civilian market in the years just preceding the Civil War. These included the Remington-Beals 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Model Pocket Revolvers, the Remington-Rider Double-Action Pocket Pistol, and the Rider Parlor Pistol. Simple scroll engraving was put on some of these pistols, but the names of the engravers are lost to history. The company began producing large frame martial revolvers in late 1860, and occasionally some of these were embellished with various degrees of factory engraving.		Eliphalet Remington II, the founder of E. Remington & Sons died in July 1861, and his three sons took over management of the business. The practice of engraving standard production pistols and revolvers continued through the war years and in the years that followed. As the company began selling rifles, some of these were also engraved – sometimes with just a few embellishments, and sometimes profusely engraved to impress the recipient.

By all accounts, he was a practical man, and rarely gave away embellished firearms to influential persons – unlike his competitor, Col. Samuel Colt, who brought marketing and showmanship to a whole new level. Compared to Colt, Remington was new at marketing, having entered the pistol and revolver field in the late 1850s. The number of embel- lished and engraved revolvers given away by Colt eclipse the very few given away by Remington.		The very few production records that still exist from the 19th century do not mention engravers, nor do they tell us whether Remington had in-house engravers working in Ilion. It is highly probable that E. Remington & Sons did employ factory engravers, and kept them busy engraving all sorts of pistols, rifles and double-barrel shotguns. E. Remington & Sons issued full catalogs and Illustrated Price Lists beginning in 1870. Only scarce refer- ence was ever made to engraved firearms, and it is a wonder