The Remington Model 1875 Revolver The large frame cartridge revolvers that were manufactured by E. Remington & Sons and the Remington Arms Company, are at the peak of their popularity. First introduced to the market in 1874, the Model 1875 Remington catalog refers to the recently introduced revolver as “the 1874 Model!. An E. Remington & Sons’ broadside from 1876
Remington used several names for this model
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In the 1885-87 catalogs the name changed again to “Remington New Model Army Revolver”. On a lighter note, I would like to point out that The 10,000 revolvers alluded to in the 1876 The British association with these revolvers came The Model 1875s were produced for only 12 years, |
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The Model 1875 revolver was originally produced in one caliber, the now obsolete .44 Remington cartridge. Poor sales evidently prompted Remington to offer the revolver in the more popular .44-40 WCF and .45 Government calibers. The .45 Caliber revolver will accept either the .45 Colt or the .45 Government centerflre cartridge. However, in their advenisements, Remington always referred to the caliber as .45 Government. In their 1881-82 catalog, Remington Continued to offer the revolver in .44 Remington Caliber, with the other two calibers; but production of the .44 Remington caliber had surely ceased by this time |
Very late in production, the revolver was produced with a 5.75-inch barrel, but no known advertisements show this variation. Several examples have been examined, and I have no doubt that they are authentic. They are very rare. It is possible that a majority of these short-barrel revolvers were altered t0 the Model 1888 (Hartley & Graham variation). Most published reports estimate a total production 0f |
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Until the last decade, this model was a stepchild in the Remington family of revolvers. Looked on as a gun- smith alteration of the Model 1875 by collectors and dealers alike, the revolver was finally exonerated in the 19903 by the discovery of a rare advertisement in an equally rare 1889 Hartley & Graham catalog. This Remington revolver was offered only in .44 WCF caliber in a 5.75-inch barrel version, as the Remington New Model Pocket Army Revolver. After the controlling interest of the Remington A new revolver was designed, and the old stock of |
The reason l state that some of these revolvers had been in inventory for some time is the fact that some Model 18885 have been observed with caliber markings that had not been used for some time. So, even though the Model 1888s are all alike in appearance and mechanics, there are some variations available to the collector. I refer to the .44 Remington caliber Model 1875s that were altered to .45 caliber and those later altered to make the Model 1888 as retroñtted or reworked revolvers. There are always alteration numbers on these revolvers in addition to the serial numbers. An estimate of total production would only be |
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The Remington Model 1890 Revolver
Mechanically, the Model 1890 revolvers are identical to the Model l888s. There was a different barrel address which reflected new ownership of the Remington firm: “Remington Arms Co. llion , N. Y.” This new model was also offered in two barrel lengths, 7 and 5 inches. Another departure was the use of molded hard rubber for the grips. These were checkered and had a Remington Arms Company logo at the top. This model was available in one caliber only, the .44-40 Winchester Sales of the new Model 1890 revolver must have been disappointing, as |
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The Variations
Photographs #l through #5 depict variations that Most of the photos have captions that explain the Photo #l has three hammer types and three firing |
detonating primers. The lack of a safety notch on the early hammers was also a serious safety concern. The first hammer and firing pin changes occurred during the Egyptian contract deliveries, so these may have been responses to the inspector’s complaints Photo #2 has several different variants. The On photo #3, the pictures and captions are also self explanatory, This was probably another safety issue. The longer length Photo #4 has the caliber marks and their locations at |
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and this location was also used on early batch numbered revolvers. The frame location was used until alter the adoption of the blade sight. The trigger guard location was in use in 1883, when revolvers were ordered by the U. S. Interior Department for use by the Indian police on reservations. Photo #5 is also self explanatory, but some further discussion of |
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Photo #6 depicts an Egyptian contract revolver which l have already discussed to some extent. These were originally furnished in blue finish. I have examined some specimens that have all the inspector’s stamps except for the cartouche on the left grip. These appear to be revolvers that either failed to pass final inspection or, passed the inspection and were not delivered because of the defaults in payments by the Egyptian Government. Many of these were later reworked to .45 caliber and sold to the Mexican Government. Others were Sold on the commercial market in both the original .44 Remington caliber and .45 Government caliber Photo #7 shows a Mexican Government .45 caliber |
end. A new, slightly longer cylinder was made (see photo #3), and the forward end of the cylinder cavity in the frame was milled to accept the cylinder. The frame was beveled and the frame guide for the ejector rod was recessed as shown on photo #2. The ejector rod was also shortened slightly to conform to the new frame and cylinder dimen- sions. The new cylinders were stamped with an L on the face, which I surmise to stand for “long cylinder”. This contrasts with later production, most of which were Stamped with 45. When these revolvers were reworked by Remington, the major components were numbered during disassembly, to ensure that these parts were reassembled Correctly, and this number was usually also stamped on the face of the new cylinder. The caliber mark 45 was also stamped on the left grip of these revolvers, but one is seldom seen with this mark intact. Prolonged usage has almost always obliterated any trace 0f this stamp. The number of revolvers ordered by the Mexican |
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Although these revolvers all had a 7 -inch barrel when delivered, it is rare indeed to see an example that has not been Crudely cut Off, usually at the forward end of the ejector housing. 1 have a theory about why so many met this fate. Mexico had a tumultuous history of revolutions during the latter part of the nineteenth Century, and the Model 1875s were a part of this history. A study of photographs from this era depicts many of these revolutionaries having no holster for their sidearms the revoiver was often carried under a waist band or belt. If carried in the front in this manner, one can imagine the discomfort to the “family jewels” and other parts of the anatomy that a long barreled revolver could inflict to a rider in the saddle. What easier way to alleviate this discomfort than to eliminate over two inches off the barrel? |
Mexican Government revolvers should not be confused with Model 1875s that have Mexican State Police markings. These are usually in .44 WCF caliber, from later production. Photo shows a rare example l have discussed only variations |
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A few remarks about Remington’s production practices may help to enlighten the reader. I noted that the new type hammers and cone firing pins are first seen in the 12000 Serial number range of Egyptian contract revolvers, and that the change may have been at the insistence of inspectors. Remington continued to use the old parts in new production made for the general market until the parts were exhausted.. Remington continued this practice throughout production. This has created some confusion when trying to classify a later variation revolver that retains early production parts. Another example are the trigger guards and triggers. We the old type and the new type used concurrently well into the batch numbered revolvers |
This essay is not intended to be the final word in regard to these revolvers. There remains much research work to be done, 1 sincerely hope that this work will inspire others with an interest in these models to pursue this work further. If the reader has, or is aware of any variations not |
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