Model 1875 45-40 Serial Number 808

[ronwhipple]

I inherited a Remington Model 1875, Serial Number 808 and would like to know the history of this revolver. It is in remarkable condition. Can anyone help?

Thanks and regards,

Ron Whipple
Bedford, Texas

[BrotherRockeye]

that's a beautiful iron.

if memory serves the caliber should be 44Remington as the early production models(pre 14 000?) were 44 Remington and only the later models were in 44 40 caliber.

[ronwhipple]

Thank you for your reply. I have been getting information from several sources about this revolver. The nickle plating was assessed and considered factory due to the numbers "44" mechanically stamped in the side of the barrel receiver. There are very few marks on the weapon, it has no rust and the hammer, trigger and cylinder actions are all very smooth. A collector, the Son-In-Law of a very good friend of mine, is a serious firearms collector and told me that, depending on its condition, it could be quite valuable.

Several people have told me not to fire modern, commercial ammunition with this firearm because it was designed for black powder cartridges and it could be damaged, not to mention the safety implications.

Thanks for the information on this revolver. The more I learn about it, the more fascinated I become.

Regards, Ron Whipple

[BrotherRockeye]

that model and caliber is my "Holy Grail" of revolvers.

That particular example is a definite keeper and I would not even consider parting with it,especially if it is a family heirloom.

There are no commercial rounds available for your revolver so if you ever decided to fire it, handloads made with black powder or light smokeless loads would be the order of the day.
Damaging a Remington revolver by firing it is not as easy as some would have you believe.After all,they were built to be fired

best of luck in your quest for information.

[ronwhipple]

Thanks for your post. My Father-In-Law's father carried this revolver around under the seat of his International Harvester truck/wagon for many years. He passed it to his son, my Father-In-Law who sent it to me before he died a few years ago.

I do not have any more history of this revolver other than it has been passed down through the family for many years. It's a shame that the probable good story that goes with this firearm is lost.

I have several friends who load their own cartridges who have offered to make me black powder cartridges for it.

I thank all of you for your information and comments.

Regards, Ron Whipple

[BrotherRockeye]

Just a suggestion Ron,but were it me I would have light smokeless loads built for it.Black powder is corrosive and would require a thorough cleaning after each shooting session.
I handload for my 1858 Remington cartridge conversion and use smokeless powder.
As long as pressures are kept to a minimum smokeless is a better choice in my opinion.

[ronwhipple]

Several of my friends agree with the use of smokeless powder. Do you have a suggestion as to how much of a load for the 44-40?

Regards,

Ron Whipple

[BrotherRockeye]

I use 4gr of green dot under a 240gr cast bullet in my '58 conversion,but I had 2 pounds on hand...
as a loose general rule-fast powders are best(less pressure buildup before bullet moves)and full cases are best(no "room" for pressure to build)

I understand powders like trailboss and unique are supposed to work well.

blue dot is a better choice than green dot as you can use more with less pressure.I have a load book on "old west" calibers.It won't have 44Rem but a Schofield or 44Russian type load would be fine,although you are dealing with a longer case.
I'll do a bit of reading and see if I can't come up with a viable low pressure load for you to start with.

[ronwhipple]

I have been told by several people, including those on this site, that those Model 1875's that had a 44 stamped on it were 44-40 caliber. I have sent the revolver to an expert collector who will comprehensively assess the firearm and advise me of what it needs for care and make sure it is safe to fire and what reduced loads with smokeless powder I should use. Thanks for the correct advice.

Regards,

Ron

[BrotherRockeye]

good catch Tom1875,I had missed this:

The nickle plating was assessed and considered factory due to the numbers "44" mechanically stamped in the side of the barrel receiver.

and was going by the 808 serial number as per my first post.

This will make things alot easier Ron!

[ronwhipple]

So, this 808 number was probably a batch number rather than serial number, right? Since the "44" stamped on the side of the barrel receiver indicates a 44-40 caliber which was after serial number 14,000?