Help identify remington wooden rifle case

[Dick Hosmer]

The chest is very typical of American arms chests of the late 1800s, and I suspect it originated in the Remington factory.

I have a nearly identical one, for .45-70 "trapdoors", from our Springfield Armory, dated 1895.

They were meant to hold 20 rifles in two layers. Each layer had 5 rifles pointing in opposite directions, for a total of 10 per layer. An intricate system of removable wood blocks kept the rifles from touching each other. A set of clamps was arranged at the bottom to hold the 20 bayonets. They were originally provided with a wooden lid which was screwed on. Both ends were originally the same - someone has cut a hole in yours. Fully loaded, weight was well over 250 pounds.

When no longer needed for rifles the boxes were used for other purposes, with most being destroyed or just having rotted away over the years. Surviving examples are rather scarce, and complete specimens can fetch over $1,000.

[ehull]

Oscar,
Welcome to our forum.
Peru purchased 24,000 Remington Spanish Model rifles during the "Guerra del Pacifico." These are caliber .43 Spanish, or 11 mm. Some used the angular (or socket type) bayonet and some used a saber bayonet. We have no record of the purchase of the Egyptian Model rifle.
This is a typical shipping crate or box.
Please send your email address to me and I will send to you my magazine article giving the whole story from an American point of view.
Edatbeach@adelphia.net

What is the name of your organization?