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Two 1858
New Model Remington Revolvers. The top gun is factory engraved
with ivory grips and twenty-three notches. The bottom gun is stamped
as property of the Republic of Mexico. (Author's collection
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Guns of the Texas Rangers:
The Remington
New Model Army
In
1799, seven-year-old Eliphalet Remington II moved from Suffield, Connecticut,
to the small town of Litchfield in upper New York State. There he helped
his father farm and operated a forge on the side. According to legend,
“Lite,” as he was called, needed a new rifle and decided to forge the
barrel himself. He then carved a stock. The result of this timely task
was a beautiful weapon that shot so accurately at shooting matches,
fellow hunters requested that he build more for them.
By
1822, Remington’s barrels were being seen throughout upper New York.
In 1828, he devoted his forge to the making of gun barrels and produced
300 a year without scarf icing quality. His work was so impressive that
he was awarded a government contract for 5,000 rifles in 1845. Business
greatly increased and the father brought his sons Philo, Samuel, and
Eliphalet Jr. into the trade. E. Remington & Sons at Illion, New
York, opened for business in 1856.
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Close-up
of typical factory engraving on special-order Remington New Models. |
Remington
secured the services of Fordyce Beals. He created the first Remington
revolver in 1857. That first Remington handgun was a five-shot, single-action
of .31 caliber that sported a three-inch octagon barrel and carried
the name of Remington-Beals Pocket Revolver. Approximately 2,500 first
models were produced during 1857 and 1858. After modification, 1,200
second models and 1,500 third models were made.
As
the pocket revolvers found their way into civilian hands, Remington
& Sons immediately began designing a larger revolver for the military.
The result was the powerful .44 caliber known as the Remington-Beals
Army Revolver. Although 2,500 of them were produced from 1860 to 1862,
collectors refer to them as the 1858 Army because of the patent date.
E.
Remington & Sons did not overlook the popular .36 caliber. Eight
thousand of them were made during the two years of the Remington-Beals’
production. Meanwhile, 5,000 improved Navies, known as the 1861, were
manufactured in 1862. As the models rolled off the line, the producers
looked to improve both. The result was the creation of their best sellers.
 |
New Model
Remington in the Slim Jim style of the post-Civil War frontier.
Originals were military holsters with the covering flap cut off.
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The Remington New Model Army was manufactured from 1863 to 1875. At
first glance, it is identical to the older model. However, it was designed
to eliminate the problems of its predecessor with a notched frame retaining
the cylinder pin, safety notches between the nipples of the cylinder,
iron front sights rather than German silver, and frame modification
to accept larger grips.
This Remington
New Model Army fired six shots of .44 caliber through its eight-inch
octagon barrel that bore the top stamp, PATENTED SEPT. 14, 1858/ E,
REMINGTON & SONS ILLION, N.Y., U.S.A. /, NEW MODEL.
 |
Detail of
personalization sometimes found on antique weapons. Ivory grip has
twenty-three notches while the wooden grip has Jose Policarpo
Garcia engraved on it. |
The enhanced weapon
continued such familiar features as the brass trigger guard, wooden
grips, blued steel, and an improved loading lever. The handgun was so
well received that 132,000 were produced between 1863 and 1875, along
with 32,000 New Navies. These cap-and-ball, black-powder revolvers provided
the stiffest competition for Sam Colt. The government eventually purchased
some 110,00 Army and Navy revolvers under contracts that reached $29,196,820.01
before the war ended.
The
Remington New Model Army proved extremely popular with both Union and
Confederate soldiers because of its solid frame construction. During
Reconstruction, lawmen, outlaws, and Texas Rangers continued using the
battle-proven handguns.
Eliphalet
II died in 1861, and the company was taken over by Philo. It was reorganized
as a corporation in 1865 under the same name as before and continued
making first-class weapons during the metallic carriage period. Despite
the best of efforts, however, the 1875 Remington Single-Action Armies
were unable to compete with the Colt Peacemakers and Frontiers. In 1888,
the renamed Remington Arms Company was taken over by the New York firm
of Hartley and Graham.
 |
Very rare,
special-order, one-piece, oval grip- retaining plate that screws
onto the bottom of the butt to hold the two-piece grips in place
rather than the standard method (right). Note plate engraving. Only
one of this type is known. |
As
with other collectables, it is interesting to learn the price of these
historical weapons when they were in production. A Remington ad during
the Civil War listed the price of an Improved Navy at $12, and full-coverage
engraving cost an additional $1.50. Ivory grips could be had for an
additional $5.50, while pearl ones cost $27. A customer could go first
class and receive an engraved New Model Navy with ivory grips for $26
or the same with pearl for $35.
However small the prices might appear,the annual wage of a blue-collar
worker in 1864 was $300. A U.S. second lieutenant, who was required
to purchase his weapons and uniforms, was paid $45 a month.
 |
Oval plate
holding the two-piece ivory grips in place next to the standard
butt strap found on the majority of New Models. |
In
1975, E. Dixon Larson provided collectors an extremely fine book and
listed the current values for all of the models that Remington produced.
The New Model Army’s value was estimated to be from $150 to $450, and
the New Model Navy listed at $350 to $550. R. L. Wilson’s guide for
collectors, published in 1998, listed the price of a New Model Army
from $700 to $2,500 and the cost of a New Navy between $600 and $1,500.
Engraved
models are much more valuable, and historical association generally
doubles the value at the bare minimum. Therefore, collectors are cautioned
to beware of fakes and purchase from reputable dealers.
For further information:
Ball, Robert.
W.D.Remington Firearms: The Golden Age of Collecting. Krouse Publications,
1995.
Flayderman, Norm. Norm Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms
and Their Values, 5th ed. DBI Books, 1990.
Larson, E. Dixon. Remington Tips. Pioneer Press, 1975.
Schuler, Hartley
& Graham. Schuler, Hartley & Graham’s Illustrated Catalogue
of Arms & Military Goods, 1864.
Venner, Dominque. Frontier Pistols and Revolvers. Chartwell,
1996.
Wilson, R. L. Official Price Guide to Gun Collecting. House
of Collectibles, 1998. 
David Stroud was born in Tyler, Texas, and graduated
from Henderson (Texas) High School in 1963. He enlisted in the Marines
the following year and served a tour in Vietnam and two years as a drill
instructor at Parris Island, South Carolina. He earned his B.S. and
M.A. degrees in history at Stephen F. Austin State University and is
a history instructor at Kilgore (Texas) College. He has written seven
books, along with fifteen articles and book reviews.
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