Remington Old Model Navy 1861
According to the
barrel markings and the conical front sight, it would be an 1861 Navy - also
known as the "Old Model Navy". 6 shots in .36 caliber, manufactured in about
7,000 copies in 1862 (Flayderman), or 5,000 according to Dixon Larsson. This is
not very certain, because other authors estimate a production between 9,000 and
16,000 copies. The serial number 12051 is therefore perfectly plausible.
In addition:
- On the first
productions, the barrel threads are not visible in front of the cylinder (number
unknown).
- The frame does not
have a notch to hold the head of the cylinder axis.
- The cylinder does
not have safety notches between the chimneys.
- The rammer lever is
milled on the top, in order to allow the quick disassembly of the cylinder
without lowering this rammer.
- Almost all were
sold to the Navy and are therefore marked US with the inspector's cartouche
(WAT) in the wood of the left plate. Non-military ones are rare.
This detail of the
rammer caused quite a few problems for users, because the cylinder axis had a
tendency to come off by itself during use, which obviously caused problems. We
therefore find many of these revolvers with a small screw added at the beginning
of the milling, in order to block this axis.
On the "New Navy"
1863, this milling has disappeared.
So here I see the
1861 markings on the barrel (date 1861 and the words "manufactured by"), but a
rammer and a cylinder both from the 1863 model. (The 1863 has the same markings
as the New Model Army, with the patent date of 1858 and the mention "new model"
on the 3rd line)
So I can think of two
possibilities:
- It could be an 1863
New Model manufactured in late 1862-early 63 and equipped with an 1861 barrel
left in stock. This is very plausible, especially in wartime. We also know that
many small variations and improvements took place without any archived traces
remaining. These factory modifications do not influence the value.
- The same reasoning
would be valid for civilian models manufactured in the same way after the
conflict (the post-war period is always a time of famine for arms manufacturers,
so costs are limited) and perhaps sold to France for the war of 1870. The rarity
of non-military models has no influence on their value either.
I do not think at all
of a modern tinkering, nor even of a period transformation by another gunsmith
than the manufacturer.
I am unable to be
more precise about the production date, because the lists of serial numbers from
before 1900 are buried in the archives and the current bosses are more
interested in selling modern weapons than in archaeological research. After
1905, the numbering changed and the numbers include a code giving the year of
manufacture.
A relatively rare
piece in any case.
Marcel
Remington Navy 1861
