Antique Remington 1861 Old Model Army .44 Caliber 8” Percussion Revolver

SOLD FOR: $1,080.00

LSB#: LSB260625WM049

Make: Remington

Model: 1861, Old Model Army

Serial Number: 5116

Year of Manufacture: 1862 / Antique (remingtonsociety.org)

Caliber: .44 Black Powder

Action Type: Single Action, Percussion Cap Black Powder Revolver with a 6-Shot Cylinder

Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “PATENTED DEC. 17 1861”. The bottom of the barrel, rear face of the cylinder, and interior of the butt strap are marked “5116”. The bottom of the barrel just forward of the loading lever is marked with “I”. The left side of the barrel and frame is marked “PP”. The cylinder side is marked “PP”. The left side of the frame, below the hammer is marked “J”. The interior of the grip panels are pencilled “5116”.

Barrel Length: 8”, Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a silver mortise cone dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a V-notch milled into the topstrap.

Stock Configuration & Condition: This revolver’s grips are a two-piece walnut with brass escutcheons. There is verdigris around the edges of the escutcheons. There are scratches and compression dents throughout. There is finish loss at the bottom edges of the panels. There is material wear at the base of the grip panels. There is minor chipping around the right panel escutcheon. There are no cracks. Overall, these grips rate in Very Good condition as antique.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is defined. There is erosion and pitting in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates a 5/10. 

Overall Condition: This revolver retains less than 5% of its original finish. The finish has mostly worn away leaving the remaining blue in a few protected areas. The surfaces now show a brown and grey patina. There are scattered scratches and compression dings. There is corrosion staining and oxidation pitting throughout. The action shows operational wear. The cylinder has a turn line. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are legible. Overall, this revolver is in Fair-Good condition. 

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The lockup is tight at each chamber. We did not fire this revolver. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards. The loading lever has a slot cutout to allow the cylinder pin to be moved with dropping the loading lever.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None

Our Assessment: The Remington Model 1861 Army, commonly called the “Old Model Army,” represents the important transitional stage between the earlier Remington-Beals revolver and the famous New Model Army that followed in 1863. Chambered in .44 caliber and built around Remington’s exceptionally strong solid frame, the Model 1861 incorporated an 8″ octagonal barrel, six-shot cylinder, and single-action percussion mechanism. Its most distinctive mechanical innovation was the longitudinal clearance slot in the loading lever, patented December 17, 1861, which permitted the cylinder arbor to be drawn forward without first lowering the loading lever. Although clever, the arrangement could allow the arbor to move forward under recoil, and Remington soon abandoned it when developing the New Model Army. Model 1861 Army production was concentrated in 1862, with most examples manufactured for U.S. government contracts during the Civil War. Serial number 5116 falls comfortably within this scarce Old Model Army production sequence.

This revolver retains less than 5% of its original finish, with the majority of its surfaces displaying an even brown and gray patina accompanied by scattered scratches, compression marks, oxidation, corrosion staining, and pitting. The matching serial number 5116 on the barrel, cylinder, grip frame, and penciled stocks is an important originality feature, while the walnut grips remain in Very Good condition despite handling wear, edge loss, and minor chipping. The mostly bright 5/10 bore retains defined rifling through considerable erosion and pitting. Mechanically, the action functions correctly and the cylinder locks tightly at each chamber. Of particular interest, the revolver retains the distinctive slotted Model 1861 loading lever that allowed the cylinder arbor to be withdrawn without lowering the lever, an important identifying feature of this short-lived Remington design. Please see our photos for a better understanding of the condition and good luck with your bids! -MY