Remington-Keene Frontier Rifle .45-70 Govt 24.5″ Bolt Action MFD Antique

SOLD FOR: $1825

LSB#: 210622NT04

Make: Remington

Model: Remington-Keene Frontier Rifle

Serial Number: 435

Year of Manufacture: 1880-1881

Caliber: .45-70 Govt.

Action Type: Tubular Magazine Manually Cocked Bolt Action Rifle

Markings: The left side of the receiver is marked with the serial number. The rear of the bolt handle is marked “E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, N.Y. / PAT. FEB’Y. 24 MCH. 17 1874 JAN. 18 / SPET. 26 1876 MCH. 20 JULY 31. 1877”.

Barrel Length: 24 1/2″

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed into a barrel band at the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a two-position flip-up ladder sight. There is a “V” notch when down and a small “U” notch on the slider.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is one-piece walnut with a straight grip, a straight comb, and a carbine style metal buttplate. There is are repaired cracks on the left side of the wrist. There are cracks on the bottom of the stock in front of the loading port. There are some scattered draglines, light compressions, and a couple of dings. The LOP measures approximately 12 3/4” from the front of the trigger to the rear of the smooth metal buttplate. The metal buttplate has light scabbing, a thick patina, and a few spots of light erosion. The stock rates in about Very Good overall condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There are a few freckles of faint surface erosion, no heavy erosion.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 50% of its metal finish. There is scattered mottled patina, mottled thinning, and discoloration from previous oxidation. There are some scabs scattered over the metal, the most noticeable are on the barrel. There are some scuffs and scratches on the barrel and magazine tube. The strongest bluing is in between the barrel and magazine tube. The screw heads are lightly worn with strong serviceable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None

Our Assessment: This is a Remington-Keene Frontier rifle, Remington’s first production bolt action. At the time of its invention, the lever-action and single-shot dominated the market with a few bolt actions entering the fray, but they were single-shot designs. The inventor John W. Keene had been awarded patents for a rifle that would feed from a magazine tube but did not have mass production capabilities. This resulted in a mutually beneficial relationship for him and the Remington company and thus the Remington-Keene rifle was born. The magazine tube was similar to the lever actions of the time and the manually coked action was similar to a musket so it was not hard to transition shooters accustomed to their older rifles. The Navy made a purchase for some of the rifles and the U.S. Interior Department purchased some for Indian Tribal police but sales to the Government were not what Remington had hoped and they soon started marketing sporting rifles. The production numbers were about 5,000 and these don’t come up often, don’t pass this one up. Please see our photos and good luck!