Re: Is This a Remington Revolver ?
Thanks for the info. Did not see any number under the guard. Barrel on mine is 6 3/4 inch. As far as the makers name, my Colt people tell me that the common trick for faking an old Colt is to buy a new or used barrel with the correct markings, install it on the gun, then artificially age it to look like a real old one. They also said they didn't know if these parts were available for Remington, but suspected there were parts available. 2 of the local guys who checked it for me said they compared it to a known genuine Remington and saw no obvious differences. I've also learned that there is no such thing as an "1858 Remington". The term refers to the Beals Pat'd purchased by Remington in 1858; and the guns came in 3 major variations, the Beals Remington, the Old Model, and the New Model. And each of these had several changes and slight variations within their individual styles. The one thing folks who have looked at it have agreed on is that they believe it was manufactured using the methods that were common prior to the Bessimer steel manufacturing process which changed the way guns (and everything else made of steel) were made. This process was invented in 1861 and was in common use by 1863. So I'm still unsure just what I have, other than it was probably made in the 1850's or early 60's, and is either a Remington or a copy of one. Historically, several companies produced ( with authorization) or copied them with very minor (to avoid Pat infringement) or even no changes, in order to supply the war effort. Seems most southern factories made them with a brass frame and most northern ones used iron or steel. It may help to note that this along with the holster and derringer in the pictures were passed down within my family. My earliest memories of them were from 1958 when my grandfather shot them at his farm. And none of my friends around here seem to think that anyone was doing reproductions back then. The companies doing them now use modern casting methods, which is not consistent with the way this gun was made. I've also found that Remington did not use actual serial numbers on some of their guns until the mid 1860's, but rather used lot or batch numbers. The more folks like you who are willing to share what they know, the better chance I have of figuring out what it really is? Thanks again, and I hope more people will take the time to help me figure this out.
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