Remington Model 1858
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| Remington Model 1858 | |
|---|---|
 Remington New Model Army 1858 replica by F.lli Pietta |
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| Type | Revolver |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| Wars | American Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Remington Arms Company |
| Produced | 1862 to 1875 |
| Number built | Approx. 132,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2 lb, 13 oz (1.27 kg) |
| Length | 13.25 in (337 mm) |
| Barrel length | 8 in (203 mm) |
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| Cartridge | .36 and .44 caliber round ball |
| Caliber | .36, .44 |
| Action | Single action, Cap and Ball |
| Muzzle velocity | 550-720 ft/s |
| Feed system | 6 round cylinder |
| Sights | Fixed Post |
The Remington Model 1858 was a cap & ball (also called "percussion") .36- or .44-caliber revolver used during the American Civil War from 1862 onwards. It was used primarily by Union soldiers, and widely favored over the standard issue Colt Army Model 1860 by those who could afford it, due primarily to its durability and ability to quickly reload. It also saw use in the American West, both in its original cap & ball configuration and as a metallic cartridge conversion.
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[edit] Overview
The Remington military-sized percussion revolvers were single-action, six-shot, "cap-and-ball", revolvers produced by Remington Arms Company, based on the Fordyce Beals patent of September 14, 1858 (Patent 21,748). The Remington Army revolver was large-framed, in .44 caliber, with an 8 inch barrel length. The Remington Navy revolver was slightly smaller framed than the Army, and in .36 caliber with an 7.375 inch [Beals Navy 7.5 inch] barrel length. There were three progressive models; the Remington-Beals Army & Navy (1860-1862), the "Old Model" Army & Navy (1862-1863), and the New Model Army & Navy (1863-1875).[1] The three models are nearly identical in size and appearance. Subtle but noticeable differences in hammers, loading levers, and cylinders help identify each model. The "Old Model" Remington actually transitioned into "New Model" appearance by late 1862, slowly transforming throughout 1862, as continual improvement suggestions came from the U. S. Ordnance Department.[2][3]
By the time of the Civil War, most percussion revolvers were fired with commercially made combustible paper cartridges, constructed of a powder envelope (usually paper) glued to the base of a conical bullet. The treated envelope self-consumed upon firing. To load a combustible, a cartridge was dropped envelope first, into each chamber, and seated firmly with the loading lever, the process continuing until all six chambers were loaded. After all six chambers were loaded, placing a percussion cap on each of the six nipples at the rear of the cylinder, readied the revolver for firing. The six chambers of a revolver cylinder could also be loaded one chamber at a time, by dropping in a powder charge from a flask, followed by seating either a round ball or conical bullet in each chamber with the loading lever. For safety, and to reduce black powder fouling, grease, (such as tallow), was put into each chamber on top of the loaded projectile. (Combustible cartridge bullets were already pre-greased with beeswax, so the greasing step was unnecessary). The final loading step was capping as in the combustible cartridge loading method described earlier.
The combustible cartridge loading method speeded revolver loading considerably, simplified ammunition management, and became the loading method specified by the U.S. Ordnance Department just prior to the Civil War.[4]
Remington percussion revolvers are very accurate, and capable of considerable power with muzzle velocities in the range of 550 to 1000+ feet-per-second, depending upon the charge loaded by the shooter. Combustible cartridge velocities averaged from 700 to 900 feet per second (270 m/s), depending on powder quality, charge and conical bullet weight. Combustibles were usually loaded with a special high performance sporting grade black powder, using the minimum charge required for a specified impact level, usually determined by pine penetration tests. The special powder and minimal charge reduced black powder fouling, allowing revolvers to be fired as much as possible before cleaning was necessary. [5][4]
In 1868, Remington began offering cartridge conversions of the revolver. Remington paid a royalty fee to Smith & Wesson, owners of the Rollin White patent (#12,649, April 3, 1855) on bored-through revolver cylinders for metallic cartridge use. The Remington Army cartridge-conversions were the first large-caliber cartridge revolvers available, beating even Smith & Wesson's .44 American to market by nearly two years.
Remington percussion revolvers have appeared in notable movie scenes in films such as Pale Rider, Gone with the Wind, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as early episodes of Bonanza. Easily identified by octagon barrel, brass trigger guard and distinctive loading lever web, the streamlined Remington is easy to spot in movie and television scenes.
[edit] Design
The Model 1858 owes its durability to its innovative “top-strap”, solid frame design, which fully encircles the cylinder. The design is stronger and less wear-prone than the Colt revolvers of the same era. The rigid barrel-cylinder alignment of the solid frame contributed to consistent ballistics and excellent accuracy. Compared to the Colt type revolver, the internal lockwork of the Remington is somewhat simpler in construction. While the Colt employs separate screws for the hand and trigger, those components share the same through-frame screw in the Remington design.
The Model 1858's easily removed cylinder allowed quick reloading with a spare pre-loaded cylinder, an advantage over other revolver designs of the time. The cylinder-swap procedure consisted of setting the hammer at half-cock, unlatching and lowering the loading lever halfway, sliding the cylinder pin forward to the stop, removing the cylinder from the frame's right side, and installing the spare cylinder from the right side. A slight rotation of the top of the cylinder towards the right side of the frame during cylinder removal or installation aids in slipping the cylinder ratchet past or under the hand. Centering the cylinder in the frame and sliding the cylinder pin back to seated position, secures the cylinder. Returning the loading lever arm to latched position readies the revolver for firing. The cylinder swap takes 12 seconds, or even less, depending on practice and skill.
Another innovative feature, (first appearing in late 1862 "Old Model" production) was safety slots milled between chambers on the cylinder. Some 19th century revolver designs lacked such safety features. Early Whitney revolvers, for example, were similar to the Remington, but lacked safety slots between cylinder chambers. It was possible to lower the Whitney hammer between cylinder chambers for safe carry. However, lacking the Remington milled slot, the Whitney cylinder could possibly slip and rotate, allowing the hammer to strike a loaded, capped chamber, causing an accidental discharge. The Remington milled slot positively secured the hammer between chambers for safe carry by preventing accidental cylinder rotation.
Confederate gun factories managed to copy the Whitney and Colt designs, using brass frames most of the time, but never managed to copy the Remington-Beals design, most likely due to the complex machining required in the one-piece Remington frame design.[6]
A prized possession of the Remington Arms Company is an original New Model Army with ivory grips once carried by William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The historic revolver is on display with Cody's simple handwritten note, "It never failed me". Cody carried the revolver in original percussion form well into the cartridge era, and never converted it to cartridge use.
[edit] Modern Use
The Remington-Beals design lives on today in the form of replicas from Italian manufacturers Uberti, Pietta, and Euroarms. The Euroarms and Uberti New Model Army replicas are nearly identical to originals, and most parts will interchange, based on 1959 through 2006 production examples. The Pietta New Model Army has a slightly enlarged grip area for more comfortable use by the larger hands of 21st century users. The Uberti and Pietta replicas are very popular in Cowboy Action Shooting as cartridge conversions, just as the original Remington cartridge conversions were popular on the actual Western Frontier of the 1860's and 1870's.
The Remington-Beals design will be 150 years old in 2008; replicas remain in use today in numbers far greater than original Remington production, a tribute to a rugged, simple design that remains practical and efficient in the 21st Century.
[edit] References
- ^ The Remington Model 1858 at Civilwarhandgun.com
- ^ "The Gun Report", Dr. Stephen Cook, February 1990
- ^ "Flayderman's Guide To Antique American Arms, 8th Edition", Norm Flayderman, 2001, Chapter V-E, "Remington Handguns", pages 137 through 142
- ^ a b "Round Ball to Rimfire, Part 3", Dean S. Thomas, 2003, Chapter 1, "Federal Arsenals", pages 1 through 10
- ^ "Percussion Pistols and Revolvers", Mike Cumpston and Johnny Bates, 2005, Chapter 23, "Shooting the 1858 Remington Army and Navy Revolvers", ballistics table beginning on page 132
- ^ "Flayderman's Guide To Antique American Arms, 8th Edition", Norm Flayderman, 2001, Chapter X, "Confederate Handguns", pages 527 through 532
