Remington New Model Army
The Remington New Model Army , caliber 44, was a percussion revolver made by the Remington Arms company from 1863 , which was used as an orderly weapon in the American Civil War , primarily with the Union cavalry .
history
The Remington New Model Army was produced from 1863 to 1875. It is estimated that just over 122,000 pieces were made. The first approx. 30,000 revolvers still had a brass front sight that could be moved laterally in the dovetail , later the iron front sight was firmly screwed on.
The New Model was the successor to the Remington 1861 Army (later called the Old Model), of which around 12,000 pieces were produced. This was based on the Remington-Beals Army Revolver, the company's first large-caliber revolver. The loading bar of these two weapons was designed so that it did not have to be folded down to pull out the drum axis. The loading bar of the New Model, however, blocked the drum axis, it had to be folded down so that it could be pulled out. (Two or more additional drums allowed a faster reload in battle.)
The US Army judged all three versions as not very mature, but still managed 115,563 pieces because Colt alone could not meet the need for handguns. Due to its robustness, however, the Remington proved itself and was popular with the troops. The one-piece frame also allowed it to be used in close combat, which was problematic with the comparable Colt Army Model 1860 revolver, as it consisted of four components: the handle, the system case with the screwed-in drum axis, the drum and the barrel including the loading lever. The handle was attached to the system box with five screws, the drum sat on the massive drum axis, onto which the runner was pushed and locked with a cross wedge.
In the Remington, the barrel was firmly screwed to the one-piece frame / handle. The drum axle was pushed in from the front and held by the loading handle. The massive one-piece weapon with the loading handle reinforced at the bottom could be used as a striking weapon in close combat, which was rather risky with the Colt.
The sturdy construction of the Remington revolver had one disadvantage. The barrel of the Colt could be removed for cleaning. In this way, powder residues could be washed out without water getting into the lock.
Using the same system, Remington produced a smaller Navy and a Police model in .36 caliber and a pocket model in .31 caliber.
Most of the Remington New Model Army revolvers were shipped to the U.S. Army . They can be recognized by various stamps and the inspector's mark pressed in on the lower left handle (example GP for Giles Porter, sub-inspector 1862–75). After the end of the American Civil War, they were sold in the civilian market, some went to France to arm the troops in the Franco-German War.
Officers of the Swiss Army also carried such revolvers and it is believed that they came into the country with the Bourbaki troops who had fled to Switzerland . These revolvers can be recognized by the large numbers stamped on the frame in the range up to approx. 200.
Specialty
It is interesting that the patent date of the Old Model is December 17, 1861, while the New Model Army, which replaced the Old Model, has the patent date September 14, 1858.
Another special feature was that this weapon already had a simple but effective safety. Since there were no drop safety devices for revolvers at that time, the shooters loaded only five chambers with a six-shot revolver and left one empty on which the hammer rested. If the gun fell to the ground, no shot could be released.
The Remington, on the other hand, had a milling on the drum between each piston, into which the cock could be locked, the so-called "Hahnrast". You lifted the tap a little, turned the drum only halfway and then let the tap snap into this groove. This ensured that the rooster could not hit a loaded chamber. If the tap was struck from behind, nothing happened.
First cartridge revolver
In application of the Rollin-White patent of April 3, 1855, Smith & Wesson launched a breech-loading revolver for metal cartridges in 1857 , the Smith & Wesson No 1 . Other manufacturers were not allowed to bring revolvers with a cylindrically drilled barrel for cartridges on the market.
Remington came to an agreement with Smith & Wesson and was granted a license to manufacture conversion kits to prepare the weapons for use with cartridges. From February 1868, Remington brought a well-functioning conversion kit for his New Model Army and the smaller models onto the market. 4574 Remington New Model Army alone were converted to .46 caliber rear loading, they can be recognized by the conversion number and the patent inscription - Patented April 3d 1855 . The weapon could be converted by changing the drum and the hammer and could therefore be used with both percussion ignition and rimfire cartridges .46 caliber. The April 3, 1855 patent inscription on the five-shot drum indicates that Remington was licensed for this modification from Smith & Wesson, owner of the Rollin White patent.
See also Colt Open Top
The modified Remington was probably the first cartridge revolver delivered to the US troops. It has been proven that it was used in addition to the percussion revolvers in the Indian Wars. In the "Army and Navy Journal" of September 25, 1869, cavalry officers criticize the disadvantages of the Remington (percussion revolver), which was previously sold, compared to the recently distributed new model (cartridge revolver). The article also states that the combat troops of Capt. Fettermann with cartridge revolvers could have been avoided (in 1866, Fettermann and 80 men were ambushed by an overwhelming force from Cheyennes and Sioux and wiped out down to the last man).
successor
In 1875 the first successor model as a cartridge revolver, the Remington Model 1875 Single Action Army in the calibers .44 Remington CF, .44-40 WCF and .45 Colt (rare) was brought onto the market. It was visually reminiscent of the Colt Single Action Army , only the grip was different and under the barrel there was a construction that still reminded of the loading handle, but had no function unless the revolver was used as a striking weapon. Sales of this weapon developed only very slowly, so only around 25,000 pieces were produced between 1875 and 1889.
In 1890 another successor model was launched, the Remington Model 1890 Single Action Army . Visually, again very strongly adapted to the predecessor models, this weapon was even less successful than its predecessor. Only around 2,000 units were sold by 1894, which led to production being discontinued.
Famous owners
It is known that Buffalo Bill owned a "New Model Army" from 1866 to 1870 and assessed it as follows: "It never failed me". Two other famous owners of this weapon were Wyatt Earp and Frank James .
literature
- Edward C. Ezell: Handguns Of The World - Military Revolvers and Self-Loaders from 1870 to 1945. Barnes & Noble Books Inc., 1993, ISBN 0-88029-618-6
- WHB Smith, Joseph E. Smith: Small Arms Of The World - a basic manual of small arms. 10th Edition, Stackpoole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1973, p. 159, ISBN 0-88365-155-6
- R. Bruce McDowell: A Study of Colt Conversions and other Percussion Revolvers. Krause Publications, Iola, WI, 1997, ISBN 0-87341-446-2
- Norm Flayderman: Flaydermans Guide to antique American Firearms 8th Edition, Krause Publications, Iola, WI, 2001, ISBN 0-87349-313-3