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Remington M-1875 Army Revolver - Scarce Egyptian Contract

Remington M-1875 Army Revolver - Scarce Egyptian Contract

  • Product Code: FHG-1432-SOLD
  • Availability: Out Of Stock
  • $1.00


This is a VERY GOOD+ example of the Remington M-1875 Single Action Army Revolver. This model was the first military sized, cartridge revolver to be produced by Remington that was not a conversion of one of their earlier percussion models. The gun was a six shot, single action revolver that competed directly with the Colt Single Action Army. The gun had a fluted cylinder and was produced in three center fire calibers, .44 Remington, .44 WCF (44-40) and eventually .45 Colt. The majority of the revolvers produced had 7 ““ barrels, although a few were produced with 5 ““ barrels and are considered very scarce today. The revolvers were produced with both blued and nickel finishes. Oil finished, two-piece walnut grips were standard, but other options were available on special order. Remington produced the M-1875 revolver from 1875 until 1889, with a total production of only between 25,000 and 30,000; a very small production run when compared with Colt’s M-1873 Single Action Army. Remington entered the big-bore military cartridge handgun market with an initial order for 10,000 pieces from the Egyptian government. These guns were all chambered for Remington’s new .44 Remington CF cartridge, a short lived cartridge that was very close to the .44 Colt in dimensions and power and was discontinued in 1895. Later Remington M-1875’s would be produced in the more successful .44-40 and .5 Colt calibers. The Egyptian contract guns were inspected like US military arms, and carried a * mark on the left side of the barrel, forward of the frame and an R sub-inspectors mark on the cylinder and the frame between the cylinder & the barrel. The left grip was also with either an FR or JWR cartouche. Unfortunately for Remington, the big Egyptian order did not pan out and few (if any) of the guns were actually delivered to the Egyptians. The problems arose over Egypt’s failure to pay large balances due on earlier Remington Rolling Block military rifle orders. The end result was that the production of the Egyptian contract guns ended prematurely and the existing guns were apparently sold on the open market to allow Remington to recoup their money. According to most references, these Egyptian contract marked revolvers are quite scarce and demand a significant premium on the collector market today. Despite the overwhelming competition from Colt, Remington did manage to receive a small contract form the US Government in 1883 to deliver 639 nickel plated M-1875’s to the Department of the Interior for use by the Indian Police. Among the luminaries of the era who used the Remington 1875 was infamous outlaw Frank James, who preferred to carry one in .44-40 (the same caliber as his Winchester rifle), noting that it was important to “not confuse your ammunition in a hot fight”. While the Remington M-1875 never achieved the success or sales figures of the Colt, it was none the less one of the important revolvers to see use during the taming of the American West. To this day, its distinctive rib under the barrel brings to mind the Remington percussion army revolvers that it was based upon and makes the gun instantly identifiable in period images.

This very nice example of a Remington M-1875 “Army” Revolver is in VERY GOOD+ condition and is one of the scarce Egyptian Contract guns. The gun is clearly marked with an FR within an oval cartouche on the left grip, and has the sub-inspection “Star” mark on the barrel and an R on the cylinder and the frame. The mark on the frame is rather light, but the cylinder mark is quite crisp. The gun is clearly marked on the top of the barrel in a single line: E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, N.Y. U.S.A.. Otherwise the gun is unmarked externally. The serial number 2718 is present on the edge of the left grip frame, underneath the grips. The gun is a crisp, gray gun, with only some light traces of the original blue finish present in protected areas. The metal has a lovely pewter patina to it and is mostly smooth with some light scattered patches of peppering and minor pinpricking. This is mostly around the cylinder and frame area where the corrosive primers of the time would cause wear to the metal. There is a thin brown patina beginning to develop over some of the metal surfaces. The case hardened hammer and loading gate both retain about 10%-20% of their original mottled colors and the balance of these parts has faded to a smoky gray color. The action of the revolver is excellent and quite crisp. The gun functions perfectly and time and locks up exactly as it should. The bore of the revolver rates about VERY GOOD+ to NEAR FINE. The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling, and only some scattered light pitting along its length, mostly in the grooves. The gun is chambered in the original .44 Remington center fire caliber, and has a .44 bore and chamber mouths that average .446. The gun retains its original lanyard ring in the bottom of the grip frame. The two-piece grips of the pistol are in VERY GOOD+ to NEAR FINE condition. The oil-finished walnut grips show a decent and legible FR cartouche on the left panel. The grips show some expected minor bump and dings from use but no significant abuse. They show no breaks, chips or repairs. There are a handful of minor impact marks on the grips, but nothing beyond the scope of normal use. The screw that holds the grip panels together appears to be an old replacement, which is slightly undersized at the head, but functions just fine. Other than this one replaced screw, the gun appears to be 100% complete, correct and original.

Overall this is a very attractive and nice displaying example of the famous Remington M-1875 Army revolver. The gun is one of the scarce and desirable Egyptian contract guns and retains good markings throughout. While the gun retains no real finish to speak of, it is a crisp and completely honest gun that is mechanically excellent and while used was never abused. This is simply a lovely example of an uncommon Remington Army variant that has a wonderful “old west” look to it and would be a very nice addition to any collection of American frontier era revolvers.

SOLD

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Tags: Remington, M, 1875, Army, Revolver, Scarce, Egyptian, Contract,