This is an VERY FINE condition example of the Remington M1875 Single Action Frontier 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 M1873 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 M1875 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 M1873 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 but was discontinued in 1895 due to lack of sales. Later Remington M1875s would be produced in the more successful .44-40 and .45 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 an 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. Despite the overwhelming competition from Colt, Remington did manage to receive a small contract from the US Government in 1883, to deliver 639 nickel plated M1875s to the Department of the Interior for use by the Indian Police. These guns were chambered in the much more popular and common .44-40 (44 WCF) caliber. Among the luminaries of the old west era who used the Remington M1875 was infamous outlaw Frank James, who preferred to carry one in .44-40, the same caliber as his Winchester rifle. Was noted as saying that it was important to “not confuse your ammunition in a hot fight”. While the Remington M1875 never achieved the success or sales figures of its Colt rival, it was none the less one of the important cartridge 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 military revolvers that it was based upon and makes the gun’s silhouette instantly identifiable in period images.

This outstanding example of a Remington M1875 Single Action “Frontier” Revolver is in VERY FINE condition. The pistol is 100% complete, correct and original in every way. The gun is clearly marked on the top of the round barrel in a single line: E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, N.Y. U.S.A., and with the number 44 is stamped clearly in the left grip panel. This mark indicates that the gun is chambered for the popular .44 Winchester Center Fire caliber (.44-40). Otherwise the gun is unmarked externally. The serial number (really an assembly number) 251 is present on the edge of the left grip frame, underneath the grips. Both of the grips are also pencil numbered 251 on their interior surfaces, and the loading gate has this matching number as well. The gun is in extremely crisp condition and retains much of its original finish. The pistol retains about 80%+ of its original nickel-plated finish, with some expected thinning, wear and loss. Most of the finish loss is high-edge wear along the sharp edges of the frame and points of contact with some thinning on the frame, wear on the backstrap and some flaking and loss under the barrel near the muzzle. This same area shows some minor impact marks as well. The nickel has a slightly dull, milky appearance, typical of 19th century nickel that has aged and developed some patina. The areas that have lost finish have developed a smooth, lightly oxidized brown patina. As is typical, the cylinder shows a light “turn ring” or “drag line”, where the bolt stop has lightly scored the nickel finish. The nice shows numerous small, scattered surface scuffs and tiny finish scratches that are likely the result of holster wear. The cylinder chambers remain fine as well, with only some minor wear present. The bore is about VERY GOOD+. It is mostly bright, with strong rifling that shows some wear near the muzzle. The bore shows some scattered light pitting as well, most noticeable in the last few inches near the muzzle. The trigger retains some strong traces of its fire blued finish and the hammer retains some strong traces of case coloring, with some wear and loss along the edges where the hammer has worn bright. The action of the revolver is excellent as well, and it functions perfectly on all positions. The revolver times, indexes and locks up perfectly and had a very crisp trigger pull. The loading gate functions perfectly and snaps securely into both the open and closed positions. The ejector rod functions smoothly and had very strong spring tension. The cylinder arbor pin is securely retained by the catch at the end of the tapered barrel web but is easily withdrawn by depressing the release. The screws are all in very good condition. They retain none of their blued finish, but only show some very minor slot wear. The two-piece oil finished grips of the pistol are in VERY FINE condition as well. The grips are solid and show no breaks, chips or repairs. The grips do show some expected minor bumps and dings from handling and use but no significant abuse.

Overall this is really fine example of the famous Remington M1875 Single Action “Frontier” Revolver. The revolver is in one of the most desirable of calibers, .44-40 and is very attractive. According to the current Blue Book of Gun Values, a Remington M1875 revolver in 80% condition is valued at $6,000! This gun is certainly better than 80% but is priced $1,000 cheaper! If you have been looking for the opportunity to add a really fine example of one of the most recognizable revolvers of the Old West era to your collection, here is a great opportunity to own a fine revolver that you will be extremely proud to display.