No-one thinks of the American Frontier without thinking of Colt - ‘The Gun that Won the West’. However, Remington must surely come a close second, if not first equal. The Remington Arms Company, founded in 1847, is the oldest US arms manufacturer to have been in continuous  operation. Makers of the strongest and most popular muzzle-loading revolvers of the period with their closed frame design, they delivered to the Union Army over 132,000 Army and Navy revolvers during the civil war, and 30,000 New Army revolvers to the civilian market in addition to 20,000 to France during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). A major manufacturer.

 Remington became involved in cartridge pistols in the 1860's, riding on the tide of public interest in ‘Deringer’ style pocket pistols. They entered the market with ‘Elliot’s Pocket Repeater’ elegant six shot pepperbox-style revolver. Originally in ‘zig-zag’ form (production only 1,000), production resumed in 1865 after the war with the ‘New Repeating Pistol’ in two models and calibres (.22 and .32 rimfire). Ridiculous as it may seem, the .22 rimfire models are now permitted in the UK only under the most stringent of regimes of section 7.3 of the Firearms Act, but the .32 rimfire is freely available without license as an antique. Beautifully presented in boxes lined with velvet or silk, they were frequently engraved, fitted  with pearl grips and plated in nickel. From these developed the huge range of Deringer pistols for which Remington is justly famed.

 With the expiry of Rollin White’s patent for metallic cartridges and bored through cylinders, Remington entered the market with a variety of adaptations to its muzzle-loading revolvers, in addition to those offered by gunsmiths to clients throughout the USA. A fascinating subject, the variety and ingenuity of the conversions of the period 1869 -1875 is a neglected area of study that has recently come to the fore over the last few years.

 With this backdrop, Remington saw the opportunities offered by the new Colt .44 six-shot closed frame metallic cartridge revolver in 1874, one year after its introduction. Spurred on by the promise of a lucrative market in Egypt, Remington designed a competitor, the Model 1875, which was sold under contract for the Egyptian Army in the now obsolete .44 Remington cartridge. The home market was supplied the more popular calibres of the period, 44-40 (the popular ‘44'), and  .45 (.45 Long Colt). Three variations of this model are known. Transitional models and a variety of barrel lengths, factory engravings and finishes (including gold and nickel plating and ivory handles) provide a good source of interest for student and collector alike.

 The Smoot revolvers, forgotten by all but the best informed, are .30 and .32 calibre five shot rimfire revolvers produced for the civilian market from 1875, a product of the Remington employee William Smoot. The rarest are the rimfire No 1 and No 2 revolvers, and with a variety of alterations throughout production between 1875 and 1885. The No 3 Smoot answered a call for a greater calibre being a spur trigger .38 rimfire revolver produced in a variety of finishes, including gold-plate. The No 4 was even larger (.41). The Remington Iriquois in .22 rimfire competed directly with the Colt .22 seven shot revolver, and the Smoot revolvers took the high ground in calibre left by the Colt ‘New Line’ revolvers which were only .30 and .32 rimfire.