REMINGTON MODEL 1861 NAVY (OLD MODEL NAVY)

SOLD. The Remington Beals Navy was Remington's first large frame percussion pistol.  It was produced from 1860 into 1862. 15,000 Beals Navies were produced with the Army purchasing over 11,000 of them.  The army was pleased with them and ordered more navies.  In 1861 a patent as issued for an improvement and the new model of Pistol was called the model 1861.  The improvement was for a revision to the cylinder pin that allowed it to be removed with the loading lever up.  Also the frame was modified, metal was cut away exposing the barrel threads, and the hammer spur was shortened.  In June 1862 the government issued a new contract to Remington for an additional 5,000 Navy revolvers.  This contract appears to have been filled with a combination of Beals namies and Model 1861 Navies.  Remington revised their pistol design and in 1863 issued their New Model or Model 1863 Revolver.  It had the winged cylinder pin and safety notches in the cylinder between the cones.  The initial issues of the Model 1861 pistols revealed the problem with the cylinder pins.  The pistols were returned to the factory where a screw was inserted into the recess groove in the top of the loading lever to prevent the cylinder pin from moving forward.  Remington used the same serial number sequencing for the Beals, Model 1861 and Model 1863 revolvers.  Also improvements were incorporated into the production process so Model 1861 pistols with higher serial numbers had safety notches in the cylinder.  

 This is a nice example of the M1861 Navy (Old Model Navy) and is serial number 21039. This pistol was made in 1862 and purchased by the US goverment .  The new Model design came out in early 1863 replaced this model. The action is tight and solid.  The barrel has 30-40 % bluing on it and a deep barrel address.  The bore is very nice.  The frame is a nice silvery color with a few areas of scattered light pitting.  The cylinder has some plumb color and the rest is an even grey patina.  The grips fit nice and have a few nicks but are overall smooth and sharp. The grips show traces of the inspection's cartouche.   Also safety notches were added in the rear of the cylinder.  There is a "B" stamped on the left of the frame near the barrel threads and on the Barrel and Cylinder.   The barrel address reads "PATENTED DEC 17 1861; MANUFACTURED BY REMINGTON ILION NY".  

SOLD