A LOOK AT TWO REMINGTONS
AND A COUSIN
THE REMINGTON-BEALS
AN ARMY AND TWO NAVIES- PART 3

 

THE REMINGTON-BEALS NAVY
.36 CAL. SINGLE ACTION REVOLVER

 

    As stated in Parts 1 and 2 , Remington, like Colt, was in business of arms making long prior to the Civil War. They had been producing handguns since 1857 when they introduced the Remington-Beals Pocket Revolver. With the outbreak of the Civil War all of the company's energy became devoted to the military production of long arms and hand guns. The martial hand guns produced during the Civil War period included  the Remington-Beals Army and Navy Model revolvers, the Remington Models 1861 Army and Navy Revolvers, (a.k.a.  as  the "Old Model Army" and "Old Model Navy") and the Remington New Model 1863 Army and Navy revolvers. Of these 6 models, I have but 3. They are the Remington-Beals Navy and the New Model 1863 Army and Navy revolvers. Their pictures and descriptions follow:

 

Three Remingtons

From Top To Bottom

Remington New Model 1863 Single Action .44 Caliber Percussion Army Revolver (1863-1875)
Remington New Model 1863 Single Action .36 Caliber Percussion Navy Revolver (1863-1875)
Remington-Beals Single Action .36 Caliber Navy Model Revolver (1862-1863)

 


 

    Approximately 15,000 Remington-Beals Navy Model Revolvers were manufactured from 1860 to 1862. Serial numbered from 1 on up and overlapping numbers in the Model 1861 Navy range. Riley states that the U.S. government purchased 7,350 Beals Navy revolvers between August 17, 1861 and March 31, 1862 which may or may not have included 1,100 which were purchased on the open market. However, Flayderman provides  information that only the last 1,000 made were sold to the government and they were martially marked. Based on my own experiences, I have seen very few of these arms martially marked so either most were not so marked or the statement as to 7,350 being purchased by the government is in error.  Noting that the production of the Beals' Navy .36 caliber revolver preceded the Beals' Army .44 caliber revolver, it is possible that some of these were sold to the Southern states as it is recorded that the State of South Carolina purchased 1,000 of the Army production  in 1860. Army production is estimated by Riley to have be less than 2,000 while Flayderman states it as 2,000 to 3,000.  If the Southern states were purchasing Armys in 1860, why would they not have also bought some Navies? They were available before the Army Model and later co-existed with them. Just an opinion, but I would bet on it. Either way, it's a safe bet that a great many of the Beals Navy revolvers saw extensive service during the Civil War, martially marked or not.

 

Right Side View of The Remington Beals Single Action .36 Caliber Navy Model Revolver

 

Left Side View of The Remington Beals Single Action .36 Caliber Navy Model Revolver

Right And Left Side Views of The Remington Beals Single Action .36 Caliber Navy Model Revolver

 

    The Remington -Beals .36 caliber Navy arm was the first martial type revolver produced by Remington.  A few hundred thousand Remington revolvers followed it into the Civil War and after.  They were all outstanding arms for their day and served this country well and often.  Well made and competitively priced they did their job well. This allowed Remington, like Colt, to make their mark under fire, and to endure as an arms corporation to this day.

 


 

Left Side View of The Remington-Beals Navy Revolver With Loading Lever Dropped Cylinder Arbor Pin and Cylinder Removed

Left Side View of The Remington-Beals Navy Revolver With Loading Lever Dropped Cylinder Arbor Pin and Cylinder Removed

 

    This single action arm is caliber .36 rifled with 5 grooves. It is 14" overall and weighs 2 pounds, 10 ounces. The blued  octagonal barrel is 7-3/8" long. It is marked, on the top flat, "BEALS' PATENT. SEPT. 14. 1858 / MANUFACTURED BY REMINGTONS'  ILION.  N.Y." in 2 lines. The serial number, "6908" is stamped on the bottom barrel flat towards the rear. It is only visible when the loading lever is lowered. The serial number can also be found on the hooked trigger guard projection which fits into the frame and on the grip frame under the grips. Sometimes, but not on this gun, the serial number is also stamped on the back of the cylinder and/or on the inside of the grips themselves. The front sight is a German silver cone mortised into the top flat 7/16" from the muzzle. It is .2095" in circumference and height. Rear sighting is done through the 2-1/4" "V" groove along the length of the top strap. The loading lever catch, which screws into the barrel, 1-7/16" back from the muzzle, is a round post 3/8" long and notched at the rear to hold the spring loaded catch at the front of the loading lever. The earlier production Beals had a flat faced lever catch mortised in to the barrel.

 

BARREL ADDRESS

BARREL ADDRESS
 " BEALS' PATENT. SEPT. 14. 1858
      MANUFACTURED BY REMINGTONS' ILION. N.Y."

 

GERMAN SILVER CONE FRONT SIGHT

GERMAN SILVER CONE FRONT SIGHT

 

SERIAL NUMBER STAMPING ON BOTTOM BARREL FLAT

SERIAL NUMBER STAMPING ON BOTTOM BARREL FLAT
"6908"

 

SERIAL NUMBER STAMPING ON TRIGGER GUARD HOOK

SERIAL NUMBER STAMPING ON TRIGGER GUARD HOOK
"6908"

 

SERIAL NUMBER STAMPING ON GRIP FRAME

SERIAL NUMBER STAMPING ON GRIP FRAME
"6908"

 


 

    The blued, one piece solid frame is unmarked. There is no other stamping on this arm other than the barrel address and the serial numbers as pictured. The frame covers the barrel threads. The front of the frame is inlet to receive the wings or finger lugs of the  4" long cylinder arbor. The grip straps are blued. The oval brass trigger guard is not plated. The two-piece, oil-finished black walnut wood grips are unmarked. The hammer is (or was) case-hardened in mottled colors. It should be noted that the cylinder arbor on this model under went several variations. The very early models were fitted out with a single-wing arbor containing a machined slot that held a small 1-1/2" long rod.  It was thought to be a nipple pick or it was used to tear the back of a paper cartridge. After that the double wing arbor was utilized, but some of them had the machined slot included in the loading lever and the cylinder arbor could not be completely withdrawn. Those features gradually disappeared and production became more or less standard.

 

BOTTOM VIEW OF CYLINDER ARBOR PIN

BOTTOM VIEW OF CYLINDER ARBOR PIN

 

TOP VIEW OF CYLINDER ARBOR PIN

TOP VIEW OF CYLINDER ARBOR PIN

 

    The cylinder pin arbor can only be withdrawn when the 4-1/8'' (from arbor notch to end catch) loading lever is lowered.  In normal position, the loading lever prevents the accidental withdrawal of the cylinder arbor. The arbor on this arm can be withdrawn it it's entirety when the loading lever is lowered. The knurled tapered lever latch is distinctive to this arm as is the much smaller loading lever web.

 


 

    The six-shot unmarked blued cylinder is 2" long overall. There are no intermediate safety rests between the nipple recesses. The stop slots are rectangular in shape. The cylinder diameter is 1-1/2" (1.4920 caliber reading).

 

BACK OF CYLINDER

BACK OF CYLINDER

 

FRONT OF CYLINDER

FRONT OF CYLINDER

 


 

One last look at all three models...

 

Three Remingtons

From Top To Bottom

Remington New Model 1863 Single Action .44 Caliber Percussion Army Revolver (1863-1875)
Remington New Model 1863 Single Action .36 Caliber Percussion Navy Revolver (1863-1875)
Remington-Beals Single Action .36 Caliber Navy Model Revolver (1862-1863)

 


 

    Reference material and wording credits go to  Robert M. Reilly and his book "U.S. SMALL ARMS 1816 - 1865", Norm Flayderman's FLAYDERMAN'S GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AMERICAN FIREARMS... AND THEIR VALUES", and William B. Edwards' CIVIL WAR GUNS.

 

    Reed Radcliffe, my son and webmaster, maintains this web site.  Without his expertise it would not be here.

 

Dave Radcliffe