Remington “New Model” Police 38 Rimfire Factory Cartridge Conversion Revolver Antique #2872

This is a Remington New Model Pocket Police revolver, a compact percussion firearm chambered in .38 rimfire. Designed in the mid-19th century for civilian concealed carry, it features a solid frame design and a spur trigger. The revolver has a 3.5 to 4-inch octagonal barrel, aged patina, and original wood grips. Condition shows signs of wear and surface oxidation appropriate for its age, but it's a great collectible. Bore is fair with mild pitting throughout. This antique is ideal for historical firearms collectors or reenactors seeking authentic Civil War-era personal arms.

According to the web: In 1865 a scaled down version New Model Navy, which was marketed as the New Model Police revolver, was added to the Remington line up. The gun had a smaller frame, a five rather than six shot unfluted cylinder, and was offered in barrel lengths that ranged from 3.5” to 6.5” in one-inch increments. The shorter barrel lengths were more conducive to concealment and discrete carry. Like the standard New Model Navy revolver, the gun had a removable winged cylinder arbor pin that was held in place by the loading lever and safety notches on the rear face of the cylinder. Initially the standard finish was blued, with the hammer color case hardened and the brass trigger guard silver plated. Later production guns were offered in nickel or a combination of nickel and blue, similar to Smith & Wesson’s “Half Plate” silver and blue finish. Grips were two-piece smooth walnut that were varnished, rather than oil finished as on the military revolvers. The front sight was a German silver blade, and the rear sight was groove in the top-strap. To say that sales were lackluster would be an understatement. During the brief production period from 1865-1873 only about 18,000 of the revolvers were produced, with many never leaving the factory as percussion handguns, but rather as cartridge conversions in .38RF. Some were even shipped as dual cylinder guns, with both a cartridge and percussion cylinder provided. Many factors certainly contributed to the lack of success of the design. The fact that so many inexpensive surplus military revolvers were on the market certainly hurt sale. For the buyer who was looking for the power of a .36 handgun in a smaller package, the Colt offerings had already been on the market for about three years, giving Colt a market share advantage. Additionally, for those truly looking for a concealable handgun, the New Model Police did not necessarily offer the size advantages of a true pocket-sized handgun, particularly in the longer barreled versions. Finally, the end of the percussion era had arrived, and the public was in search of a new, mid-sized self-protection handgun was certainly being drawn to the advantages of new self-contained metallic cartridge revolvers. All of these factors combined to make the Remington New Model Police one of the least common of Remington handguns from the immediate post-Civil War era, particularly in percussion.

We have inspected this rifle and it functions correctly. Because this is an antique firearm it should be inspected by a qualified gunsmith prior to firing and by only using proper loads.

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