How the Army Traded Revolvers for the Single-Shot Model 1871 Pistol

Forgotten Weapons, in a post by Ian McCollum, looks at the Remington rolling block pistol the US Army adopted as the Model 1871, a single-shot sidearm that was overtaken almost as soon as it was issued.

Key points

• Why the Army wanted it: After the Civil War the Army saw many of its small arms as outdated. Cavalry troopers were the main handgun users, and they treated the pistol as a backup to the saber.
• The 1869 trial: Because Rollin White's patent covering bored-through cylinders had not yet expired, Smith & Wesson's .22 rimfire models were the only cartridge revolvers on offer. The Army judged Remington's single-shot pistol in .50CF the better choice.
• The cartridge: The .50-25 load paired a 300-grain bullet with 25 grains of black powder for a muzzle velocity of 600 fps.
• An unusual payment: The Army ordered 5,000 pistols and, instead of paying cash, handed over 5,000 Remington New Model Army revolvers that had never been issued. Remington later converted those revolvers to metallic cartridges and resold them at a profit.
• Short service: Issue started in 1872, but only about a quarter of the pistols reached the field before the Colt 1873 revolver took their place.

Quick take

McCollum calls it odd that the Army swapped six-shooters for single-shot pistols, and notes the trade worked out well for Remington, since the revolvers were worth more than the rolling blocks cost to build.

Read the full story at Forgotten Weapons.