POTD: Remington Revolving Rifle – A Revolver With a Buttstock

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Remington revolving rifle converted to metallic cartridge, which is what you get when you stretch a New Model Army revolver into a long gun.

Remington built these from roughly 1866 to 1879 on the Beals-patent 1858 frame, the same solid frame with a top strap that made Remington revolvers so stout. They came in percussion 36 and 44, and later as cartridge guns in 38 rimfire with six shots or 46 rimfire with five. Production was tiny, around 800 by Remington Society research and under 1,000 according to Flayderman.

Going to cartridges wasn’t as simple as Remington deciding to do it. Smith & Wesson controlled the Rollin White patent on bored through cylinders, so when Remington started its 46 rimfire revolver conversions in 1868, it paid S&W a royalty. Every maker that wanted to sell a cartridge revolver ran into that patent wall until it expired.

Remington pitched the revolving rifle as a small to medium game gun, and frankly that’s about all it was good for. The rimfire rounds were weak, and like every revolving long gun, you’ve got a cylinder gap spitting gas right next to your support hand. Unfortunately for Remington, lever guns like the Henry and the early Winchesters were already offering more shots with none of that drama.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Scarce Remington Metallic Cartridge Conversion Revolving Rifle.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5035/56/scarce-remington-metallic-cartridge-conversion-revolving-rifle. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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