Guns of the Week: September 29 – October 3, 2014
Remington-Smoot Revolvers
Last week, the Cody Firearms Museum hosted the Remington Society of America for their annual seminar. We were lucky to acquire a loan of 40 Remington cartridge pocket pistols. The following are three from that collection.
Unloading the Myth – A “New Line” of Remington Part 1 of 3
Beginning in the 1850s, E. Remington & Sons sold an array of pocket pistols and revolvers. At the conclusion of the Civil War and during westward expansion, revolver competition was at an all time high. There was a drive for innovation in order to survive as a company.
Remington was one of several manufacturers that focused on the production of pocket pistols and derringers, which ultimately satisfied the concealment needs of late nineteenth-century western society.
Beginning in the 1870s, Remington marketed a new line of small revolvers. They often have been erroneously named Remington New Line Revolvers, even though Remington catalogs marketed them as the Remington-Smoot New Model Revolvers or the Smoot’s Patent New Models.
Pictured is a Remington-Smoot New Model No. 1 Revolver. About 3,000 of this Model were made between 1875 and 1877. It is a five-shot revolver chambered for .30 rimfire short metallic cartridges. The Smoot was a competitor to Colt’s revolvers. This firearm is a part of a Remington Cartridge Gun Loan of 40 pocket pistols.
Unloading the Myth – What’s So Special About Smoot? Part 2 of 3
William Sydney Smoot was an inventor in America who received more than a dozen firearms patents. Smoot was born in 1845 in Norfolk, Virginia. During the Civil War, he was a lieutenant in the First Maryland Infantry as part of the Union. He spent the end of the war as an ordnance officer at Springfield Armory. He resigned from the military in 1870 and began work at Remington the following year.
On October 21, 1873, Smoot was issued Patent Number 143,855, which was awarded for an “Improvement in Revolving Fire-Arms.” Smoot’s patent was unique for two reasons: 1. the frame, barrel, and ejector housing were one piece 2. the revolving recoil shield allowed for the ejector and center pin to work together.
Pictured is a Remington-Smoot New Model No. 2 Revolver. Unlike the No. 1, the No. 2 had a stepped-down ejector rod. Between 1877 and 1885, about 3,000 No. 2s were made. While most were chambered for .32 rimfire short, some, like this one, were made for .30.
Unloading the Myth – A Side Dish to Every Lunch Part 3 of 3
This Remington-Smoot New Model No. 3 Revolver was made between 1878 and 1888 in .38 rimfire short. A little larger than its predecessors, about 25,000 of this model were made.
Several companies have been attributed to having “Lunchbox Specials.” This particular Smoot has no serial number and is believed to have been carried out of the factory in a lunch box for concealment.
We are currently accessioning and condition reporting our loan of 40 guns so that we can get them on display ASAP!
