Lot 45

Remington Model 1875 Single Action Army Revolver in .44-40 WCF

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Remington Model 1875 Single Action Army Revolver in .44-40 WCF

Estimate: $9,500 - $16,000

Starting Bid: $8,500

(0 Bids)

by Rock Island Auction Company
June 27, 2026 5:00 PM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

Exceptional Remington Model 1875 Single Action Army Revolver in Desirable .44-40 W.C.F. Manufactured c. 1875 to 1889, this is an outstanding example of what Remington called their "Improved Army" or "Frontier Army" revolver. Having been founded in 1816, Remington is known as one of America's oldest firearms manufacturers that remains in existence to this day. These revolvers represent the quality American manufacturing that one had come to expect from the company and that thousands have come to know ever since. The Model 1875 revolver was essentially Remington's answer to Colt's Single Action Army and would go toe to toe against it for its entire production run. Despite being a more robust design than the "Peacemaker", as well as arguably more sleek and attractive, the "Frontier Army" failed to gain much traction against the prolific Colt, which had already been on the market for two years and had the benefit of large U.S. military contracts. These 1875s hit the scene at a very turbulent time for Remington, filled with financial hardship, bankruptcy, new ownership, and reorganization, but still managed to maintain the high quality that people expected from the company. Remington had hoped these revolvers might find similar government contracts to their Colt competitor and help pull the company out of financial trouble; however, they never materialized. In true American fashion, however, Remington managed to weather the storm, transfer ownership, and navigate itself back to success, continuing to this day as a manufacturer of high quality American firearms. Though no military contracts were secured, approximately 25,000 to 30,000 of these attractive and well-built revolvers were produced from 1875 to 1889, the vast majority of which made their way to America’s expanding western frontier. Initially, the Model 1875 was offered in a proprietary .44 Remington Centerfire cartridge; however, it was quickly switched over to the .44-40 W.C.F. which was in widespread use. The .44-40 Winchester cartridge was extremely popular in the West, being the most common chambering for the legendary Winchester Model 1873, as well as one of the offering’s available for Colt’s “Peacemaker”. This meant that anyone with a Winchester ’73 in .44-40 could put a Remington 1875 in the holster on their hip and carry only a single type of ammunition to keep both firing. Another major selling point of the Remington for those on the frontier was its price. The Model 1875 appears to have been available for $12.50 for essentially all of its production run, while its Colt competitor was priced at around $17. This may be part of the reason why these 1875s seem to have been used by people such as Native Americans, miners, and farmers and disproportionately found their way into the hands of the frontier’s outlaws. These Remington’s provided an affordable and effective revolver for the working man with a humble budget, as well as the outlaw who lived dangerously on the edges of society, knowing there were a multitude of different ways their sidearm could be lost and need replacing. Some of the outlaws who reportedly carried these revolvers were the legendary Frank and Jesse James, Bob Dalton of The Dalton Gang, and "Redtop" Callihan. It is quite possible that these outlaws, who may have put their sidearm to use more than the average person, recognized the value in the sturdy Remington over the hype and marketing campaigns of Colt’s “Peacemaker”. Around 1,300 of them were also purchased by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1884 to arm Indian Police, representing yet another tough service life for the model. The rugged working lives of many of these “Frontier Army” revolvers, often lasting many years in a very harsh environment, has meant that many did not survive, leaving relatively few available for today’s collectors, particularly in high condition like this one. The top of the barrel on this very high condition example has the standard one-line address, while the “44” caliber marking is on the left front of the frame, denoting the .44-40 W.C.F. caliber rather than .44 Remington Centerfire. The matching serial number is marked on the left of the grip frame, the trigger guard tang, the loading gate arm, and hand-marked in pencil inside both grip panels. It is fitted with the standard blade front and frame-top groove rear sights, as well as a pair of smooth walnut grips.

Manufacturer: E. Remington & Sons

Model: 1875

BBL: 7 1/2 inch round

Gauge: 44-40 WCF

Finish: nickel

Grips: walnut

Serial Number616

Class: Antique

  • Condition: Excellent, retains 97% of the untouched original nickel-plated finish with a light cylinder turn line and some scattered light handling marks. The screws have nearly all of the nitre blue finish. The grips are also excellent with a few scattered minor dings. Mechanically excellent. An outstanding example of the Remington Model 1875 revolver, one of the legendary sidearms of the American West!

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000