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CAPT. KIRK / MARK CHRISTIAN*REMINGTON LEE NAVY!!!

mrmike08075
1. REMINGTON LEE bolt action rifle(???)(keene, sharps???)
2. 32 1/2" bbl (2 band)
3. correct cleaning rod under BBL in channel
4. 52"OAL
5. TOP OF RECIEVER RING: " U.S.N. (an ANCHOR logo) No. 3523 H.H.E."
6. LEFT OF RECIEVER: " PATENTED NOV. 4TH 1879"
7. TOP OF RECIEVER (LEFT SIDE): " REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY, ILION, N.Y. U.S.A. SOLE MANUFACTERS AND AGENTS 52176"
8. "U" proof stamp on BBL bands, and other parts
9. .45-70 GOVT / magazine fed rifle
10. the bolt can be manualy cocked or uncocked while closed
11. correct military sights, bolt, hardware, buttplate, etc...
13. the magazine is missing!!! (it cant be easy to find one)

the gun is near perfect. the overall condition is NRA FINE. the reciever is going mottled gray, the rest of the gun is blued. the bore is 99% and mirror finished. strong near perfect lands and grooves. fresh and minty rifling and muzzle crown. all parts matching, no gunsmithing or refinishing present.

whats it worth??? how many were made(1260 pieces???) how many adopted by the navy??? when adopted??? what units and disposition??? what kind of collectors intrest??? parts availability??? history and name of H.H.E. (inspector???).

please help, i will look in my books, but i felt it important to share this gun with all my friends here. best regards, mike.

What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
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Comments

2 comments

Date Votes
  • Iroquois Scout
    Hello Big Mike!
    Here are some of the answers to your questions.
    1. There were only 8800 Model 1879 rifles made and Sharps only made the first 1300. Remington made the rest. They were produced from 1881 to 1883 and are marked "Lee Arms Company,Bridgeport Conn. U.S.A.".They were made with 29 inch barrels. The magazine has two partal ribs to stiffen the sides of the magazine and the magazine also has a projecting "nose" on the foward end. It is thought that 300 of these rifles were sold to the Navy in January of 1882. The second production run of the Model 1879 numbered about 7500 rifles and all were made by Remington and were made between 1883 and 1884,most of these rifles went to China. These rifles were followed by the Model 1882 which were the first to carry the Remington logo on the receiver. 750 of this model were bought by the Army. At last we come to the Model 1885 which is the model that you have. They were made from 1889 to 1893,serial numbers reached 55000. These rifles use the L.P. Diss magazine which is flat on both ends and has two full length stiffening ribs on each side. There were two Navy contracts for this model,your rifle is from the second contract which was filled in 1892. Since the rifles were delivered in lots of 300 each and each lot seems to have had a different inspector,most rifles can be dated pretty closely. H.H.E. stands for Lt. H.H. Eames,who inspected from mid January 1891 to mid April 1892. He inspected rifles with Navy numbers 2951 to 3637,so it looks like your rifle was inspected in 1892. The Navy bought about 5000 Model 1885's.
    2. What units? U.S. Marine Corps,Mare Island Naval Yard CA,Naval Station New York,Naval Station Boston,U.S.S. Philadelphia,U.S.S. Monterey,vaious state Naval militias and Iam sure other ships for which I don't have any lists
    3. Disposition? By 1905 had been sold off to Hartley&Graham of New York.
    4. Collector intrest? In this house quite a bit. I own four Remington-Lee's,a Model 1879,two Model 1885's like yours and a Model 1899 in .30-40 Krag.
    5. Parts availabilty? Few and far between. Over the years I have been able to pick up some parts at the larger gun shows. Often sellers don't know what they have or what gun the part fits. I was able to pick up a like new 20 inch blade socket bayonet for only $45.00 because the seller thought that it was a Trapdoor bayonet.
    6. Value? In the condition that you describe,but without the magazine,$900-$1100
    Hope that this has been of some help to you.
    Scout
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  • 101AIRBORNE
    Happy to see IS back posting with his wisdom.
    I do not have a thing to offer except that there was an article in the last ShotGun News. Best of luck and IS, thanks for returning. 101
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