The Other Six-Gun

In sheer numbers alone, the Remington 1861 New Model Army revolver’s record of service is impressive. The U.S. Ordnance Department purchased 115,563 Remington .44 caliber percussion six-guns, representing 31 percent of all revolvers purchased by the federal government during the Civil War. Of these, all but 20,000 were purchased between 1862-64—in plenty of time to see lots of fighting. These figures include the Model 1861, or “Old Model” Army revolver, of which only a few thousan