R IS FOR REMINGTON

Colt, Winchester, Remington. The names are synonymous with the birth of the nation and with the taming of the old West in particular. Remington Arms, however got its start in the old East, in Ilion New York, to be precise, in 1816.

Eliphalet Remington (really, you can't make a name like that up) was the son of a blacksmith and a blacksmith himself. He decided to build his own rifle, a not uncommon practice in those days and when he took a second place prize at a regional shooting match with it he received so many orders that he overnight became a firearms manufacturer.

Remington Arms became involved in mass conversions of flintlock rifles and muskets to percussion cap systems, and also designed and manufactured some unusual products of their own, like the 4 barrel model 1861 .32 derringer shown above. The "New Model" Army 

.44 was a reliable handgun in it's day, and this cap and ball repeater remains a much sought after collectors item on the modern market.

Remington is probably most famous for their sportsman's rifles and shotguns; the model 870 pump action shotgun at the top of the page in many, many variants including tactical is the most widely produced shotgun in history, and with nearly 5 decades behind it, is still going strong. The model 700 sporting rifle is equally well known and sought after.

Available in civilian, police and military versions the 700 has been a fixture on the world arms scene since 1962 and shows no signs of slowing down. It is available in an enormous variety of center fire cartridges ranging from the petite .17 caliber to the elephant crushing .458 magnum.

There are a number of interesting facts about Remington Arms. It has the distinction of being the oldest company in the United States - since 1816 - to manufacture its original product. It is the only US company to manufacture both its firearms and ammunition domestically. It is the worlds largest distributor of civilian rifles and shotguns, and when it went into the typewriter business in 1878 it spawned the company that would eventually become Remington Rand.

Remington Arms, a part of the American scene for 196 years, and what "R" is for today!

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