The Springfield Model 1870 rolling-block U.S. Navy rifle was a shipboard small arm for use by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, employing the

Remington Arms Company Remington Arms Company, LLC was an American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition, now broken into two companies, each bearing the Remington name. The firearms manufacturer is ''Remington Arms''. The ammunition business is called ''Remingto ...

rolling-block design, and manufactured under a royalty agreement with Remington. Note: Springfield Model 1870 may also refer to the Springfield Model 1870 rifle. One of the rifles which used the

trapdoor A trapdoor is a sliding or hinged door in a floor or ceiling. It is traditionally small in size. It was invented to facilitate the hoisting of grain up through mills, however, its list of uses has grown over time. The trapdoor has played a pivot ...

breechblock design developed by Erskine S. Allin.

Origin

During the U.S. Civil War, Joseph Rider experimented with several breech-loading weapon designs. In 1865, he was issued the first patent for what would evolve into the Remington rolling-block action. The Remingtons continued to invest in Rider's work, and met with Ordnance Department officials in the hope of interesting them in this new design called the "Remington System". The U.S. Navy Ordnance Department became interested in the design, and purchased several different models of rifles from 1867 through 1869. Field trials of these various rifles yielded mostly positive results."The history of Remington Firearms" By Roy M. Marcot"The Guns That Won the West: Firearms on the American Frontier, 1848-1898" By John Walter In 1869, the Navy Bureau of Ordnance tested many different weapons, and settled on the .50 caliber Remington Rolling Block for use by both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines. Navy rifles were to be produced with bright barrels, and Marine barrels were to be browned.

Production

The U.S. Navy decided to order 10,000 rolling-block rifles. These were to be manufactured at

Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until ...

. After lengthy discussions, it was decided that Springfield Armory would make the complete rifle, and would pay Remington and Sons a $1 royalty for all rifles produced. After the rifles were produced, Navy inspectors realized that the rear sights had been positioned incorrectly, and were dangerously close to the chamber, making the weapon unsafe for use. All 10,000 rifles were rejected, and were subsequently sold to Poultney and Trimble of Baltimore. These weapons were then exported to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

for use during the Franco-Prussian War. The sale of the defective rifles enabled enough funds to be recovered that the Navy Ordnance Department later ordered 12,000 Model 1870 Type II rifles, which were just a minor improvement to the Model 1870 and included changes such as the correction of the location of the rear sight.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Springfield model 1870 Remington-Navy Springfield firearms Remington Arms firearms Rifles of the United States

Origin

Production

See also

References

External links