Remington target rifle

[Richard H. Lance]

I inherited a Remington, octagon barrel, single shot, target rifle, cal.
41 ??, center fire, external hammer, external lever to raise and lower
breech lock, and would like to learn more about it. Can anyone suggest
how to do so? Other specs:
stamped on barrel top surface: "E. Remington and Sons, Ilion, N. Y."
stamped on metal near checkered hand grip: Serial Number 3388
stamped on lh side of receiver: "Hepburn's Pat. Oct 7th, 1879"

Reply rh...@cornell.edu or this newsgroup. Thanks.

[Louis J Boyd]

rh...@cornell.edu (Richard H. Lance) wrote:
#I inherited a Remington, octagon barrel, single shot, target rifle, cal.
#41 ??, center fire, external hammer, external lever to raise and lower
#breech lock, and would like to learn more about it. Can anyone suggest
#how to do so? Other specs:
#stamped on barrel top surface: "E. Remington and Sons, Ilion, N. Y."
#stamped on metal near checkered hand grip: Serial Number 3388
#stamped on lh side of receiver: "Hepburn's Pat. Oct 7th, 1879"

The book "Rifle in America" by Phillip B. Sharpe discusses the Remington
-Hepburn No. 3 rifle. There were many versions of this rifle. I don't
see .41 caliber listed, but it was available in .40/45, .40/60, and .40/90
Remington Straight ,.40/90 Sharps, .40/60 Ballard and Martin, .40/60 and
40/82 Winchester, and many others. This book does not match
serial number to a particular rifle. The date 1879 is the patent date.
The various No 3's were introduced in 1880 and discontinued in 1907.
Sounds like a very nice collectors item and probably shoots well too.

Quote from the book:
The Remington-Hepburn action was designed for heavy calibers with a wide margin
of strength but was also manufactured for the usual small bore cartridges of
the
day.

In 1906 the No. 3 rifle was listed as being adapted to "sporting and target
use," especially for long-range hunting and target purposes requiring the use
of heavy charges. The model had a solid breech block with a high housing type
of frame to give direct support to the rear of the breech block thus increasing
strength without bulk.

Instead of the rolling block action this had an entirely different mechanism
and was designed by Lewis. L. Hepburn of Colton, Vermont. He was associated
with Remington for a number of years until they went into receivership in
1878. A large side lever on the right side of the frame operated by the
thumb opened the breech block which slid downward allowing access to the rear.
This is reminiscent of the old side-lever breakdown mechanism of double
shotguns of that particular period.

(about three times this much follows).

Richard, contact me by email if you would like to hear more of this.
Some more details of your rifle should pin down the particular model better.
(barrel lenght, type of sights, etc)

Lou Boyd
bo...@pegasus.la.asu.edu

[John Gross]

rh...@cornell.edu (Richard H. Lance) wrote:
#I inherited a Remington, octagon barrel, single shot, target rifle, cal.
#41 ??, center fire, external hammer, external lever to raise and lower
#breech lock, and would like to learn more about it. Can anyone suggest
#how to do so? Other specs:
#stamped on barrel top surface: "E. Remington and Sons, Ilion, N. Y."
#stamped on metal near checkered hand grip: Serial Number 3388
#stamped on lh side of receiver: "Hepburn's Pat. Oct 7th, 1879"

#

L.L. Hepburn worked for Remington and designed the weapon. It is
named after him in the collectors market, e.g. Remington-Hepburn.
I believe at the time Remington called it their "Improved Rifle, Hepburn's
Patent," to distinguish it from their other single shot offering, the
Rolling Block.

The Hepburn was introduced into the market circa 1879-1880. In 1888
Remington was bought out and the company name was changed to Remington
Arms Company. So yours was made roughly between 1880 and 1888.

Th most common calibers that began with a "4" were 40-50, 40-70, and
45-70. Many times the lenght of the cartridge case may appear in
the caliber designation on the bottom of the barrel, such as 40 1 7/8",
40 2 1/2". etc. Look closly with a magnifying glass and you may be
able to tell. This can affect value based on the caliber.

This is just a brief rundown. E-mail me if you have more questions.

John Gross confe...@worldnet.att.net

[Roger R. Sherman]

You have an example for one of America's lesser known - but at one
time highly popular - Remington single shot breechloading cartridge
rifles: the Remington Hepburn sidelever dropping block. A quite
strong action even in today's terms, its relative value is dependent
upon the its bore condition, the extent of matched components by
serial number, the percentage of original wood & metal finish, the
degree of deluxe features, and the existence (or the non-existence) of
front and rear target sights. 'Flayderman's Guide to Antique American
Firearms', 6th and latest Edition (1994), should help you categorize
the piece and establish a relative value.

It was popular for offhand, mid-range (200 yard) target shooting in
the 1880s and early 1890s. Like all of the American single shot
breechloaders of that period, however, it was made in a wide variety
of models, both standard & custom-made by the factory, for an equally
broad range of cartridges.

Suggested reading material includes 'The Breech-Loading Single-Shot
Match Rifle' by Roberts & Waters; '100 Years of Shooters of Single
Shot Rifles' by Kelver; 'Major Ned H. Roberts & the Schuetzen Rifle'
by Kelver; 'Single Shot Rifles and Actions' by De Haas; and the five
volume series on 'Single Shot Rifles' by J.J. Grant - as well as the
newletters published by The American Single Shot Rifle Association.

Hope this helps - and don't hesitate to ask more questions to
suppliment your required reading. :-) Roger S.