Original U.S. Whitney Arms Co. "Remington" Rolling Block Style II No.1 Single Shot Sporting Rifle in .45-75W.C.F. Serial 20603 - Circa 1885

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of one of many late 19th Century sporting rifles made by Whitneyville Armory, located in Whitneyville Connecticut. This area, today near Hamden Connecticut, was so named due to it's association with the famous Eli Whitney, the inventor of the Cotton Gin. Whitney also manufactured firearms, such as Springfield Muskets, and his son, also named Eli Whitney, followed in his footsteps. The factory was expanded, and the area became known as "Whitneyville", making firearms throughout the 19th century. Eventually, after several consolidations, the factory became "Whitneyville Armory."

Under this name they produced various different firearms, though unfortunately they were not able to catch up with their competitors in terms of volume. However they still applied for and received patents, and are very well regarded among collectors. They also manufactured designs under license, and also produced designs by other makers once their patents began to expire.

This is a lovely example of a Whitney Arms Co. "Remington" rolling block derived design, which is referred to as the "Whitney-Remington", and this design is the Style II No.1 in .45-75 Winchester Center fire. It features a lovely heavily blued 30-inch long octagonal barrel, which is fitted with a Parker Hale style front hooded globe sight and Winchester style "buckhorn" rear adjustable sight. We can also see threaded holes on the receiver tang, so we assume it was designed to take some type of long range peep sight, though we do not know if one was ever installed. It has a half length fore stock, and a lovely "pistol grip" style butt stock that is checkered on the knob.

The rear tang of the receiver has the factory address information clearly marked, in the correct "reverse italicized" font:-

WHITNEY ARMS CO.
NEW HAVEN. CT. U.S.A.

The barrel is marked 45-75 over the chamber, indicating the chambering. The trigger guard tang is marked with serial 20603, while the bottom of the barrel under the fore stock is marked with shortened number 0603, and there are no other markings on the sporting rifle.

Overall condition is very good, still showing much of the original blued finish on the barrel, particularly under the fore stock. The rolling block and hammer also look to have been blued, and retain the finish quite well, while the action shows a mottled oxidized patina, and was probably originally case colored. The action functions correctly, with the ejector presenting, though we did note that the hammer will "fire" even with the breech fully open, possibly due to being based on earlier rolling block designs. We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, showing a mostly bright finish with crisp lands and grooves. There is just a bit of past oxidation and fouling in the grooves, which has mostly been cleaned away. The stocks are lovely, with great color and grain, and the only real issues being some staining from contact with the metalwork, and some chipping on both sides of the fore stock near the front.

A lovely late 19th Century Sporting rifle by the well known Whitney Arms Co., ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Years of Manufacture: 1881-1888
Caliber: .45-75 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 30 Inches
Overall Length: 45 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: tube magazine

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