Real Steel Background

The Remington New Model Army is one of the great American percussion revolvers, produced by E. Remington & Sons of Ilion, New York, and introduced in 1863 at the height of the Civil War. It was a .44 calibre, six-shot cap-and-ball revolver built around a design principle that set it apart from its Colt rivals: a solid-frame construction carrying a full topstrap over the cylinder. Where Colt's open-top revolvers relied on the barrel and wedge to tie the frame together and could loosen under heavy loads, the Remington's one-piece frame was markedly stronger, letting it absorb heavier charges and making it one of the most robust handguns of its era. Its loading lever was carried beneath the barrel rather than hinged off the side, and the cylinder could be lifted out and swapped for a loaded spare with unusual ease ? a genuine advantage at a time when reloading a percussion revolver was a slow, deliberate process. The U.S. government purchased tens of thousands of them, making the New Model Army the second most widely issued Union revolver of the war behind the Colt Army Model 1860, and the design's reputation for strength and accuracy followed it into the post-war West. Many surviving examples were later converted to fire metallic cartridges, turning thousands of percussion revolvers into cartridge guns that carried the same sturdy frame into the cowboy era. With its clean lines, solid topstrap, and unmistakable under-barrel loading lever, the Remington New Model Army remains one of the defining silhouettes of the frontier period and a fixture of Western film and collecting.

Product Details

Hartford, a maker specialising in faithful non-firing model guns, presents the New Model Army as a display and prop piece that captures the Remington percussion revolver at full size and with convincing presence. It is important to be clear about what this is: a model gun with no shooting capability whatsoever ? it cannot fire any projectile. What it does reproduce is the mechanical behaviour and the feel of the original, which is exactly what makes it valuable as a display piece or a film prop.

The revolver is built around a polymer 160mm outer barrel, frame, cylinder, and grip panels, keeping the piece manageable in the hand while retaining the proportions of a full-size .44 Army revolver. The top of the barrel carries a realistic engraved marking, reproducing the factory rollmark of the original. The parts that matter most to the look and feel are metal: a metal loading lever carried beneath the barrel, a metal hammer, and a metal trigger, joined by a gold-plated trigger guard and a gold-plated front sight that add a period-correct flash of colour against the rest of the piece.

Operation follows the real revolver's single-action routine. Drawing the hammer back cocks the action, and pulling the trigger releases the hammer to strike forward with an audible metallic knock, giving the piece a genuinely convincing action cycle and sound despite having no firing capability whatsoever. The finish and detailing are realistic enough that the revolver feels much like the genuine article in the hand, which makes it well suited to film and photography prop duty, where it can stand in for the original in period Western scenes. Because it so closely resembles a real firearm, it should be handled, transported, and stored responsibly, kept cased or bagged away from the set and never displayed in a manner that could alarm other people or be mistaken for a functioning weapon. For collectors, reenactors, and prop users looking to recreate the flavour of the cowboy era, this Hartford New Model Army offers the look, feel, and action of the classic Remington without any of the complications of a firing gun.

Key Features

• Polymer 160mm outer barrel carrying a realistic engraved marking across its top surface, faithfully reproducing the factory rollmark of the original Remington

• Polymer frame reproducing the solid topstrap profile that made the original design so robust and distinctive

• Polymer cylinder completing the six-chamber appearance of the classic percussion revolver

• Polymer pistol grip panels giving the piece the classic grip shape and feel of the original

• Metal loading lever carried beneath the barrel, faithfully reproducing the signature Remington loading lever arrangement

• Metal trigger delivering a crisp, positive pull through the single-action cycle

• Gold-plated trigger guard adding a period-correct flash of colour and contrast against the rest of the revolver

• Metal hammer that cocks and releases with a crisp, authentic single-action feel

• Gold-plated front sight providing authentic detailing and catching the light for a convincing period appearance

• Fully realized single-action operation in which drawing the hammer back cocks the action and pulling the trigger releases it to strike forward with an audible metallic knock

• Model gun design with no shooting capability whatsoever, making it safe for display, handling, and demonstration while retaining complete mechanical realism

• Highly realistic finish and detailing that gives the revolver the feel of the genuine article in the hand, making it exceptionally well suited to film and photography prop use

• Ideal for collectors, reenactors, and period productions looking to recreate the flavour of the Western cowboy era, provided it is always handled, transported, and stored responsibly since it closely resembles a real firearm