E. · Rifle

Remington-Keene

Name: Remington-Keene
Brand: E.

Bolt action · .45-70 Government · introduced 1880

Also known as Keene Magazine Rifle, Remington-Keene Model of 1880

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About the Remington-Keene

The Remington-Keene was Remington's first production bolt-action rifle, designed by John W. Keene and introduced commercially in 1880. It pairs a turning bolt with a tubular magazine under the barrel and a distinctive external hammer-style cocking piece that can be lowered to half-cock as a safety; a cutoff allows single-shot use with the magazine held in reserve. Chambered primarily in .45-70 Government, fewer than 5,000 were built before production ended in the late 1880s.

One of the earliest American bolt-action repeaters, the Remington-Keene armed the very first U.S. reservation Indian Police, the Interior Department buying around 600 Frontier carbines at $17.50 each to keep order in the American West.

Remington-Keene specifications

General

Type: Rifle
Action: Bolt action
Firing mechanism: Hammer-fired
Trigger: Single stage
Calibres: .45-70 Government
Magazine capacity: 9 rounds
Magazine: Tubular magazine

Dimensions

Barrel length: 743 mm (29.3 in)
Overall length: 1219 mm (48.0 in)
Weight (empty): 4.08 kg (9.00 lb)

Barrel

Rifling: Right hand

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Steel
Stock: Wood

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 411 m/s (1348 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 2170 J (1601 ft·lb)

History

Introduced: 1880
Discontinued: 1888
Production status: Out of production
Country of origin: US
Designer: John W. Keene

Features

External hammer cocking piece
Tubular magazine under barrel
Magazine elevator
Single shot cutoff
Folding leaf sights

Safety

Half cock notch
Magazine cutoff

Submitted to the 1878 US Army trials but not adopted. The US Navy bought 250 rifles and the Interior Department armed western reservation police with roughly 600 Frontier-model carbines, making surviving marked examples rare.