Remington Rider Pocket Revolver
E. Remington & Sons · Pistol · Discontinued · 1860
Also known as: Remington-Rider Pocket Revolver, Remington Rider Percussion Revolver
Overview
The Remington Rider Pocket Revolver is a compact .31 caliber percussion cap-and-ball revolver produced by E. Remington & Sons from 1860 to 1873. Designed by Joseph Rider, it features a five-shot 'mushroom' shaped cylinder, a 3-inch octagonal rifled barrel, and a German silver trigger guard. It was one of the first widely produced American revolvers to successfully employ a double-action-only lockwork, marketed as a concealable personal-defense sidearm. Later production examples were factory-converted to fire the .32 rimfire metallic cartridge.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 227 g (8.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 165 mm (6.50") |
| Barrel Length | 76 mm (2.99") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Double Action Only |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 198 m/s (650 fps) |
| Effective Range | 20 m (22 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Brass |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Hard Rubber |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .31 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · primary — also known as .31 cal, .31 percussion, 7.9mm
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Percussion Cylinder
- Features: Octagonal Barrel, Five Shot Cylinder, Mushroom Cylinder, Double Action Lockwork, German Silver Trigger Guard
Service history
Operators
- United States civilian market · adopted 1860
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Production years: 1860-1873
Estimates vary widely from about 2,000 to 20,000 units across percussion and cartridge variants
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Joseph Rider
Discontinued: 1873
Notes
Frames were typically silver- or nickel-plated with color case-hardened hammers and checkered hard rubber grips. Production totals are debated, with estimates ranging from roughly 2,000 to as high as 20,000 across percussion and cartridge-converted examples.
Background
The Rider's double-action mechanism, designed by Remington gunsmith Joseph Rider, made it one of the earliest commercially successful American double-action revolvers, predating the more famous self-cocking designs of later decades.