M1885 Remington–Lee

The Remington–Lee is a bolt-action, detachable box magazine repeating rifle designed principally by James Paris Lee in the mid-1870s.

This article is about the Lee rifle manufactured by the Lee Arms, Sharps, and Remington companies. For other uses, see Lee rifle.
Remington–Lee
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1885–1895[1]
Used bySee Users
WarsSino-French War
Production history
DesignerJames Paris Lee
Designed1879
ManufacturerLee Arms Co.
Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company
Remington
Produced1879–1894
Variants
  • M1879 Remington-Lee
  • M1882 Remington-Lee
  • M1885 Remington-Lee
Specifications
Caliber.45-70 Government, .43 Spanish
ActionBolt-action
Feed system5-round detachable box magazine

Description

It first appeared in 1879, manufactured by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. Eventually Remington took over production and produced copies in .45-70. Arguably this was the most modern rifle in the world, until the introduction of the 8mm Lebel M1886 rifle using smokeless powder, the Remington-Lee rifle utilized the first successful detachable box magazine, unlike the Lebel rifle which was still using a fixed tubular magazine.

The design was incorporated by the British into the Lee–Metford and Lee–Enfield rifles, thereby becoming one of the most widely used rifle designs of the early to mid-20th century. Remington's version of the Model 1879 saw only limited use by the U.S. Navy and the Model 1882 was tested by U.S. Army and issued on a very limited scale.[2] Ultimately, it was passed up in favor of the Krag–Jørgensen in 1892.

In 1884, China acquired 13,000 Remington-Lees chambered in .43 Spanish (11.15×58mmR). Of these, around 4,000 Model 1882 rifles were rechambered in .43 Spanish. During the Sino-French War they proved to be highly effective against the French Army, which predominantly used the single-shot Gras rifle.[3]

New Zealand purchased 500 for its militia in 1887, also chambered in .43 Spanish. These were quickly replaced after many complaints about the quality of the ammunition.[4]

Users
  •  Bolivia: Purchased 2,000 Remington-Lee rifles of unknown model in 1891 in .43 Spanish, most likely M1885.[5]
  •  Haiti: Between 1884 and 1896, Model 1882 Remington-Lee rifles in .43 Spanish were purchased from the New York firm of Schuyler, Hartley & Graham and issued to the Haitian army, gendarmerie and private militias.[6]
  •  Honduras:Bought 500 M1882 Remington-Lee rifles in 1884 in .43 Spanish from Schuyler, Hartley & Graham[7]
  •  Peru: Used the M1882 Remington-Lee in .45-70 Government.[8]
  •  New Zealand: Purchased 500 M1885 Remington–Lee rifles in 1887 in .43 Spanish for the New Zealand Militia.[4]
  •  Qing Dynasty: Purchased 4,000 M1882 Remington-Lee rifles in 1884 in .43 Spanish.[3]
  •  United States: Purchased 1,000 M1879 for the US Navy, 750 M1882 for the US Army, and 3,400 M1885 for the US Navy, all in .45-70 Government.[2]

Sources
  1. Association, N. R. (n.d.). The Remington-lee rifle: Ahead of its time. An Official Journal Of The NRA. https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/the-remington-lee-rifle-ahead-of-its-time/
  2. "The U.S. Military Remington-Lee". Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. Shih, Bin (September 9, 2021). China's Small Arms of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) (2021 ed.). p. 133. ISBN 979-8473557848.
  4. Scarlata, Paul. The Military Rifle Cartridges of New Zealand. Shotgun News, 2008, Volume 62, number 28, p. 18.
  5. Reynolds, Dan. "Rifles of Bolivia 1900-1990". carbinesforcollectors.com. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  6. "Military rifle cartridges of Haiti. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  7. "The military rifle cartridges of Honduras from Cortez to zelaya. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  8. Reynolds, Dan. "The Mauser Rifles of Peru". carbinesforcollectors.com. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  • .45-70 Rifles by Jack Behn. C1958 by Stackpole Publishing.
  • Small Arms of the World by WHB Smith and Joseph Smith.
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