Remington Model 95

[Muddyboot]

Found this in a local gun shop, could not resist, even though it has
a crack on the left side hinge. If it was good enough for Jim West, it's
good enough for me....

 

[dandyrandy]

thats kinda cool... you gonna reblue that bad boy?

 

[Muddyboot]

thats kinda cool... you gonna reblue that bad boy?

No, I like the old patina, I'll keep her like she is. With the hinge crack, it's probably not safe to shoot, so I'll just leave her in the safe, or display her on a desk. Might make a cool paperweight also......

 

[Valmet]

What is it chambered for?

 

[Muddyboot]

What is it chambered for?

.41 Rimfire, ammo is available, but very expensive....

 

[DWalt]

Most of the Remington double derringers I have seen have the cracked hinge. Obviously a design flaw. I remember reading that Remington repeated the same SN range multiple times on the DDs, so dating it by the SN alone is unreliable. I would not attempt firing it, even if you were able to come across some .41 RF cartridges. I think some new .41 RF ammo was loaded maybe 40 or so years ago and imported by Navy Arms. I have seen some of that at gun shows.

 

[desi2358]

Hinges can be welded, have seen a couple repaired this way but probably not worth it if you're not going to shoot it. I do still shoot mine occasionally, always handle it carefully when opening the action. Some people I have talked with think most cracked hinges are from people snapping the barrels over and that the design just wasn't robust enough for rough handling.

They are neat little guns and I enjoy shooting mine now and then. The Navy Arms ammo is getting hard to find, last batch was imported @ 1999/2000 as far as I can tell. I have also shot some older stuff that I have found, usually loose rounds from partial boxes. Have considered getting some of the reloadable cases that use a 22 blank as a primer just to try them and see how they work.

 

[H Richard]

I recall hearing a story that Bill Jordon (Famous Border Patrol Officer) carried one as a back up, and one evening shot it at a telephone pole, and both bullets bounced off the pole with no penetration. He immediately replaced it as a backup.

 

[2152hq]

Remington used #1 to 9999 and then started over again with the same sequence in numbering on these. They did that several times (5 or more?).
Collectors call the numbering system a 'batch number'.
It's usually put down as the ser# of the pistol though as you can see there can be several of the same number.
There is no alpha prefix or suffix to differentiate the numbers from one batch to another.
No records exist AFAIK other than a portion of the first run, the so called short line address guns.
After that, the variations, all 12 or 15 of them, come into play in ID'g the gun with it's batch/ser# trying to place it in an approx era of mfg.

Certainly a classic. I'd leave the finish just the way it is. I might look into having the hinge welded by one of the micro weld folks and blend the repair back in with the existing patina.
But that would just be for restoration purposes. No intent to make it into a regular shooter of course.

Plenty of wanna-be look a likes made over the years. Some in some very stout & painful to shoot calibers!
A 45Colt cal Maverick derringer repair job comes to mind from many years back.

 

[DWalt]

If I wanted a DD to carry and/or shoot, I would buy a new one. Better design and ammo is available.

 

[jtcarm]

I recall hearing a story that Bill Jordon (Famous Border Patrol Officer) carried one as a back up, and one evening shot it at a telephone pole, and both bullets bounced off the pole with no penetration. He immediately replaced it as a backup.

IIRC, Skeeter Skelton ditched his when it wouldn't penetrate a coffee can.