The development of the Remington-Hepburn match rifle is a direct result of the competition of the American and Irish shooting teams in the 1870's. Lewis Hepburn was a riflesmith and target shooter. Employed as a foreman in the mechanical department at Remington, he was assigned to design half of the rifles the American team would use at Creedmoor. The rolling block action was used, and the Remington Creedmoor Target rifle went on to allow the Americans to win by a slim margin. Hepburn later went to work to design a better action for a target rifle, than the rolling block action. In 1879 the Remington-Hepburn falling block action was designed. The pre-1898 production date qualifies this action as antique and exempts this rifle from FFL transfer, so it may be shipped directly to you.
This antique Remington Heburn No. 3 Sporting Rifle is fitted with a new barrel chambered in caliber .40-65. This action still has vibrant color case hardening and is fitted with an original factory buttstock with checkered pistol grip, although the buttplate style is typical of a later production rifle. The forearm appears to be a replacement to accept the new barrel, while the Schnabel tip is correct for a earlier production Hepburn rifle. This rifle is offered as an antique, with a bright new well maintained bore. The trigger reach is 13-3/4" and the wight is 10.9 pounds.
The 32" long octagon-to-round barrel is chambered in caliber .40-65. The bore is bright, clean, and ready to shoot. We recommend using black powder hand loads in this rilfe. The barrel is finished to a beautiful smooth dark blue, and is unmarked on the upper surfaces. The spirit level globe front sight is dovetailed 1-1/4" behind the muzzle, and is fitted with a post insert. The reproduction Borchardt style Soule rear tang sight is fitted with a Hadley eye cup. The sight features fine adjustments for both windage and elevation.
The butt stock is factory original, and is fitted with the later style crescent buttplate. The stock is straight grain walnut and features a checked pistol grip. The stock shows many small dings and light scratches from over a century of handling. We note two 3/4" hairline cracks extending back from the tip of the bottom tang. The buttstock is fitted with a steel buttplate, which shows some finish wear around the heel. A single screw retains replacement walnut forend, which is fitted with a steel Schnabel tip. The hammer and falling breech block are both blued to contrast the color case hardened action. The color case hardening is still vibrant and features mottled swirls of gray, blue, and purple. The action is mounted with a color case hardened triggerguard. The left side of the action is marked HEPBURNS PAT OCT 7th 1879 in two lines. The bottom tang is stamped with the 5xxx serial number. This Remington-Hepburn falling block action has the side lever which raises and lowers the breech block. The exposed hammer must be manually cocked before firing. The double set triggers function correctly and provide a smooth release of the hammer.
We recommend this Remington-Hepburn rifle for target shooting. The bore is bright, clean, and ready to shoot in your next long range match. This rifle is exempt from FFL transfer and many be shipped directly to you. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Else if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk, when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.
