The new 1875 Remington differed mainly from the older 1858 percussion model by having a bored through cylinder chambered for metallic cartridges.

[3] Ordinary citizens and Old West lawmen alike recognized the sturdy quality of the new Remington revolvers.

Introduced to compete with Colt's single-action Army revolvers, this Remington design failed to meet with the commercial success made by Colt's model due to the Hartford firm's two-year head start in production and sales.

By the time of its introduction, however, Colt had already secured contracts with the U.S. Army, and Remington was forced to seek other markets.

Standard features included a fluted cylinder, walnut grip panels, blued or nickel-plated finish with case-hardened hammer and loading gate, and a lanyard ring.