The Springfield Model 1870 rolling-block U.S. Navy rifle was a shipboard small arm for use by the United States Navy, employing the Remington Arms Company rolling-block design, and manufactured under a royalty agreement with Remington.

During the U.S. Civil War, Joseph Rider experimented with several breech-loading weapon designs.

[2] The U.S. Navy Ordnance Department became interested in the design, and purchased several different models of rifles from 1867 through 1869.

[3] After the rifles were produced, Navy inspectors realized that the rear sights had been positioned incorrectly, and were dangerously close to the chamber, making the weapon unsafe for use.

[4] The sale of the defective rifles enabled enough funds to be recovered that the Navy Ordnance Department later ordered 12,000 Model 1870 Type II rifles, which were just a minor improvement to the Model 1870 and included changes such as the correction of the location of the rear sight.