Remy Rolling Block action (SANTAFE POLICA Marked) need help?

[dingus]

I just bought a compleat Remington Rolling block Action in the Gray but marked on both sides Santafe Polica.
Any history with this Piece?
What woulda been the correct caliber?
Any help from the Remy experts here would be much Apreciated.
I intend to build her back into a Rifle.
Its a Pre 1898 Action.

[rudybolla]

Can't help, but is is a cool stamp just begging to be researched.

[dingus]

So know one ever heard of the Santafe Polica

They musta been in New Mexico or is there a Santafe in Mexico ?

Theres a Vancouver in Washington State USA and Vancouver right up above it in in B.C Canada

Just some help in pointing me in the right direction to search would be great.
Thanks.

[oldremguy]

Hello,

Here is may 2 cents.
Policia I think is spanish for police.
There is a city of SantaFe in Mexico.
I beleive The Police Department in SantaFe, Mexico purchased some
Remington Rolling blocks between 1875 and 1900, by the patent dates on your receiver. A lot of the remington rolling blocks sent to Mexico were chambered in 43 spanish cartridge. Your rolling block could of been a 3 barrel band rifle, 2 band rifle or a carbine with sling swivels on the barrel band and buttstock, its hard to tell. Never have seen a rolling block with these stampings. But if it was in complete condition, I would think that it would be something rare. The Montreal Police had order 50 Whitney rolling block carbines in 43 spanish for there police force in 1875.
Hope that helps you out.

Have a good day,
Matt

[dingus]

Huh Well i know a Collector in Uruaquay (spelling) He might know more about it.
Maby once i get it i can get a closer look and see what other markings might be on the gun.
Mexican or Argentina there Quite a distance apart.

Thanks For the Replys im more Confused now LOL

[dingus]

Hi well mine dont say Policia de Santafe

Its got

CEFATURA
POLICIA
SANTAFE

Like that.
I have the Action now and can just make out a S or a C in front of the EFATURA

Also on the top and Bottom tangs is a J 8045 would that be the Ser # or the 0016

[Uncle]

The obscured letter is an "J" not a "C". It is Jefatura, which translates to Organization/Department. So roughly, the stamp says Department of Police, Santa Fe

[dingus]

The obscured letter is an "J" not a "C". It is Jefatura, which translates to Organization/Department. So roughly, the stamp says Department of Police, Santa Fe

Yes i could see that i cant make out the Frist letter its very hard to make out but JEFATURA looks right.

So is it Argentina or Mexican

[Uncle]

You are quite welcome George. Glad to be able to chip in so to speak. I suppose credit should go to my Spanish II teacher!

[dingus]

You are quite welcome George. Glad to be able to chip in so to speak. I suppose credit should go to my Spanish II teacher!

So are Spanish Mexicans or are they Argintines.

I always thought the Spanish killed most of them mexicans ect Aztecs ect and them moved there so mexico is full of Spanish people or a mix of spanish and Native mexicans so is it Santafe in Mexico new mexico or Argentina?

Is Argintina the same as mexico and all spanish speaking.

Sorry my History on the Area is poor. I have a book called Mexican military arms the cartridge Period 1866 1967

Theres Rolling block rifles in the book its by James B Hughes.
I have a Renington 1875 Revolver with a mexican stamp just like the book i have.
I realize the police mark isnt Military but can or could it be Mexican going by your guys saying the words are spanish.

[tjack]

Spanish is the national language of Mexico, most of Central and South America. Brazil uses Portuguese and I'm not sure of Belize (British Honduras) or the north eastern part of South America (Guyana...ex British, Suriname... Dutch, and French Guiana).

[Uncle]

Santa Fe is a reasonably large city in Northern Argentina. I would think that your action bears the stamp from that city's Police Department.

[stunguff]

1876gArgRemRBRifle43-mrkModArg.jpg (180.84 KiB) Viewed 1561 times

I live and work in Uruguay in South America and found a full rifle like this in Argentina recently. What you have is an action off a Remington Argentine Model 1879 Military rifle. You can still see pictures of this rifle on a recent sale on GunBroker.com (155831041). The 1879 Argentine Rolling Blocks were all chambered for the .43 Spanish round. There were both rifles and carbines in this lot sent by Remington, and all have a unique octagonal section at the rear of the barrel, on the top of which is stamped: MODELO ARGENTINO 1879 E. N. (E.N. stands for Ejército Nacional - National Army). There is also a cartouche on the right of this section with the letters RA (República Argentina). The barrels on the rifles were 36 inches long, and they had a long front stock with three bands as well as a bayonet lug on the right side of the barrel about 4-5 inches back from the end of the barrel. Yours definitely comes from a rifle, not a carbine, because 200 of these 1879 rifles were sent to the Provincial Police of Santa Fe. Santa Fe is both a city and a Province in the north-central part of Argentina. It has a long history that goes back before Argentine Independence. The rifles that were provided for the Provincial Police (not the city police, although the headquarters were in the city of Santa Fe) were never actually used except for perhaps parade or guard duty, so most that are found whole have a wonderful bore. It occurs to me that someone took the barrel off your action because of the good rifling. Yours is a quite rare action, and I would venture to guess that it is worth more in Argentina than in the US. The words in the cartouche on the left side of the action, JEFATURA POLICIA SANTA FE, would translate out: Headquarters, Police, Santa Fe. Any barrel for the Remington .43 Spanish from that era should fit on your action. But there are many other similar chamberings on the old Rolling Blocks, and you could just about choose what you would like to use. If you wanted to keep the 1879 configuration you would need to find a barrel with the octagonal section and the Argentine markings.

[stunguff]

I would be interested to know if the number stamped under the Santa Fe Police cartouche is the same as that on the side of the tang - I can't tell from your photos what the number on the tang is. Another piece of info: most of the Military RB rifles we have seen were re-finished (re-blued) by the military arsenal before they were sold, very few are found with their original finish. What I also find intriguing is that several of these Santa Fe Police rifles (or actions) have shown up with that mark still clear, while most other Argentine military guns that were arsenal re-finished had the special crests or cartouches ground off before the re-finishing.