The predecessor to the revolver currently known as the "1858 Remington" (which is in itself an anomaly as the model in it's current configuration was not introduced until late American Civil War...1863...by Eliphalet Remington & Sons) was the Beals revolver, patented in 1858 by Fordyce Beals. There are numerous differences between the Beals revolver and the "1858 Remington" we have come to know and love...some glaringly obvious, others more subtle, as we shall see. The most obvious were as follows:
*Few (if any) barrel threads visible between the frame and cylinder mating area; generally less than two, as the relief are is mostly square on the Beals, and arched on the Remington. On some reproductions, more than others.
*Visibly different loading lever, with very little "sail" material showing on the Beals, and the sides of the lever itself squared off compared to the Remington's round lever cross section and blended contour sail material.
*No safety notches in between chambers on the Beals, compared to the ones present on the Remington version.
Like the later model Remington's, the Beals was available in the standard .36 caliber Navy version as well as the .44 caliber Army version and incorporated the sliding cylinder pin and frame top strap that the Remington NMA is known for.
