When it comes to collecting, I would place Remington in the No. 3 slot behind Colt and Winchester. While its products have been every bit as good as--and in some cases even better than--its two major competitors, its arms have never achieved the stratospheric prices we see in some of the others.

To the collector--especially the beginner--this is actually a good thing because a good number of Remington's products are still available for a reasonable tariff, although the high-roller can still find expensive, exotic goodies. Let's take a look at a selection of both types.

Remington traces its origins back to 1816 when the founder, Eliphalet, and his blacksmith father decided that they could built rifles with better barrels than were then available. After checking out the competition's wares, young Eliphalet began turning out rifled barrels of exceptional quality, to be sold as separate components to those who wanted to fabricate their own guns.

The next logical step was to produce a complete rifle, and the resulting flintlock half-stock performed so well in local competitions that demand for Remington's rifles turned the father and son from blacksmithing into full-time gun manufacturing. By 1828 the company became so successful that it moved to larger quarters in Ilion, New York.

Early Remington rifles employed locks supplied from other sources that were stamped with the Remington name. Because of this, there is much question as to when the first long arms wholly produced by Remington really did appear. The Jenks breechloading carbine built under government contract in the late 1840s holds that distinction--even though, like other contract pieces the company would subsequently produce, it was not a Remington design.

Other early military arms made by Remington include the Model 1841 "Mississippi" rifle, which the company made from around 1850 to 1854, and Model 1861 Rifle-Muskets built during the latter part of the Civil War.

Remington also cataloged some interesting rifle canes based on the patents of J.F. Thomas. Designed to look like walking sticks, they featured various decorative handles depicting a dog's head, a ball and claw, as well as a number of simple shapes. Percussion models were made c. 1858-66 and cartridge versions from 1866-88. These are among the most collectible of Remington firearms.

One arm of the period peculiar to Remington--considered one of the most beautiful martial American arms, ever--was what eventually came to be called the Model 1863 "Zouave" rifle. As far as I can tell, the Zouave moniker came into being in 1961 when Navy Arms founder, Val Forgette, attached the catchy name to his Italian-made replica of the arm.

Today most original '63s turn up in such fine condition that it is questioned whether or not they actually saw combat. To date, no bona fide photograph of an 1861-65 period soldier with one has surfaced. Even so, they are highly popular with Remington and Civil War aficionados.

In 1857, Remington entered the handgun market and over the years turned out everything from percussion revolvers to .45 autos. In 1866, the company curiously adopted its New Model Revolver to a rifle. Probably less than 1,000 were ultimately built, making it one of the company's more elusive collectibles.

In 1865, Remington introduced an unprepossessing little breechloading cartridge carbine called the Split Breech. The mechanism was soon improved by Remington designer Joseph Rider, turning it into one of the most important rifles ever designed: the Remington Rolling Block.