Lee Model 1879
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 749 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.86 kg
- Introduced
- 1879
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Lee Model 1879 is a bolt-action repeating rifle chambered in .45-70 Government, designed by James Paris Lee and among the first bolt-action rifles with a detachable box magazine adopted by U.S. forces. Manufacturing of the Lee Arms Co. contract was first handed to the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, and after Sharps went bankrupt in 1881, Remington completed the rifles for the U.S. Navy. The action used a two-lug bolt locking via the handle root and a lug on the left receiver wall, fed from a five-round detachable box magazine, and was issued to the U.S. Navy in the early 1880s.
James Paris Lee, a Scottish-born immigrant who came to the United States via Canada, patented the detachable box magazine that defined this rifle. Though the Model 1879 saw only modest U.S. Navy adoption, Lee's box-magazine concept proved revolutionary and became the foundation of the legendary Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield service rifles.
Patented by James Paris Lee on November 4, 1879. The U.S. Navy initially ordered 300 rifles, followed by a larger contract; roughly 7,500 Model 1879 rifles were completed by Remington between 1881 and 1884. The detachable box magazine pioneered on this rifle influenced later Lee designs including the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Remington Arms
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1879 to 1885
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 749 mm
- Overall length
- 1232 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.86 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 411 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2215 J
- Effective range
- 550 m
- Maximum range
- 1000 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Detachable box magazine
Two lug bolt
Straight bolt handle
Full length stock
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 54 .45-70 Government rifles | 3.86 kg | 4.08 kg | Lighter than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 52 .45-70 Government rifles | 1232 mm | 1198 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 58 .45-70 Government rifles | 749 mm | 711 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 57 .45-70 Government rifles | 5 | 1 | Holds more rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Lee Model 1879
How much does the Lee Model 1879 weigh?
The Lee Model 1879 weighs 3.86 kg (8.51 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Lee Model 1879?
The Lee Model 1879 is chambered in .45-70 Government.
How many rounds does the Lee Model 1879 hold?
The Lee Model 1879 holds 5 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Lee Model 1879?
The Lee Model 1879 is 1232 mm (48.5 in) long overall, with a 749 mm (29.5 in) barrel.
Who makes the Lee Model 1879?
The Lee Model 1879 is made by Remington Arms (United States). It was designed by James Paris Lee.
When was the Lee Model 1879 introduced?
The Lee Model 1879 was introduced in 1879 and discontinued in 1885.
How does the Lee Model 1879 operate?
The Lee Model 1879 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Navy
- 1880
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/lee-1879' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "lee-1879", "name": "Lee Model 1879", "manufacturer": { "id": "remington", "name": "Remington Arms", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1816, "website": "https://www.remarms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "f839df62af811e3e261014e3302be8a7e112b5d78fb2f9f7bfad68d74817c9c8" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1879, "barrel_length_mm": 749, "weight_empty_g": 3860, "action_type": "bolt_action"}