Remington Rolling Blocks

[Muley Gil]

I was wondering how many other Forum members like the rolling block. My first centerfire rifle was a .43 Spanish Remington rolling block carbine, bought at the Baltimore antique gun show back around 1971. I also bought a few old cartridges. Most of them fired the first time around, though I did have a few hangfires.

After I fired those rounds, I didn't have anymore ammo. As I was doing a lot of muzzleloading then, I decapped the Berdan primed cases, added black powder, then put a large rifle primer over the anvil. I chambered the round, put the roller on half cock, then muzzle loaded a patched round ball while CAREFULLY leaning the muzzle away from me. It wasn't accurate, buy HEY, it went bang!

When I finally wore out the anvils in my cases, I bored out the primer pocket and pressed in shotgun primers. By now, I had settled on a case of FFg BP, with a round ball pressed into the mouth. It was a decent plinker.

While in college at Auburn, I found a retired Army officer, Lt Colonel Enterkin, over in Columbus GA. He made me a few .43 Spanish rounds from .45-70 brass. I still didn't have a bench press and there was no Lee Loader available. I wound up trading that rolling block towards a .30-40 Krag. Wish I had it back now.

I had a Star in .30-30 for a little while, but sold it before I got a chance to shoot it.

About 6 years ago, I decided to get another rolling block. I had been looking for one in .32-20, but my budget couldn't afford one. I ordered a Uberti carbine in .357. It is a pretty thang and shoots good too.

I also found an original Model 4 in .22 LR on Auction Arms. Got it for under $200. It's a solid frame, with an octagon barrel.

I still need to get a another rifle. Wish I could afford a Lone Star.

Here are the two I own:

 

[29aholic]

I love rolling blocks. As a kid I can remember the first really big bore gun I shot was a converted Egyptian to 45-70 with a Numrich Arms buffalo hunter barrel that my best friends Dad had built. Octagon barrel that was 1 1/8" across the flats barely even moved under recoil...just kinda slid back. Two decades later I found one at a gun show and started loading for it using the original recipe of 70grs FF BP and a 405gr cast bullet. The gun was so accurate I had it drilled and tapped for Unertl scope blocks and put a 20x Lyman Super Target on it just to see how good it would shoot. I was getting 3/4" groups at a 100yds with the combo. Not all that long ago a friend and gun dealer offered me WAY more than I could turn down for the gun and I let him have it. I have regretted it ever since

 

[Wyatt Burp]

My dad bought this in the early sixties through the mail right to the house for $14.95. It's a 7MM full stock military rifle with bayonet lug.. I haven't shot it yet. I always loved it as a kid and still do. I have a wallhanger three band .43 he got for $9 back then, too.

 

[Iggy]

Picked this one up in it's present configuration with the intention of returning it to somewhat original condition for some BP shooting, but never got around to it.

I paid $35.00 for it probably 30 years ago.

I haven't found much use for a .357 Magnum single shot carbine just yet, but who knows.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Picked this one up in it's present configuration with the intention of returning it to somewhat original condition for some BP shooting, but never got around to it.

I paid $35.00 for it probably 30 years ago.

I haven't found much use for a .357 Magnum single shot carbine just yet, but who knows.

That's kinda neat, really. Excepy that extreme roll over cheekpiece would be hard on lefties like me.
When I was in Wyoming a long time ago I remember pulling over at dusk to take a leak. There was something strange about these little round "rocks" down in this gulch. I tossed a rock and all those little rocks were cottontails running all over.
That little .357 with proper .38 Specials might come in handy there.

 

[mkk41]

I like looking back at the pre-68 gum magazines and seeing the prices rolling blokcs brought then. I remember seeing several made into lamps way back when.

 

[Iggy]

There was something strange about these little round "rocks" down in this gulch. I tossed a rock and all those little rocks were cottontails running all over.
That little .357 with proper .38 Specials might come in handy there.[/QUOTE]

There doesn't seem to be an absence of things to shoot at in Wyoming. There also seems to be room to do it in too.

 

[deadin]

Wyatt,
What are these 7mm RB's worth these days?
I've got one sitting in the back of my safe that I've been thinking of passing on. It's a M1902 with the ejector instead of just an extractor. It is uncrested and never did have one. No military marks at all, but it is the military model. (Full stock, ramrod, bayonet lug, etc.)
I would rate the gun as Very Good to Fine with a dark, but strong bore.
I've hit the usual suspects (GB, GA, AA) and Flayderman for values and they seem to be in the $500+ range. Are they selling for this??

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Wyatt,
What are these 7mm RB's worth these days?
I've got one sitting in the back of my safe that I've been thinking of passing on. It's a M1902 with the ejector instead of just an extractor. It is uncrested and never did have one. No military marks at all, but it is the military model. (Full stock, ramrod, bayonet lug, etc.)
I would rate the gun as Very Good to Fine with a dark, but strong bore.
I've hit the usual suspects (GB, GA, AA) and Flayderman for values and they seem to be in the $500+ range. Are they selling for this??

There's one just like mine, and yours, without the refinished stock like mine, at a local store here for about $750. I don't know if that's realistic or not.

 

[deadin]

$750. I don't know if that's realistic or not

I would love it if it is, but I think that may be just a tad high. I've seen a couple at that price at local gunshows, but I haven't seen anyone digging out their wallets.

 

[mxbob]

Having been enamoured of single shot rifles for a long time, I have and shoot several rolling blocks. They range from standard configuration to some elaborate custom jobs.Each of my grandkids have a no4 in 22 for their first gun. They are not the most elegant of the single shots but their simplicity is appealing.
Bob Ray

 

[feralmerril]

About 40 years ago I traded into a whitneyville armory 50 caliber buffalo rifle. It looked exactly like the remington rolling block but was much bigger. I belive the remington must have bought them out. There were a lot of dovetails on the huge octogon barrel. I made the mistake of takeing it to a gunshow. A guy bought it from me and said this one goes over his fireplace. He said that the dovetails was the result of a old frontiersman that moved the sights as his eyes aged. I later found out the guy I sold it too was roy howser owner of the exspendsive high end pony exspress gun shop in californina!
Another time around 1970 I was at a large swap meet. I was a few dollars short of buying a remington rolling block carbine in 50-70. Some indian had owned it and there were many brass tacks on it. Think I had $40s and the guy wouldnt come down from $50s!

 

[deadin]

Ah!! The Good Old Days!!

That's one of the problems of growing older, you tend to remember how things used to be and the lower prices on most everything. Unfortunately I tend to forget just how much I was making a month in those days.
I still find it very difficult to pay what Victories or M1917s are bringing today when I remember what they were 40 or 50 years ago.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Ah!! The Good Old Days!!

That's one of the problems of growing older, you tend to remember how things used to be and the lower prices on most everything. Unfortunately I tend to forget just how much I was making a month in those days.
I still find it very difficult to pay what Victories or M1917s are bringing today when I remember what they were 40 or 50 years ago.

Deadin, I'm going through that right now. I was the first to bid on a NIB Win. 95 SRC. The recent ones. It was a steal at $850. He sold it to another guy. Now there's one listed for $1000. That's still a good price but I'm tainted because of the one I ALMOST got for $850. Plus I don't have a grand right now anyway.

 

[feralmerril]

Somebody say winchester 95? Here is my old original 30-40. The back sight was missing, I found something that fit the holes without drilling, but the handguard wont fit over the sight. Shoots nice. I have had it for 40 years. Cant remember what I traded or gave for it, but I am sure it wasnt over $125s!

 

[delta-419]

I love those old guns! The Rollingblock is a true piece of history and a lot of fun to shoot. I have 3, two actions made into 45-70s, one with a 30" barrel and one with a 32". The 32" one has the origional military butt stock with steel plate and a new forearm and a tang sight. Its my "Creedmore" blackpowder gun and can hit a steel plate at 300 yds. with a 405gr lead RN. The 3rd one is a 7mm Spanish Mauser SRC and has a muzzel blast that will knock your ears off. The 30" gun started out life as a Mexican musket that was more rust than gun. We were able to salvage the action that was a jewel under all the crud and with enough real steel (massive receiver) to allow all the pits to be polished out. They are a bit over built, but the Mexican GIs of old times didn't treat them lightly. I need to take my RBs out of the safe and go for a day at the range.

 

[jimmyj]

Hi:
My first Remington Rolling Block Rifle came from my scoutmaster in the early 1950s. He had purchased two from the arsenal were he was assigned as a Army GI (Annison, Ala.?). His unit was destroying surplus weapons such as sabres. The Rolling Blocks were next to be destroyed. Some of the GIs requested permission to purchased some of the rifles. They were allowed to purchased two per indiviual at fifty cents each.
Mine had the three corner bayonet also. I think the caliber was .50/70.
I always wondered if the rifles were US issue or conficated from possible the Spanish during the Spanish-American War?
Jimmy

 

[Muley Gil]

After the War of Northern Aggression, the US Gov't wanted to save money. The first infantry breechloader experiment was a 1863 rifle musket converted to .58 rimfire. Next was the .50-70, followed by the .45-70 in 1873. These were all Trapdoors.

Remington built some .50-70 rolling blocks. The New York militia bought some, as did, IIRC, the US Navy.

"I haven't found much use for a .357 Magnum single shot carbine just yet, but who knows."

Yours looks like it was built on a fullsize rifle action. My Uberti is on the pistol action and weighs about 4-4 1/2 lbs. It kicks a tad with .357 Magnums. It is lots of fun with .38 specials, just a bit more recoil than a .22 LR.

 

[klondike]

Uberti is now making them. I see a 45-70 with a 22" tube that calls to me but a 30-30 with the 22" barrel would be a fun woods gun. The 30-30 could be rechambered to the perfect 30-40 (long neck for cast bullets).

 

[Muley Gil]

I'm not so sure I want to fire a 4 1/2 lbs .45-70! My Marlin 1895, at 7 lbs, kicked pretty good.

Uberti 1871 Rolling Block Hunter Carbine