My Roller project

[marlinman93]

This one started out as a crusty receiver from a civilian sporting model. A friend contacted me and wanted to know if he could build a varmint rifle on this action, and what calibers it could handle.
After a brief discussion of the weaknesses of the early Rolling Blocks, he decided to just sell the action and go with a Hi Wall instead. I decided I couldn't pass it up, and the whole retoration began!
Started out by polishing the receiver out, and ordering a Green Mountain .40 cal. barrel with 1-14" twist rate. A heavy 34" blank was ordered, then contoured and chopped to .32", and chambered for .40-65 Win.
I then sent some nice blanks I had to Dave Crossno in Ok. and had Dave cut patterns for a Rolling Block #1 Sporter. I fitted a steel nose cap, and skeletonized buttplate to the wood, and finished with 8-9 coats of Wipe-On Poly.
Sent the action off to Al Springer for case coloring, and the barrel and block parts out to a local finisher for rust bluing.
Finally ordered a Lee Shaver soule tang sight, and a spirit level globe front sight.
When everything arrived home I gathered it all in the gun room and assembled it into the finished #1 Roller. Haven't shot it yet, but soon I hope!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/Roll3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/rb17.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/rbstk1-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/rlr2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/bs1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/cch1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/cch3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/rp7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/rp3.jpg

[mag44uk]

I am dribbling into my keyboard.
That is rather delightfull!
Tony

[leftiye]

So nice that I'm jealous.

[NoDakJak]

Beautiful!! Wish that it was mine!
Neil

[Johnch]

I see 1 big problem !!




It isn't mine and my keyboard is wet with drool

You have a great looking rifle there

John

[218bee]

Boy, I have a roller that I want to convert to 40/65 and it needs wood...........if it comes out 10% as nice as yours, I'll be happy...........I put the "butch" in butcher

[6.5 mike]

Very, very nice. I like the old ones.

[45nut]

very impressive. very..

[marlinman93]

Thanks guys! It was a lot of fun, but I'll wait some time before I take on a project this big again! This is only my 3rd full restoration in a 10 yr. period, and each time I think I wont do it again, but then I do.
The two previous were a Ballard #4 in .45-70, and a Hepburn #3 also in .45-70.

[Rockydog]

Very nice rifle. If she shoots as good as she looks you'll have a double winner. RD

[trevj]

Where did you source the butt plate?

I piggybacked an order for a Treebone Winchester Model 70 one onto a friends order from Brownell's, and I am definately not impressed with it.

Aside from the price nearly doubling between the time it was checked on their website, and the time it was shipped, the casting was, well, excrement. The checkering was crooked and the points on the checkering were all rounded over. Not impressed! For what I paid, I suspect I could have found an original Winchester buttt plate. Live and learn.

I've put a bunch of work into it filing out the checkering, but I am starting to dislike the part enough that I doubt I will use it.

That skeleton plat looks really sharp! I have a Swede Rolling block and a 40 cal barrel gathered together for another long term project. Maybe something similar to what you have built there. Nice stuff all in all!

Cheers
Trev

[leadman]

Very beautiful rifle. I think you will be pleased with the 40-65. Do you know what the bore size is?
I have a Pedersoli Creedmoor with a .410" bore which is nice since I can use 41 mag. pistol boolits in it. The 265gr. LFN is an excellent shooter as well as the Lyman Snover.

If you want some of the Snovers to try I could send you some. I use them unsized or at .410".

[marlinman93]

Where did you source the butt plate?

I piggybacked an order for a Treebone Winchester Model 70 one onto a friends order from Brownell's, and I am definately not impressed with it.

Aside from the price nearly doubling between the time it was checked on their website, and the time it was shipped, the casting was, well, excrement. The checkering was crooked and the points on the checkering were all rounded over. Not impressed! For what I paid, I suspect I could have found an original Winchester buttt plate. Live and learn.

I've put a bunch of work into it filing out the checkering, but I am starting to dislike the part enough that I doubt I will use it.

That skeleton plat looks really sharp! I have a Swede Rolling block and a 40 cal barrel gathered together for another long term project. Maybe something similar to what you have built there. Nice stuff all in all!

Cheers
Trev


Trev, the buttplate was a gift from a friend who had it for a number of years. He figured he'd never use it, so he donated it for the project. The engraved plate came with all the screws, and about 1" of wood still attached to it, so I didn't have to have the screw heads engraved, just inlet it and go.
Track of the Wolf sells a skeletonized buttplate, but they aren't cheap anywhere I looked. They run from $125-$250 for one. Track is low at $125.

[marlinman93]

Very beautiful rifle. I think you will be pleased with the 40-65. Do you know what the bore size is?
I have a Pedersoli Creedmoor with a .410" bore which is nice since I can use 41 mag. pistol boolits in it. The 265gr. LFN is an excellent shooter as well as the Lyman Snover.

If you want some of the Snovers to try I could send you some. I use them unsized or at .410".

My barrel is a .406" bore with .004" grooves. I've got a couple molds already that I bought for my .40-70 Sharps on another original Roller. I'll give them both a try to see which one she likes. One is a lightweiht bullet of 275 gr., while the other is a heavy bullet of 420 grains. The fast twist in this barrel should stabilize the heavy bullet, but we'll see which one it likes best.

[wdr2]

Very nice looking rifle

[trevj]

Trev, the buttplate was a gift from a friend who had it for a number of years. He figured he'd never use it, so he donated it for the project. The engraved plate came with all the screws, and about 1" of wood still attached to it, so I didn't have to have the screw heads engraved, just inlet it and go.
Track of the Wolf sells a skeletonized buttplate, but they aren't cheap anywhere I looked. They run from $125-$250 for one. Track is low at $125.

Thanks for the word back!

Looks like if I aspire to one of those plates, I'm gonna have to start limbering up the file collection. Makes my hands hurt thinking of it! :D

Cheers
Trev

[leadman]

My Snover would be way too large, but sounds like you are all set. My 40-65 has a 1 in 18" twist and does real well with 400 gr. boolits.
One thing I ran into was the two different sizes of chambers for the 40-65. Apparrently Lyman was making dies for a chamber that used necked down 45-70 brass. My roller used a copy of the original dimensions with a smaller diameter in front of the rim. When I sized cases with the Lyman dies they would not fit my rifle. A gunshop owner had a Browning Hi-Wall that used the old dimensions and his dies would size the brass properly.
I finally polished out the rear of my chamber to take brass sized with my dies. Works good now.

[Buckshot]

..............That is a sure nuff wondrus looking rolling block you put together! Congrats.

..............Buckshot

[marlinman93]

Thanks again guys!

[Griff]

Vall,
Ya done good! All around excellent project. Can't wait to see the range report. You WILL be using the one true powder, yes?

[marlinman93]

Vall,
Ya done good! All around excellent project. Can't wait to see the range report. You WILL be using the one true powder, yes?

Got her out to the range today, but just had a few boxes of the PMC factory ammo that Track sells. Too light a bullet, and surprisingly they aren't BP! Box says they were 265 gr., and 1350 fps. I have a pretty tight twist rate to handle my heavier 400+ gr. bullets, so not quite what I will reload.
Still the gun shot pretty good for it's first trip out. I got groups under 1.5" at 100 yds. and we were hitting a bowling ball sized rock that sits across the swamp at 250 yds. offhand. Everyone enjoyed shooting up the three boxes of factory loads, which was another goal, so I can reload with heavier bullets and return for more load testing. With the black of course!