A number of years ago I wanted to build up a Rolling Block for long range shooting. I decided it would be a .40-65 Win. chamber, and began looking for an action. My friend the late Whitey Hanson had an original receiver, and after some swapping I got the action from him. I purchased the Green Mountain heavy full round barrel and had John Taylor fit it. Then cut it to 34".
Another friend had given me his stock blanks when he was near the end of his time, and I shaped and fitted them to the barreled action. My friend Wind Whitehill gave me the skeletonized buttplate and told me he thought it would be perfect for this project gun!
I polished everything out and sent the action off to Al Springer for color case, and had George Komandine rust blue the barrel. Reassembled the Roller and before I even fired it much, I got into a trade deal on an engraved Ballard and it went away!
Eventually the Rolling Block ended up in the hands of a good friend Steve, who used it successfully for long range matches and shooting. I told him if he ever wanted to sell it I was a buyer, and at our recent memorial shoot for Wind he offered the Rolling Block back to me. I'm pretty sure he wasn't done with it, and will miss it. But he knew how much I'd enjoy having it back and sold it to me at the shoot. He also brought loads with it so I could shoot it again before heading home with it! It was a great feeling to hear the old Roller hit the 990 yd. dinger, and know it finally made it back home!