Custom Remington Roller

[ColColt]

I've been considering a Pedersoli Roller and have been looking at the various ones. Tonight I found this one by Remington Custom Shop. I don't know if it's worth the price but I'd say not many left their custom shop.


http://www.gunsinternational.com/REMINGTON-NO-1-ROLLING-BLOCK-CREEDMORE-CAL-45-70-MID-RANGE-TARGET-DELUXE-RIFLE-NEW-IN-CASE-CUSTOM-SHOP-BUILT.cfm?gun_id=100493312

[John Allen]

It is good looking but I have no idea about the price.

[ColColt]

I don't know if it's a good deal or not...sure looks good.

[JSnover]

I paid $2000 to have one built by Lone Star a few years ago. This one from Remington has fancy wood and a nice case.

[ColColt]

I don't know what happened with Lone Star but, whatever it was it's a shame they are no longer in business.

[Nobade]

Guy that ran it died.

-Nobade

[ColColt]

Higgenbotham...I remember now. What a tragedy.

[Hiwall55]

If you want a good roller go to Arizona sharpshooters, steve has one built by John King listed

[ColColt]

I saw that one as well and emailed Steve Rhoades about it who in turn gave me Ken's email address. I'm curious about the caliber. Evidently, you make it by running 45-70 brass into a 44 die.

[.22-10-45]

Wife and I were returning home thru Illion, N.Y. and I decided to visit the Remington factory..they had just came out with this new built rolling block earlier that year. I had high hopes..at last an authentic roller made by the original company!..the pictures in the gun magazines sure were pretty. There was one in their showroom, and I asked to handle it. First thing I did was attempt to cock hammer & open breech..no go..this thing wouldn't even cock! One of the techs came over and could tell he was embarrassed. The metal work was dissapointing..overpolished hot blueing..rather black in color and garish cynide dip color-case. Now I was expecting authentic rust-blue & bone-meal color-case. Once again our gunmakers had dropped the ball and put the bottom line over authentic finish and workmanship. Few years later ordered a custom Lone Star .40-70.

[waksupi]

If you got the one John King built, you would know it's a shooter.

[ColColt]

I looked for brass for it and couldn't find any 44-70 Remington. BACO has 44-60 but no 44-70. Jamison doesn't even make it nor does Starline. The 44-70 Maynard is a straight case and I don't think that would work.

[ColColt]

Speaking of Lone Star, I ran across this 50-90 and can't believe it's still there...gorgeous wood and price. The crescent butt stock would be murder.

http://www.bpcr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7129

[Hiwall55]

44 Rem is made by sizing 45-70 just like 40-65

[The Goose]

That is my rifle for sale and I will admit that the crescent butt can be painful. I usually wear a shoulder pad when I shoot it.



Speaking of Lone Star, I ran across this 50-90 and can't believe it's still there...gorgeous wood and price. The crescent butt stock would be murder.

http://www.bpcr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7129

[451 Pete]

ColColt,

Back in the late 1990's Remington made two rolling block rifles. One was the high grade that you found on GI and the other was a std. grade. I found one in the high grade from the custom shop and purchased it around the year 2000 and its cost was about what the cost is of the listing you found. I called the Remington Custom Shop when I bought the one I have and was told that they had maybe made around 200 of the high grade models and so I have never shot mine. ( Besides for shooting the silhouette game I also have a ballard and a sharps that shoot better than I can hold. ) I have however known two other shooters that purchased the high grade Remington in this model and shot theirs in competition. The rifles seem to shoot well but are a bit on the light side at less than 10 lbs. ( BPCS allows up to 12 lbs 2 oz in total weight for the rifle as shot. ) The sights are decent but the windage adjustments are made on the front sight which takes some getting used to.
http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o589/451pete/016.jpg
Hope this helps ..... Pete

[ColColt]

That is some fine looking wood on that rifle. No way I could own a rifle and not shoot it. I had a revolver once I never shot and ended up selling it since I'm not a collector. It was an 1861 Colt Signature Edition BP pistol. that Remington is made to shoot.

[John Boy]

Col, if you are in the market for a Rolling Block, yes the Lone Stars are the top end quality comparable to Shiloh Sharps and accordingly so are the prices . You might want to consider the Pedersoli RB, if a replica fancies you. Otherwise, look for a Remington #1 with a good bore in a BP caliber in the $600 to $900 range depending on wood & bore. I have 3 originals, two 1879's and the #5 in 7mm that is a carbine which went to Uruguay. Also in the safe is a Lone Star Silhouette model that is a 99% rifle in 45-70
The originals all have mint bores/very good wood and together have 3 calibers: 43 Spanish, 50-70 and 7mm which allow a variety of shooting. Excluding the 7mm, all the calibers are accurate to 1000yds shooting BP reloads including the Lone Star

[ColColt]

I did look at the Pedersoli John Bodine and Long Range Creedmoor models but the custom Remington caught my eye. The Pedersolis would no doubt shoot just as good and they seem to have a good reputation for accuracy. I'd never be lucky enough to find an original with a good bore. I've seen them at the local gun shows in 7mm mostly but the bore was gone in most I looked at. I probably should have gotten one good specimen and just changed out the barrel.

[rfd]

earlier this year i was seriously jonsing for a lone star roller, but alas, as reported above, neither the gunsmith nor lone star are alive. i'd heard mostly not-so-good things about the modern remington roller reissue, and nothing in the used mart caught my eye or wallet, so instead i went the pedersoli route and got their john bodine w/34" barrel. wow. maybe i just got lucky, but what a sweet rifle. heartily recommended. i've only got about 400 rounds through it so far (all my hand loads, smokeless aa5744 but about to load it with swiss 1-1/2f), and the only concerns/issues/fixes have been - loc tite down the front globe site, add a kick killer butt pad, replace the single aperture eye cup with a hadley. got my johnny b from baco.

http://i.imgur.com/jFwvYBy.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/glqoGz1.jpg

[ColColt]

I've looked at those but rather have the 30" barrel. How is the tang sight-no problems with adjustments or getting them to stay?

BTW-When you get ready to try BP Swiss 1.5 is about as good as it gets. I use 64 gr of it with a .030" Walter's wad and the 530 gr Postell bullet. That one and the Lyman 457125 520 gr are the two best bullets I have for my Browning 1885 45-70. I'm getting ready to try some Olde Eynsford 1.5 powder to see how it compares. I've read it's even cleaner than Swiss and I can't imagine that. Goex is about as dirty as you'll find. With Swiss I run one wet patch through followed by 2-3 dry ones and the last one is as clean coming out as going in.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/ColColt/Targets/_1DF3098a_zps12b58c88.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/ColColt/media/Targets/_1DF3098a_zps12b58c88.jpg.html)

[rfd]

I've looked at those but rather have the 30" barrel. How is the tang sight-no problems with adjustments or getting them to stay?

yep, the bodine roller can be had with either a 30" or 34" full octo barrel. the 30" will keep the total weight down to under 12# to be silhouette match legal.

i've had no issues with the vernier tang sight. it's not a soule, so the micro windage adjustment is on the aperture slide. you will probably want to add a hadley eyecup, for it's multi aperture choice.

oh yeah, one more thing - i replaced the barrel buckhorn sight with a level, since the front globe didn't come with one. shooting without a level is a quick road to failure.

after i did the initial shakedown and ran more than a 100 of my handloads thru this rifle, and made the few mods to it, i'm super glad i got it and would get another again in a heartbeat. that 1:18 pedersoli barrel is just exceptional. i'm a decent shooter at best, and managed to squeak out a 132 out of 150 score on an mr63c target face at 200 yards. with the right cartridge, this rifle is easily capable of 1.5 moa or better at 200 yds, and my pathetic shooting just doesn't do it justice. but i'm workin' at it.

http://i.imgur.com/qrnal06.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gpkoqvl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/guwVk5g.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ATZuJyW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HCBHYqn.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/t4Er885.jpg

[ColColt]

It's sure a fine looking rifle and the wood is better than I would have thought. I have a globe and level front sight on the Browning and most likely if I were to get one of Pendersoli's RB's I'd add the MVA #113 front sight with level to it. I just about a month ago ordered a Lee Shaver Hadley and put it on the Browning...makes a big difference when light levels change.

You'll love shooting BP in the Roller. I've read where you have to put the stock on yourself, they send it separate. Any problems getting it to fit?

[rfd]

didn't expect it but the wood is super nice, no complaints at all.

don't never hurt to use really good sights. ;)

the only thing in my way of shooting black powder right now is the weather - i've cast the boolits and built the rounds, but dang it's cold!

yes, the butt stock is shipped off the action (smart move), but it's too stupid easy to bolt on.

[ColColt]

Yep, to blasted cold here, too. When I can see my breath outside it's too cold to raise the garage doors for casting ventilation. I have a new mold I want to try but it's going to have to get over 50 for any casting here.

[rfd]

i can cast year round in my basement shop (no smelting!) and set aside a corner for the furnaces, rigged up a super quiet (2 sones) and powerful (70cfm) bathroom exhaust fan to route the fumes outside. it all works very well. the plywood window exhaust baffle is removable so that the glass window can be dropped back in place.

i have a pair of 10# lyman furnances for pistol and rifle boolit alloys, and i use a small 4# lee melter for running pure lead .440 flintlock balls ...

http://i.imgur.com/o4eEbds.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pfmTcUQ.jpg

[ColColt]

That's the kind of setup I need but due to a gas dryer being over the window I could use, I have to raise the garage door instead.

[rfd]

it's such a pleasure to be able to cast indoors during the loooong winter months, and get ready for the spring thaw and the coming match events. maybe you can add a removable exhaust panel to yer garage door?

casting roto-metal 1:20 in a lyman 10# dipper ladle pot, .45-70 lyman #457193 405 grain (casts @ 415 grains) and lee 459-500-3r (casts @ 488 grains), dipped in gato lube.

http://i.imgur.com/xrMQu2G.jpg


hard to impossible to grab really pointy boolits, or boolits with not much nose to grasp with hemostats, so i bent some music wire and made a boolit cradle fer dippin and it works too easy and fast ...

http://i.imgur.com/XnPsqse.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/tngVqPh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rIGrM0d.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/k6rsL3p.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dqpaC9u.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/S8k0Oal.jpg

[ColColt]

That's a great setup. I did manage to knock out about 150 of Brooks' 530 gr Postell yesterday since the weather wasn't too bad at 49 degrees I just raised the garage door.

Neat little tool you have there. I would say Yankee ingenuity can't e beat but you're a far cry from a Yankee. The lube looks a lot like the SPG I use...great stuff. I use a Lyman 4500 to lube and that works for me.

[rfd]

nobade turned me on to the "ugly cat lube" (gatofeo) - 2 parts paraffin, 2 parts mutton tallow, and one part beeswax - i mix it by volume. it looks and feels a lot like spg, but so do many other boolit lubes. i've used spg and gato lube works just the same, plus it's way way way cheaper than spg and it's too easy to home brew. i get the mutton tallow from dixie gun works.

pure, strained tupelo dark honey beeswax in the foreground, light lemon yellow gato lube in the background ...

http://i.imgur.com/z2JGPXh.jpg

[ColColt]

Mutton tallow...bet that doesn't smell like Old Spice.

[rfd]

Mutton tallow...bet that doesn't smell like Old Spice.

honestly, the gato lube smells good 'n' mellow ... maybe due to the sweet smell of tupelo honey beeswax. :)