Video - shooting my .58 Roberts Remington rolling block

[ndnchf]

It's been a while since I shot the .58 Roberts RRB. I'd not chronographed this rifle before, so was curious what it would do. I was pleased to find this load of 60gr of Goex 2F under a 494gr bullet averaged 1139fps. Not too shabby!

The 19th century factory dip lube worked great too. I went 30 shots without wiping. Even then I could see shiny grooves looking down the barrel. Nice lube star at the muzzle as well.

I made a short video of the fun.

https://youtu.be/t151cMpjyxM

[RustyReel]

Thanks for sharing. I had never heard of the 58 Roberts or the Springfield/Rolling Block mix. Neat!

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello ndnchf,

Tell us more, what did you use for brass.
Very interesting rifle.

AntiqueSledMan.

[ndnchf]

Way back in 2013 I started a discussion about it in the CASCITY forum. Lots of details here.

https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=50010.0

[toot]

what is the brass made from and how did you make it?

[ndnchf]

what is the brass made from and how did you make it?
Brass came from RMC, then modified by me. See link above for details.

[Earlwb]

Thanks for sharing. I didn't know about the .58 Roberts until I read your threads here. I looked it up and it was interesting in how it came about and so on. Since it was used in South America, Brazil and then Argentina, it obviously would not be known much around here in the US.

[koger]

Thanks for sharing and the video. You and I had talked about the round before.
Always interested in a roller.

[ndnchf]

It certainly is an oddball. That's what attracted it to me in the first place. Texas and South Carolina bought some for militia use, but most went overseas. Mine has no identifying marks, so its history is unknown. While its outside is rough, the bore is near excellent. And surprisingly, of all my rollers, this has the smoothest action of all. Rolling back the block and hammer are buttery smooth. Really amazing.

[Lostinidaho]

Great video. So many old odd ball rounds. It is fun to make them work again. Often the rifles/carbine of these odd balls are cheaper and in great condition.

[WILCO]

Enjoyed the video Steve. Well done.

[Lostinidaho]

Is this you 1 part paraffin, 1 part mutton tallow, and 1/2 part beeswax lube?

[ndnchf]

Is this you 1 part paraffin, 1 part mutton tallow, and 1/2 part beeswax lube?
Teams, that's it. I really like it.

[john.k]

The velocity surprised me.....I assume the loss of pressure from the vent in the equivalent muzzle loader is much greater than I had supposed......This has enthused me to convert my old Zouave replica to a .58 rolling block ,there is a historic precedent,Remington did it....Now to find a No 1 action somewhere for the project.

[john.k]

There is another interesting facet to the rolling block conversions .......in the British musket conversion trials of 1865/66,Remington submitted a 58 rimfire rolling block ,and also a far more unusual rolling block capping breechloader.......I havent seen pics of this closeup,but it seems the actual rifle was sold by Bannermans around 1907,with the comment that the rare,unique gun had British proofs.....De Haas has a picture of a sidehammer rolling block ,and I assume any capping gun must have been sidehammer.

[ndnchf]

I've read of the m1841 Missisippi rifle conversions. I was surprised by the velocity too. It definitely has some kick. I just finished reloading my shells for another round of fun.

[sackettboys]

Thanks for the video, didn't know these existed. Do you know how many Remington built? That's a good idea for using a ready supply of parts. I noticed the rear sight sets pretty far back on the barrel, any issue when lining up the sights?

[ndnchf]

I don't know how many, but it was quite a lot. They were selling them into the early 1880s. Many went to Europe. They aren't hard to find. They often show up on gunbroker and similar sites. No problem with the sights, just with my aging eyes.

[sackettboys]

Read your Cas City thread, that was a great read. You've done a lot of load development, have you finally settled down on a recipe for your rounds?

[ndnchf]

60gr of Goex 2F, compressed about .060" topped with a wax paper wad, 485gr, .594" minie is where I'm at. Unless I invest in a custom, solid base bullet, this is where I'll stay. I don't shoot it a lot, it's more of a novelty than anything else. I have many other rolling blocks to play with.

[smkummer]

Is this similar to the 58 Miller? I remember an older gent. selling a 1865 Springfield Allen for not too much but I had no idea how I was going to shoot it. And by that time, I was making ammo for a friend with a MKIII snider.

[ndnchf]

Similar. The 1865 Allin conversion was rimfire. This is centerfire.

[Dave T]

ndnchf,

Enjoyed both your thread on CAS City and this one. I admire your ability, and tenaciousness, at solving problems.

Good shooting,
Dave

[sharps4590]

Outstanding!!! Well done sir! Old cartridges and rifles of any nationality are immensely interesting. Generally I'm into sporting rifles but a combination like that? I could get interested. As with others, neither had I heard of the Roberts...or some of the others mentioned. Thank you sir, for posting the video.

[ndnchf]

Thanks guys, appreciate your feedback. It is immensely satisfying to research, and get these old, long forgotten rifles goung again.