The latest Rolling Block purchase just arrived here yesterday! A model I was certain I'd never own, and had actually built a clone of not that long ago, as I knew I'd never find a real Creedmoor rifle!
This my Long Range Creedmoor Rolling Block::
It has many of the features of all Creedmoor rifles, which include the 34" barrel, .44S marked for the .44-77SBN chambering. And the typical pistol grip checkered stock, and is set up for long range tang sights at the top tang, and the stock heel locations. Also set up for the windage globe front sight, and an extra dovetail ahead of the globe for the windage scale that was on early Creedmoor front sights.
The bore is fantastic, with no corrosion, and great rifling. Need to slug it, and do a chamber cast to determine it's still correct. But no reason to doubt it. Would be nice if it uses the same bullet mold my other .44-77SBN uses!
This rifle has some very unique features, besides the sights. It has a 1/8" dovetail cut over the chamber for a spirit level! It also has a full round barrel that is one of only a few known made. There were also a few made with full octagon, as Major Fulton of the US Creedmoor team had, as did Custer. All others were 34" half octagon barrels.
This gun was also built a year before the Creedmoor model was offered in Remington catalogs in 1874! Fulton's rifle is #3314, and Custer's is #3300, both built and shipped in 1874. Mine is in the #1500 range, so the lowest known serial number for a Remington Creedmoor. The guns built in 1873 were sold to people who had inside knowledge of the model coming out in 1874, since they weren't advertised, or in Remington's catalog. Wish I knew who might have ordered, or purchased this one? And wish the sights were still on it!
I have a correct windage globe front sight, and a decent repro tang sight from the run Remington did in 1997. But I'm ordering a nicer copy from The Original Sight Co. to put on the tang.
The Creedmoor model was built from 1873-1878, and less than 300 total built. They sold between $125 and $150 depending on wood grade, and checkering. At the same time a regular Rolling Block sporter sold for $28, so these were a very expensive rifle new!