Remington introduced the No.7 Rolling Block in 1903, and it was the last pattern of the action to be introduced. They were expensive, hand fitted guns, costing $24 in 1903 (compared to $12 for a standard No.2 pattern Rolling Block). The only reason Remington made them was that they were built on 1871 pattern Rolling Block pistol frames, which were left over and unused in Remington’s warehouse – so why not sell them in a new configuration? The standard barrel length was 26 inches, with 24 and 28 available optionally, and they were chambered for .22 Short, .22 Long, .22 Long Rifle, .25-10 Stevens Rimfire, and .32-20 centerfire. The grip of the pistol frame made for a very nice target rifle, and these were sold with fancy tang mounted aperture sights. Only 350 were made between 1903 and 1910, numbered from 300001 to 300350.
Artillery
“Double Deuce” 2-Bore Rifle: A Gunsmithing Spectacle
Double Deuce rifle Lil’ Deuce pistol The largest sporting rifles ever actually used in the field as more than an exhibition were 4-bore stopping rifles, firing roughly 1″ in diameter (25mm) projectiles. These were intended […]
Antiques
The First S&W .38: The “Baby Russian”
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Shotgun
Duckbill Done Right? Testing the A&W Diverter Shotgun Barrel (w/ Matt Haught)
The A&W Diverter was designed by Clifford Ashbrook and Wilson Wing to change a shotgun’s circular pattern into a horizontal linear one. They applied for a patent in 1967, and it was granted in 1970 […]
Would still make for a nice target rifle today, but as was the case a century ago restarting manufacture of the pistol sized rolling block receivers is too expensive. Too bad… I could totally see me buying this in .22 WMR.
I think it would be inexpensive to produce these by modern methods, especially at that end of the performance spectrum.
Hmmm, ‘The Late’ they were – but were they really ‘The Last’?
How about the 1914 French 8 mm Lebel-chambered Rolling Blocks then?
Well they were Remington’s last, the French did not yet give up the Tradition 🙂