I misunderstood Dave on telephone.
Freebore length is 0.200" not .020".
I like this even better.
Will start another thread with this reamer print,
now past the musing stage.

I received my barrel from Oregon Barrel Works on Friday and visually it is great. I believe I have all of my parts and can now start the assembly process.

loud-n-boomer,

Good to know that they are delivering barrels, so I might get one of those barrels too, some day.

And BTW, I found a "restored" RB at a gunshow last weekend. It started life as a 43 Spanish of earliest No. 1 configuration.
It is now a 45-70 Govt carbine.
Doug Turnbull could do no better.

Here is the top tang on my latest acquisition:



Looks like the same markings as on the action that started this thread, except after gunsmith polishing and color-case-hardening,
the markings are not quite obliterated.
Compare to previous photo of the "parts" action:



The gunsmith who "restored" the 43 Spanish Rolling Block No. 1 to a 45-70 Govt Carbine lives in NC.
He says he has sworn off Rolling Blocks.
So I am lucky to get this one.
The parts I was collecting will work on this one.
Here it is next to a Pedersoli 45-70 in a more "sporting" configuration, the ex-military carbine is in the foreground:



Take the leather bag off the Soule sight and the "45-70 Buffalo Sporter" weighs 11 pounds and 14 ounces, 11.875 pounds.
The carbine weighs 7 lbs and 3 oz, 7.1875 pounds.
4.6875" weight differential between the two 45-70's.
The "Buffalo Sporter" is about 65 % heavier than the carbine.

The heavy one has a 30" octagon barrel that is a straight taper from 1.125" at the breech to 1.000" at the muzzle, across the flats.
The light one has a 22-3/16" round barrel that is 1.020" at the breech and straight-tapers to 0.750" at the muzzle diameter.

Some new wood would make it spiffy.
Not bad as is if you like the look of cigarette burns on your butt.
Maybe a 150-year-old walnut butt?
The wood might have been cut a few months before the iron was forged.
But parts is parts, the wood might be only a century old.



















The buckhorn rear sight is so bad it is good, like a peep sight to center the top of the blade front sight,
like a patridge in a pear tree.

Riflecrank Internationale Permanente

I have 'mused myself enough over the Rolling Block action I found at a gunshow.
I just read the GUN DIGEST, 69th EDITION, 2015 article pp. 257-264 by George Layman, "The Mystery of the Egyptian and Greek Remingtons."
The shape of the breechblock axis indicates it was made after August 1870: See photos on pages 258 and 264.

"The upper and lower tang flats of most military rolling blocks have either an alphanumeric or stand-alone serial number. This example, a Greek Model Remington, shows this quite clearly." See photo on page 263.

Here is my action serial number (BELOW), might "G" stand for "Greek" possibly?





Possible scenario:

Some Greek contract rifles (1000 of the 13,500 were carbines) in .43 Egyptian were diverted to France during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 (plus 24/7 production added to total 149,957 French Model .43 Egyptian rifles).
These were sold/dumped back to an American distributor at war's end ... then barrel set back and rechambered to .43 Spanish ... "French Model Transformed" or "Remington Egyptian Rifle Bushed for Spanish Cartridge" ...
Then sold to a Latin American country, then finally ending up at Bannerman's?

I think I will leave my spare rolling block action as a paperweight and parts source until I muse about it some more.

Riflecrank Internationale Permanente

Well sir, you are certainly squared away with rolling blocks. It's always nice to have an action "in the bank."

Bill,

I have 'mused and abused myself enough over this.
I was thinking about one of those Gemmer-hermaphrodite Sharps, but have seen the light.

I will use the Pedersoli for rebarreling to .50-70 Govt.
It will differ from General Custer's in that mine will have the round-top action instead of flat-top,
mine will have a barrel-band forearm attachment, instead of screw,
and I have a single, non-set trigger of about 2.5# pull weight, instead of double-set trigger.



The fat barrel on the Pedersoli above is a straight octagon about 1.100" across the flats all the way from breech to muzzle.

I am guessing my imitation "Custer Rolling Block" .50-70 will be considerably lighter than the "Buffalo" 45-70.
Barrel is like LNB's, 1.1" at breech, 0.9" at muzzle, Rough&Ready rear sight and Beach-Combo front.
Accidentally like General Custer's Sporting RB. That just makes good sense, even if he did not make good sense at the Little Big Horn.

My antique No. 1 carbine action is in the bank, as you say, for future use.
The unfinished buttstock might go on the "restored" .45-70 carbine. Parts is parts.

Rifle Crank Internationale Permanente

Gone to the dark side, smokeless powder loads,
of course this one could be used with BP also.
Until then, from the Big Bore forum, a little big bore,
similar to the one from the Little Big Horn:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...4711043/m/5591065232

She has a really nice, light (2-pound-or-less, like about 30 ounces), crisp, single-stage trigger.
The sights are well aligned with where the bullets hit the dirt berm,
in the back of the Gunsmith Shop and Spa for Wayward Guns.
Weighing in at 9#-12oz (9.75 pounds),
with a lively, perfect balance that is much better than a fence post,
I present the .50-70-650 Supersonic:





I'd say the brief stay at The Gun Spa was quite rejuvenating.
She lost 2#-2oz!
The 28" barrel is 2" shorter and considerably slimmer outside, and .50-bore instead of .45-bore.
Rough & Ready rear plus Beach front combo sights are lighter too.
She was formerly a 30" fat-barreled .45-70 Govt that weighed 11#-14oz with tang & globe sights:



More of the rejuvenated rifle:







What is this? Some red Dye-Chem needing cleaning?:









Barrel has been fouled by five NFBPE loads with 459-grain lead bullets, the once-fired cases:



I will clean it and break it in further with the 680-grain Hoch bullets and the .510/535-grain S&H Brass FN bullets.
Maybe that will polish the tool marks off the lands.
She will chamber all these:



What is this? A booger of forearm bedding on the right side of the R&R rear sight?:



That should not be too hard to pick off, with a fingernail.





THE FEW THE PROUD THE 395 FAMILY
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I need a Beech for my .50-70 too. Eager to hear your thoughts on the Rough and Ready at the range, RIP.

Bill,

So far:

The Rough & Ready combo rear sight plus the Beach combo front sight: Will report on benchrest performance.
I like it so far after just 3 shots offhand at a dirt berm in the backyard at The Gunsmith Shop and Spa for Wayward Guns.

I think I am going to have to but a Beach on my .47-140 (3-1/4") Lang Necked rifle also, aka 470 NE Ruger No. 1.
But will have to think twice about the R&R combo rear sight there.
It goes where the Picatinny/quarter rib goes.
Maybe two-pice Weaver bases fore and aft of the R&R?

www.montanavintagearms.com

Front combo, Beach:

Rear combo, Rough & Ready:



Most commonly spelled "Beach" but even Hallowell spells it both ways: Beach/beech

http://www.hallowellco.com/bee...tion_front_sight.htm

"Beach Combination Front Sight"

Fine bead covered with protective ring:



Fine bead folded down, exposing the ordinary blade:



The fine bead in position:



"Beach Combination Sight - A type of front sight, hinged, to show either an ordinary bead or a very fine bead necessarily encircled by a protective ring."



THE FEW THE PROUD THE 395 FAMILY
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Track of the Wolf's version: "Beach's front sight"

I guess designed by Mr. Beach?



"Beach's Front Sight Blank, steel base":
"This replica of Beach's front sight copies the post Civil War front sight found on many fine single shot and lever action rifles. The blued steel base has a .379" dovetail, .082" deep, .670" wide. The brass leaf cams over a spring, forward to show an open sight post, back to show a globe with pin head bead. Imported from Italy.
"The blade sight will stand about .400" above the plane of the barrel. The bead of the globe sight will stand about .480" above the plane of the barrel."

https://www.trackofthewolf.com...px/875/1/FS-DP-BEACH

THE FEW THE PROUD THE 395 FAMILY
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