Navy Arms (Uberti) Rolling Block Single Shot Pistol - ** Photos Added **

[geo]

i've posted this question before but every now and then i try again.

in the late 1970's for about three years uberti marketed a .45 lc remington rolling block single shot pistol. navy arms did distribute them for a while. i have only seen one or two on the market but in a commemorative model and the asking price because of all the inlay work was way up there.

i am looking for that model to convert to a spencer 56-.50 cartridge for a side arm to my spencer. i am not looking to convert a high dollar commemorative. but a garden variety .45 can work for black powder; getting it rebarreled/rebored.

thanks, geo.

[French Jack]

I would have my doubts as to whether the receiver is large enough for the cartridge.  The head size on the 56-50 is going to put quite a stretch to fit it in the action ring.  I know a fellow who has one chambered in 45 colt, will give him a e-mail and see if he can measure the action at the receiver ring.  This would give you a very good idea whether it is practical without going further.

[St. George]

If I remember correctly - Navy Arms built that weapon in .357 Magnum, as well as .45 Colt.

Attempting to chamber the piece in the caliber you want may require significant work, as the .56-50 is a larger round, overall.

The Remington Rolling Block pistol was originally chambered in .50 Rimfire and .50 Centerfire, and was never considered a U.S. military arm, though purchased by both the Army and Navy in limited quantities.

There were simply better weapons available and safer ones, at that.

Konrad F. Schrier's book - 'Remington Rolling Block Firearms' is a good reference to review.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Two Flints]

Hello SSS,

Wrong caliber, but thought I'd post this just the same




Scarce Remington M. 1891 Rolling Block Target Pistol

This M. 1891 target pistol was first offered by Remington for 10 dollars in its 1894 catalogue. Factory records indicate that only 116 were sold between 1892 and 1899. This one has a 10 1/16 inch octagon to round barrel in caliber .22 rimfire short. The long and long rifle ammunition will not chamber. Reference on this pistol is "Remington Rolling Block Pistols" by Jerry Landskron. Some confusion exists as to correct position of the serial and assembly numbers. The reference mentioned states that the assembly numbers are on the left side of the top and bottom grip straps, in this case No. 1176 and that the actual serial No. 180 appears on the upper left strap and on both pieces of wood (Ref. Page 185). The barrel marking is "Remington Arms Co. Ilion, N.Y." which is correct for a gun produced after The company name change in 1888 (Ref. Pg. 134). The left frame marking is the standard 2 line version "Remington's Ilion N.Y., U.S.A. /Pat May 3rd Nov, 15th 1864, April 17th 1866". The rear buckhorn sight ears have been flattened and the step elevator altered somewhat. The front is a sporting type with straw coloring (Ref. Pg. 135). As to condition and finish remaining, the frame shows about 25% fading case color with a spot of pitting on the right side. The triggerguard also shows some traces of case color. The breech block has 90% blue and the trigger about 50%. The hammer has about 75% straw color. The barrel has about 10% blue now mixed with brown. The grips have a 2" crack in the left side and retain about 60% original varnish, with the forend showing an equal amount. A rare Remington M. 1891 single shot pistol also shown and described on Page 121 of "Remington, America's Oldest Gunmaker Since 1816" by Roy Marcot. The bore is bright with some very fine scattered frosting. Antique

[Grizzle Bear]

Last time I looked, Uberti still showed these on their website.  They come in .22rf and .357Mag.  Your FFL ought to be able to order one directly from Uberti.

Grizzle Bear

[geo]

thanks for the responses and the advice. yes, i am concerned too that the breech may be too small for the spencer round. that's why i was looking for the .45. the others, the .22 and the .357, i would guess are too small. somewhere, maybe here, i read that a shooter had a smokeless powder rolling block rifle rebarreled for a larger bp round and it worked fine; was able to keep the original breech action and it ejected the case without adjustment. yes, i can get originals in the .50 but they are running close to $2k and i would not want to experiment on such a valuable item. please keep me posted. geo.

[Hell-Er High Water]

geo,

Here are some dimensions from my Uberti RRB pistol in 357 Mag.  I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that the frames were the same on all models.  With these dimensions from my pistol, it appears that the frame would also handle the 45 Colt round.

Barrel shank where it extends through the rear of the frame and butts up against the closed breech block - 0.800" diameter.  The threaded portion must be larger as there are no threads on this portion of the barrel shank.

Barrel width at front of receiver - 0.898" across the flats of the octagon portion of the barrel.

Reciever outside width - 1.007".

Receiver length where barrel is screwed in - 1.182".

Breech block and hammer width - 0.563".  This would completly support the rim of a 45 Colt but the 56-50 (Starline rim dia 0.630") would extend a bit on each side.  My Starline brass measures 0.558" head dia so the head portion in front of the rim would be supported by the breech block.

If you are able to complete this project it would be interesting to see the final results and hear the details as to how it was done.

Hope that this info helps you on your way.

HHW

[Mossyrock]

Someone on this site has taken one of the .45 Colt Rolling Block rifles (same action as the pistol) and rebarrelled it to 56-50 Spencer, basically turning it into a mini military carbine.  Cute little bugger!  I did a few searches but can't come up with it.  Keep digging...the info is in here somewhere! 

Edit:  Actually, there must be at least two of them here.  Here is info on one of them.  There is another one here with pics, but I can't find it.

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,9288.0.html

[Two Flints]

Found these additional links regarding RB and Spencer conversions on SSS 

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,17223.0.html

or this one?

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,6648.0.html

[Two Flints]

Remington 1871 Army Rolling Block 50 caliber single shot pistol. 8 inch barrel, walnut grip and forarm. Blue finish with case hardened frame. 6000 were made from 1871 to 1872. 5000 for the army and 1000 for commercial sales. This one is missing its tang screw. Metal has about 10% original finish with no pits or rust on the outside. Bore is dark with pitting. Stocks are complete with no cracks or chips. This is a military model with P S inspector stamp on left side reciever. Stock cartouche is not visible. Shipping is $25.00 direct to you or your FFL dealer if required by your state. We are an authorized California shipper. Check out our other auctions we will gladly combine shipping. We accept USPS money orders or bank cashiers checks only. We also accept Visa/MC/Discover through our secure online server at www.loneoaktrading.com/securecheckout.asp.









at this link:  http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=106753590

and another RB 1871 at this link:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=106652493

[French Jack]

If you measured the barrel shank at .800, then you would probably not have enough room for the cartridge head.  Even after cut for the rim, you only have .016 left.  This would leave you only .008 on each side of the cartridge.  That is not nearly enough to fit an extractor.  I suspect that you should go no further.  The originals had a larger receiver ring, and were chambered for a 50 ca. round, even then it was the maximum size that would function with an extractor.

[Two Flints]

Here's another:

Remington 1871 Rolling Block pistol. Has excellent original blue throughout the barrel and 85% bright case colors. All markings are sharp and clear. Good wood and sharp cartouche. Excellent overall condition! $2,795.00:  At Collectors Firearms, Inc.

[geo]

someone suggested a tc contender conversion. anyone out there got a tc contender frame they want to sell for cheap? or just a cheap tc contender? thanks, geo.