Mounted with straight grain American walnut, uncheckered, with full length forestock, no bands & no handguard, which is correct for this model. It has early bbl markings “REMINGTON ARMS-UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE CO.” with usual trademark & caliber markings. It has 28” rnd bbl with standard front sight & the common short, 2-pc, adjustable rear sight. It is estimated that fewer than 300 were ever made and are rarely ever encountered in any condition. These rare rifles are only shown in one illustrated price list in 1912. WARNING: Many vintage firearms are unsafe to shoot and I do not advise shooting them since I do not know the specific firearm that may be involved or its condition.*EXTREMELY RARE REMINGTON MODEL 4S CADET ROLLING BLOCK TAKEDOWN RIFLE. I’ve been considering trying to polish that corrosion smooth with a Dremel tool, but I doubt this old veteran will ever have acceptable accuracy unless the barrel is relined (won’t do it) or counter-bored (might consider it).
Each following shot builds up lead there until it’s obvious what’s going on. A chunk of corrosion exists there that is barely noticed when the bore is clean – but it’s apparently just enough to nick the side of the cast bullet as it passes and throw it off of its intended path. I took this rifle to the range with 20 rounds of ammo and found out I had the ultra-rare version of the NY Rolling block that shoots around corners! Actually after a few shots without hitting paper, I examined the bore and saw a silvery mound on one side of the bore a fraction of an inch down the muzzle. Too bad New York didn’t get the memo in time for the 1872 rifle. This cartridge was developed for the Regular Army in 1866 and replaced by the. 50 caliber bullet using 70 grains of powder. As usual, I’ll describe the bayonet in my next post. I’m not sure if that’s 100% correct, but it is period and looks good. I replaced it with another vintage sling designed like military slings of the 1860s and 70s. Although that would also be correct for this rifle at the end of its use, I already had a sling like that on another rifle. Mine is also marked 18 and H on the back of the butt plate – I assume that’s a rack number meaning rifle number 18 in Company H. The rifle is marked with patent dates on the top tang of the rifle (alas too pitted to read on my example) and the stock bears the inspectors cartouche (also alas, it’s too light to read the initials on mine). What really stands out though is the rifle’s exaggeratedly long hammer spur and large side located breach block lever – both with shield shaped cross hatched thumb grips. For one thing, the state specified these had to have a half-cock safety. The New York rolling blocks had some special features. The Remington Rolling Block would serve New York until the 1890s, and one source indicates rolling blocks served with NY Militiamen deployed out West during the Indian Wars. New York, however, was not bound by what the Regulars did, and so ordered 15,000 Rolling Blocks, with a follow up order of an additional 4,500 a couple years later. When the Army finally decided to adopt a new breach loader, several models were tested, and in spite of the high performance of the rolling block, the Army went with an in-house design very much like the conversions. As the era of the muzzle loading rifle came to an end, the Feds were more interested in converting their existing stocks to breach loaders. 50-70 Caliber Remington Rolling Block as issued to the New York State Militia.Īfter the Civil War, with more than enough firearms in inventory, the Regular US Army wasn’t enthusiastic about purchasing new designs. Here’s my other Remington rolling block – The.