Another Grouse Gun!

[Roundsworth]

Here's my latest acquisition. It is chambered for the 16B or 20. The breech locks up tight and should work well with the Polywad Vintagers I have. It will be fun chasing the ruffies with it!

[Dean Romig]

That should be a lotta fun! Be careful of that buttplate!

Have you checked the choke?

[Roundsworth]

The choke is interesting! I have not measured it yet, but, it appears that the last 1/2 to 3/4" of the barrel has been swaged(?) down to form a choke. Many of these guns have rifle barrels that are bored out. Apparently, the threads were turned down to allow the rifle barrel to be turned in 1/2 turn more, putting the rear sight dovetail and screw hole under the forend. This gun does not have any rear sight mountings under the forend, such as I've seen in photos. There is, however, a piece dovetailed to the barrel to receive the forend screw. There is the possibility that this is an original rifle sight dovetail, or, it may be one of the guns that used an actual shotgun barrel. Very little info is out there about these guns. About all I know is that it is a No. 2.

[Jim DiSpagno]

What you have there is a #1 Remington R/B on a military black powder frame. They were called foragers. These gun got into civilian hands most likely via Bannerman. A # 2 R/B is built on the target pistol frame and most were rimfire calibers with the exceptions .32-40, .38-40, & .44-40 all pistol cartridges and centerfire were rare in the #2.
The Remington R/B was probably the strongest singleshot rifle made with few moving parts and large frame size. The military model was made in the millions for various countries and Springfield Arsenal made a .50-70 for the NYS Militia.
Husqvarna and Sweden used the license to make them and a few Belgian copies show up now and again. Whitney Arms also made a variation that never really caught on. Good condition Rem. Sporting models on the 1 and 1 1/2 frame command a premium and there are variations that bring big $$$
The models are: #1 large bore B/P calibers
#1 1/2 medium centerfire and rimfire
#2 small frame RF and pistol calibers
#3 "The Hepburn" is not a rolling block but was made at the same time
#4 Tiny frame rimfire small calibers. .22, .25, .32 both solid frame and takedown
# 5 Large frame military for smokeless centerfire calibers. 7mm,30-40 Krag, 8MM lebel Bannerman sporterized some for the private sector
#6 Small rimfire boys rifle, not really a R/B but more of a belgian parlor gun
#7 atarget rimfire that is rarely encountered in original form and commands a huge premium. Built an a pistol frame with a tang site intergrated on the rear spur and a well defined pistol grip and sometimes, a
target buttplate. calibers .22, .25, .25-10 Stevens, .25-25 Steven, and .32

[Roundsworth]

Thanks, Jim. I cannot recall where I read that the RB shotgun was made in two versions, the No. 1 and No. 2.

[Roundsworth]

Could this 'B' indicate a Bannerman gun?

[Ben Rawls]

A friend has a #7 that was loaned to a friend 30 years ago. When he got it back it was reblued(badly) and the stock refinished (badly). It had previously been nicely original but he went out of the country and the friend took it to store for him.

[chris dawe]

Those old rollers are fun ,here's one I restored... it has straight rifling and can shoot the 16 bore pumpkin balls minute of Moose which is all on can expect really ...the Swedish named it something I can't pronounce (or apparently spell) but roughly translates to "Moose gun"

Hearing those big slugs whistle through the air at the range and shake the target berm really turns heads !
Sorry for the poor pic

[Researcher]

Husqvarna in Sweden and Nagant Brothers in Liege, Belgium, probably made more rolling block shotguns than came out of Ilion, during the E. Remington & Sons years.

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/foru...hp?f=6&t=16689

Remington Arms Co. made two versions briefly in the early 1890s, the No. 1 Shotgun, a sporting style gun with "fine walnut stock" and shotgun style buttplate costing $13.50. The No. 2 Shotgun, made from military rifle parts, with a rifle-style buttplate costing $10. Both were 20-gauge, available with thirty- or thirty-two-inch blued barrels. The No. 1 was discontinued after 1892 and the No. 2 the following year when Remington Arms Co. introduced their Model 1893, No. 3 Single-Barrel Shotgun. (the above from Roy Marcot's book)

[Roundsworth]

Thank you for the info, Dave! Now I know

Chris, my first Rolling Block was a Swedish model worked over in 1893 for the 8x58R. It was sporterized in Sweden and ultimately found its way to the U.S. I wish I woulda kept it! Your 16 bore is a real jewel.