Another Grouse Gun!

[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?