An old Remington resurrected

[tark]

First, apologies if my pics are sideways Psychotic computer.

I got this old #2 rolling block and have been looking for 32 rimfire ammo ever since. Jim in Anchorage to the rescue! Now I have 200 rounds and finally, a chance to shoot this old roller. The action is tight and the bore is very good for a 150 year old rifle.

Only one problem.....I got a puff of gas in the face about every other shot. The cases were splitting, and it wasn't the ammo's fault, it was the gun. It has an oversize chamber.

But, since a 32 doesn't exactly operate at high pressure, I just put on some safety goggles and went for it. The gas leakage wasn't all that bad, actually, no more than a little puff. The target speaks for itself, the aiming point was six o'clock on the black, so the old girl shoots to point of aim!

I have to wonder how accurate it might be if half the bullets didn't have pressure leaking away as the bullet traveled down the bore?

Still, its a lot of fun to shoot one of the first breech loading cartridge rifles ever made. If I planed on shooting it a lot I would probably have a bushing installed at the breech and re-cut the chamber, but why bother? Maybe if they start making 32 rimfire again I still might.

Thanks again to Jim in Anchorage, without whom I never could have shot it at all.

 

[WestKentucky]

You could convert it to centerfire. I seem to recall folks talking about that being a simple and common conversion.

 

[tark]

He sure would have. I'm gonna miss him.

I have heard of the conversion and that is another option. It would be a simple matter to lengthen the chamber to a 32-20. I think the bore is already the correct size.

 

[Speedo66]

Aside from the oversized chamber, sounds like a nice gun. Good luck with it.

Any idea what year it was manufactured?

 

[tark]

Since it was based on the 1871 pistol, I'm guessing the #2s started production in the early 1870s.

 

[bannockburn]

tark

Nice old Remington rolling block! And kudos to Jim in Anchorage for helping you with the ammo so you could get it up and running again.

 

[rodinal220]

You could try rolling your own:

http://32rimfire.blogspot.com/

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=8154

 

[jim in Anchorage]

You're more then welcome tark. Makes me feel good to help out a fellow shooter.
As far as the split cases, a Stevens tip up .32 RF. I had did the same thing with both CIL. and original ammo. It never hurt anything so I just shot it.
Seems the chambers were little sloppy in the 18 hundreds.
What range did you shoot that target at? I wonder what the group would look like if you marked and didn't count the splits
Edit: I see it was 35 yards.

 

[Scooter22]

Ver cool old roller. It was made 70 miles down the road from me. I'd love to pick up a old military one as a cast boolit shooter. But back to your problem. Why don't you get a roll of the silver foil duct sealing tape at HD or lowes and try putting a wrap or two around the case to take up the space. I have a Egytion Martini Greener Police shotgun in 14ga. Luckily it has the singlt point FP. I also have a lot of old 16ga ammo. So a couple wraps of 2" masking tape takes up the gap and works fine for as much as I shoot it. Give the duct tape a try. Id bet it will stop the splits. Good luck.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nashua-T...ulti-Purpose-HVAC-Foil-Tape-1207792/100030120

 

[Panzerschwein]

Aren't these considered boys rifles? Or is it another Rolling Block?

 

[aarondhgraham]

I wonder,,,

I wonder if it couldn't be re-chambered for a modern cartridge of some ilk,,,
You might need to hand-load them to mouse-phart levels,,,
But it would keep you shooting the old gal.

Just a thought.

Aarond

.

 

[Guntransfer16]

shes a beauty good find!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have a Hammond Game Getter -- this is a cartridge case with an off-center "flash hole." The flash hole is really a chamber for .22 nail setter blanks. The projectile is a sized buckshot. I use it when deer hunting for squirrels and so on that threaten to carry me off.

While mine is for a .30-06, the same approach would work in your rolling block. I would take a chamber casting, and have a machinist or a friend with a lathe turn a few cases out of brass or mild steel, chamber them for the .22 blank, and use an appropriately sized buckshot.

 

[tark]

Watched a video on converting a 32 rimfire to a 32-20. It isn't that hard at all and I have everything necessary to do it. Bore size is the same. On a scale of one to ten, with ascending #s being more desirable, my gun's bore is about a six. At least nothing keyholed on my target.

I was surprised at the penetration in old weathered barn wood, nearly four inches. But then, old barn wood isn't that tough.

Still, the collector in me screams NOOOOOOO! Leave it original!

I probably will. I have other 32-20s to shoot if I feel the urge.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Watched a video on converting a 32 rimfire to a 32-20. It isn't that hard at all and I have everything necessary to do it. Bore size is the same. On a scale of one to ten, with ascending #s being more desirable, my gun's bore is about a six. At least nothing keyholed on my target.

I was surprised at the penetration in old weathered barn wood, nearly four inches. But then, old barn wood isn't that tough.

Still, the collector in me screams NOOOOOOO! Leave it original!

I probably will. I have other 32-20s to shoot if I feel the urge.

Excellent choice to leave it oridginal.That gun is much to nice to hack up. I speak as someone who owns old guns in very good condition (a Rem 25 pump and a Winchester M43) that a prior owner drilled and taped. For scope mounts and it pains me to look at them.

 

[Hardtarget]

Just reading and wondered if .32 long would work. How would that work with rim fire convert to center fire? Cool old rifle. Be nice to get it regular shooter status!

Mark

 

[Kendal Black]

How to convert it

Larry Potterfield smiles his way through the conversion process, .32 RF to .32-20. This might be the vid you have seen already...






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfFxjX4jMkU

 

[tark]

I know how you feel, Jim. I have a savage 23D in 22 Hornet that some jackass tried to mount a scope to. The result was a bunch of badly drilled holes in all the wrong places. Since it was butchered already, I drilled holes in the right places which are covered up by the scope mount. Looks ok now but I still cringe when I think what it looked like when I first saw it.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Yeah. I can't post a pic of it right now but not only did some butcher drill and tap holes in the left side of the receiver of my Rem 25 he also milled a notch in the receiver flare(where it meets the wood) all the way into the wood. XX. wood I might add and. no way to hide or repair.