The rifle may now be fired by squeezing the trigger, or the hammer may be eased forward to its half-cock "safety notch" position for carry in the field. Roll the breechblock upward and forward to again seal the breech. Next, insert a cartridge manually into the chamber. If there is a fired cartridge case in the chamber, it will be elevated by the extractor for removal by hand. Then thumb the pivoted breechblock (rolling block) backward and down to reveal the chamber. To operate a rolling block rifle, first cock the hammer. And Remington rolling block rifles on all action sizes have always had a good reputation for accuracy. This action is adequately strong but not particularly fast to operate it is, however, smooth and reliable.
II.Īll Remington rolling block rifles use the same basic principle of design, which is an "L" shaped pivoting or hinged breech block pinned to the receiver in front of and below the axis of the barrel and a traditional exposed hammer placed behind the breechblock ("rolling block") that must be manually cocked for every shot. I believe that the last (.22 rimfire) rolling block rifles were discontinued during W.W. Remington Rolling block single shot rifles were produced throughout the latter decades of the 19th Century and the first decades of the 20th Century. Ultimately, over 1.5 million rolling block military rifles were produced.
Remington rolling block rifles were produced under license in Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain, and perhaps other places. They were also purchased by state militias, most notably the New York Militia. 45-70 by the Army), Argentina, Denmark, Guatemala, Holland, Puerto Rico (Voluntarios), Spain, Sweden/Norway, Uruguay, and others. (first by the Navy in 1867 and later in limited numbers in. Remington rolling block rifles were produced as military muskets and carbines as well as for civilian use, and were adopted by many countries. Compared to more sophisticated single shot actions like the Browning/Winchester Model 1885 and Farquharson, the Rider rolling block was relatively economical to produce, and this contributed to its longevity. 22 rimfire, and survived well into the 20th Century. Rolling block rifles were produced in various action sizes for calibers from.
By 1866 the Remington-Rider rolling block rifle had evolved. It evolved from a design patented in 1863 by a Remington employee named Leonard Geiger and was improved over the next three years by Joseph Rider, who was the Remington factory superintendent. It was probably the most popular rifle used by the old time buffalo (bison) hunters. The Remington-Rider rolling block became Remington's enduring plains or "buffalo" single shot rifle design. Illustration courtesy of Remington Arms Co.