Video of Remington No.7 rolling block rifle

[BCRider]

It's 3 years old but it only just turned up as a suggestion for me. Does not seem from a search to have been brought up here in Single Shot....

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

All I can say is that I have a serious case of "gun lust" from viewing this little toy in all its magnificence.

I think that if I were to play around with making an action and finishing it into a nice little target rifle it might well be something along these lines.

[Bent Ramrod]

On the ASSRA forum, a guy made one of those #7s up from a Rodney Storie casting set and wrote it up, with photos, as it progressed. He also wrote it up in a series in the ASSRA Journal. It turned out spectacularly well.

They've always looked kind of fragile to me, compared to a Remington #2 RB, especially that rear sight and its mounting. Definitely not a rough-and-tumble woods or truck gun. A friend got a used original and is getting it set up for .22 BPCR competition. Ought to be interesting.

[marlinman93]

He always does a great job covering old guns, but he missed on the barrel contours when he stated they were all "half octagon". There have been some noted with full octagon barrels.
I'd love to own one, but with such small quantity made they go for huge money. Usually on the bottom end as low condition around $3500, to top end close to $10k. More if you found one engraved, or special order features.

[nuclearcricket]

Yes the stock is a bit on the fragile side. The Rear sight does stick up there but the mount is farily ridgid. The rest of the action is pretty much the same as the #2. I have 3 casting kits setting here, 2 from Rodney Storie and the 3rd I dont know who made it. The unknown one has the rear sight mount cast in place. From what I can see by looking at pics and vids the original was mounted in a dovetail and held with a screw. The one from RS I may not put sights on it and dedicate it to a scope rifle. Or I may make up a bit lower mount and put a Goodwin style rear sight on it. That is a long way down the road.
Bent, the one your friend is rebuilding sounds like an interesting project. It would be nice to get a report on it when its finished and see how well it shoots for him.
Sam

[marlinman93]

Sam, the rear tang sight isn't really a dovetail it's a round recess it sits into. I've seen a couple made up #7's done on Rolling Block pistols, and usually guys try to weld up, or build a base and use a Marbles tang sight to adapt to the build. Rarely do they get it perfect, but rarely are the rifles done as a perfect match either. Just good enough to look good at 20 ft.

[nuclearcricket]

Ok my bad on the dovetail, the round recess makes more sense from a manufacturing standpoint. If you could fit up a Marbles site that would make sense economically. I really don't think I would want to put that much effort into making one that only looks good at a distance. The price you have to give up for a stock and the machine work, might as well go a little farther and just make it as right as you can. And some has to take into consideration what it will be used for in the end. If you are going to be sniping squirrels and such looks are not as important as accuracy. If like me, your plans include using it as a match rifle kind of everything needs to be right. Since you can't use sights with clicks that kind of limits things when it comes to both iron and scope sights. Some day I will get mine to the point I have to put a lot of thought into the sights but for now I need to just find the time to finish up started projects, and then find time between jobs to work on stuff for me.
Sam

[marlinman93]

Ok my bad on the dovetail, the round recess makes more sense from a manufacturing standpoint. If you could fit up a Marbles site that would make sense economically. I really don't think I would want to put that much effort into making one that only looks good at a distance. The price you have to give up for a stock and the machine work, might as well go a little farther and just make it as right as you can. And some has to take into consideration what it will be used for in the end. If you are going to be sniping squirrels and such looks are not as important as accuracy. If like me, your plans include using it as a match rifle kind of everything needs to be right. Since you can't use sights with clicks that kind of limits things when it comes to both iron and scope sights. Some day I will get mine to the point I have to put a lot of thought into the sights but for now I need to just find the time to finish up started projects, and then find time between jobs to work on stuff for me.
Sam

I contemplated having a friend whose a retired tool and die maker build one from an old Remington pistol, but never found a pistol bad enough to want to donate to the job. I also contemplated using a mid range vernier and making a base to fit the normal spot so the adjustments would be nicer to repeat. Not like an original, but like somebody at some time wanted a more accurate rear sight. Might still do it if I ever fell into a #7 I could afford.

[nuclearcricket]

I do feel that the way the sights were set up on an original #7 was the rifle was to be used at a fixed range and not adjusted all that much. If you wanted to use one today for the .22 BPCR matches you would definitely want a much different rear sight set up. That is why I was thinking of a modified base style and a Goodman style of rear sight.
If you really want a #7 clone, one of Rodney Storie casting sets would probably be the better way to do. With the price of origional stuff constantly on the rise, it might be a better deal in the long run.
Sam

[marlinman93]

Unfortunately my friend who had the talent to do this type of build from one of Rodney's casting kits died a week ago. So I'm out of a wonderful resource for a number of gun tasks I used to have him do for me. So in the future my only option is to keep praying I'll stumble across a real #7 I can afford.

[John in PA]

Another option if you want to make one up is to find one of the Uberti Rolling Block pistol replicas and modify the upper tang , which is what Remington did to make the guns in the first place. Uberti hasn't offered those guns for quite a few years, but back in the '70's and early 80's, they imported quite a few. They show up on Gunbroker fairly regularly and often sell in the $400-500 range. .357 Mag and .22LR (and maybe .22mag??) if memory serves.

[nuclearcricket]

MarlinMan, my condolences for your loss.
John, I think you are right on the calibers but I think that possibly .22 hornet was also offered, not positive but I think. I have seen some original Rem pistols at gun shows, predominately at the Allentown PA show but don't remember of ever seeing any of the Uberti's. I do agree the Uberti would be a better choice for a conversion as opposed to butchering up an original.
Sam

[marlinman93]

I'd consider the Uberti if it was going to be a .22LR, but not for any CF cartridge. I've read more than one report of those having less than perfect metallurgy and being soft enough to wear the pins, blocks, etc. too soon.
Maybe once finished, and having them case hardened they might not be so soft? But there's also the legality of whether ATF would be OK with converting a pistol to a rifle using the modern action?