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Remington Rolling Block 45-70
Wolftrap
Member Posts: 108 ✭✭
I'm looking at a Reminton Rolling Block Rifle to buy. Cal 45-70, about a 30" barrel with a bayonet lug on the right side, Stock Insp mark is HRH. There is not a set of proof markings to be found on the metal except for a H on the barrel and reciever on the left side. Good looking wood stock and long forend. My Questions Are is it US Military? and is it black powder only? And any guess at value.
Comments
The Danes are black powder rifles that date to the 1860's/70's time frame. The are made of wrought iron, not steel. Great care should be exercised that no modern smokeless ammo be fired in them.
Because of age and construction should be considered a wall hanger/conversation piece only. My WAG sight unseen probably be in the $300-$500 range?
There are no proof marks from any place but for the US Insp. mark on the stock. I did find the Inspectors mark in my lists, It's not HRH it is HBH. This stands for H. B. Hart a inspector in 1875 only. So I don't think it was made for Denmark. But I'm only guessing. It also has a set of Indexing Marks on top of thr Barrel and Reciever.
Maybe it's not original than? Rather something that Bannerman put together, from surplus parts? A substantial number of 50-70 RB's were made for the US military. Maybe thats where the stock marked HBH, came from? Most military rifles of that era I've seen have had U.S. inspection markings on the breech of the barrel, in some form. Even if it was a state militia rifle,would expect to see some form of identification or acceptance markings.
As far as I know the rolling blocks used by the U.S. military, were in 50-70 caliber.The original lot of conversions were 50-70 but in 1884 they bought hundreds of thousands of new 45-70 trapdoors.
There were a number of bolt actions such as the Lee and the Hotchkiss as well as several other single shots to choose from but they wound up making the gun which was designed to be kludged from a musket, but they made them new from scratch, and surplused the remaining 58 cal muskets which still numbered in the millions.
Some with HBH inspector's mark.
I believe that the State of New York had 45-70 RB's
I just retired from the N.Y. State Military Museum..all of ours are 50-70s..
There's a front sight that is mounted at 9 o'clock (viewed from the stock end) used for leading a target. You mentioned a bayonet lug being located on the right hand side but didn't mention which end you viewed it from. The rear sight will have an extension out the same direction. If thats the case, I would tend to believe it isnt 45-70 but Spanish Reformado