Original U.S. Remington Rolling Block .50cal M1869 Small Frame Cadet Training Rifle

Original Item: Only One Available. The Remington Rolling Block rifle was a breech-loading rifle produced from the mid-1860s into the early 20th century by E. Remington and Sons (later Remington Arms Company). The action was extremely strong, and could easily withstand the increased pressure of the new smokeless powders coming into use by the late 1880s.

This is a very interesting "Cadet" training version of the Remington Rolling block system, produced using a 'small frame' receiver. The caliber is about .50", but the chamber looks to be too short for .50-70 government. We have not been able to find out exactly what the chambering is, but we assume for a relatively low pressure cartridge, or else such a small rifle would kick like a mule when fired. Some research suggests that it would be .50-45 Remington Carbine, which would make sense.

The rifle has seen use, but still has the Remington patent markings on the left side of the frame fully legible, with just a bit of wear:-

REMINGTONS ILION N.Y. U.S.A.
PAT. MAY 3D NOV. 15TH 1864 APRIL 17TH 1866

The other side of the receiver has a U.S. Military proof mark of P / F.C.W., indicating inspection by Frank C. Warner, who inspected Civilian Remington M1866 .50rf Pistols as well as M1867 Remington Navy Carbine. He may have also inspected Remington M1871 pistols. However, this definitely does not look to have originally been a pistol. The markings have been highlighted in white to make them easier to read. Definitely some great research potential here!

It has a standard military style fore stock, with two U marked barrel bands and a steel nose cap. There is a sling swivel on the upper band, and another on the trigger guard. The butt stock is the typical Remington style, but slightly scaled down for the smaller receiver. The stocks look to have been adapted from ones for the full size rifle, and then had bevels added where they meet the receiver, as well as wood filled in around the lower receiver tang. We can also see a filled in area where a sling swivel used to be. There is a flip up rear sight on the barrel, which is for 100 yards in the down position, and has notches for 300 and 500 yards when flipped up. There is a cleaning rod under the barrel, but it is definitely some type of replacement.

Condition is just great, with a lovely finish on all the metal components, with the original bluing present in many areas on the receiver. There is some wear in areas on the barrel, which looks to have had some rust peppering in the past, now cleaned away. The stocks are lovely, with that great dark red brown color that only aged oiled walnut achieves after over a century. There is some wood missing on the fore stock on the rear top near the receiver, probably because it is so thin at that point to fit around the barrel. There is also a repaired crack around the butt plate tang.

The bore is in excellent condition, bright and shiny with just a bit of fouling oxidation near the chamber. The three wide groove rifling somewhat shallow, but we assume this is because it is a training rifle, and not due to wear, as the edges of the lands are still sharp. The action cycles correctly, with the firing pin moving freely. The simple ejector on the top of the rolling cam is also present, though we have not tested it to see if it is able to eject a cartridge.

An Antique U.S. made Remington Rolling Block Cadet Rifle, ready to research and display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: c.1870
Caliber: .50-45 Remington Carbine (possibly)
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 27 7/8 Inches
Overall Length: 42 1/4 Inches
Action type: Rolling Block with Rear Hammer
Feed System: Single Shot

History of the Remington Rolling Block Rifle:

It was made in a variety of calibers, both rimfire and centerfire, including the 12.17x42 mm rimfire, 12.17x44 mm rimfire and 12.17x44 mm rimmed centerfire Swedish and Norwegian cartridges, .43 Spanish (11.15x58mmR), .50-70, 40-70,45-70, and later in .22 caliber. Later models were produced in .30-06 Springfield, 7×57mm Mauser, and 8×50mmR Lebel.

In 12.17x42mmRF and 12.18x44mmRF (two cartridges that were interchangeable), and towards the end of its service life also 8x58mmR Danish Krag centerfire, it served as the standard service rifle of the Swedish Army from 1867 to the mid-1890s (when it was replaced by the Swedish Mauser) and in Norway as the standard service rifle from 1867 to the mid-1880s (when it was replaced by the M1884 Jarmann). In .43 Spanish it was the chief service arm of the Spanish Army from 1870-1893, and was used by reserve and militia forces for many years thereafter. Many Rolling Block rifles were used by Argentina before being replaced in 1891 by the new 7.65mm Mauser, and were also widely used by Egypt and Mexico. The Remington rolling block also became the standard service rifle of the Danish Army. During the Franco-Prussian War, France acquired 210,000 Rolling Block rifles to make up for a shortage of the standard-issue Chassepot.

During World War I, the British Royal Navy purchased 4,500 Rolling Block rifles in 7mm Mauser from Remington's leftover stock after production had ended, issuing them to the crews of minesweepers and Q-ships. In November 1914, production of the Rolling Block was resumed, in the form of a French contract for rifles in 8×50mmR Lebel, designated by France as "Fusil Remington modèle 1914". 100,291 such rifles were delivered by 1916, and used to equip rear-line troops.

NOTE: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.