Remington Rolling Block rifle

Last updated
Remington Rolling Block
Gevar m-1867 Sverige (Remington - Armemuseum).jpg
Type Rolling-block rifle
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1867–1918 [ citation needed ]
Wars
Production history
DesignerJoseph Rider
Designed1864
Manufacturer Remington Arms Company
Specifications
Mass9.25 lb (4.20 kg)
Length50.4 in (1,280 mm) to 53.3 in (1,350 mm)
Barrel  length35.7 in (910 mm) to 37.4 in (950 mm)

Cartridge .58 Berdan
.50-70
.50-45 Carbine
12.7×45mmR Pontificio
12.17×42mm RF
12.17×44mmR
.45-70
.43 Spanish
.43 Egyptian
10.15×61mmR
8×58mmR Danish Krag
8×50mmR Lebel
11×59mmR Gras
.303 British
7.65×53mm Argentine
.30-40 Krag
.30-06 Springfield
7.62×54mmR
.30 Remington
7×57mm Mauser
6.5mm Daudeteau No. 12
.236 Remington
11 mm Danish
56-50 Spencer [9] Various Target/Sporting/Hunting Calibers
Action Rolling block
Feed system Breech-loading
SightsRear ramp & leaf sight, blade front sight

Remington Rolling Block is a family of breech-loading rifles that was produced from the mid-1860s into the early 20th century by E. Remington and Sons (later Remington Arms). The action was a medium strength action and developed some head space issues with the new smokeless powders coming into use by the late 1890s. A heavier #5 style action was produced for the later smokeless cartridges, but they still had issues with some ammunition.

Contents

These rifles were 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 .30-03 (predecessor to .30-06, 7×57mm Mauser, and 8×50mmR Lebel.

Service rifle

The Remington Rolling Block was developed from the 1863 pattern .50 calibre split breech carbine issued to the US Cavalry during the American Civil War. This earlier weapon was designed by Joseph Rider and Leonard Geiger to fire the same cartridges as the Spencer carbine. [10] The split breech rifle lacked a hammer spur because it self-cocked when the breechblock was opened. [11] In 1865, Rider improved the split breech design to create the rolling-block action which was named the "Remington System". [12]

Rolling-block breech Remington Rolling Block.jpg
Rolling-block breech

In 1867, the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway was the first military to adopt the rifle as the standard military rifle. Around 250,000 military rifles and carbines and 85,000 civilian rifles in Sweden, were produced under license by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori and Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag, and about 53,000 rifles in Norway by Kongsberg Vaapenfabrik.

In 12.17×42mmRF and 12.18×44mmRF (two cartridges that were interchangeable), and towards the end of its service life also 8×58mmR Danish Krag centerfire, the rolling-block served as the standard service rifle of the Swedish Army from 1867 to the mid-1890s, when it was replaced by the Swedish Mauser. In Norway it was 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 1869–1893, 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.

Like Sweden and Norway, Denmark adopted the rifle in 1867 in 11×41,5mmRF (11 mm caliber). [13] Initially the Royal Danish Army bought 40,000 rifles and 1800 carbines in the United States between 1867–1868. Later 31,551 rifles and about 4,600 carbines were made at the government owned rifle factory in Copenhagen. Production was halted in 1888 and the last rifles were decommissioned in 1940. [14] In Danish service it was replaced by the M/1889 Krag–Jørgensen.

Use by the British and French

The British Empire purchased rolling-blocks to arm the Egyptian Army during the 1870s. These were made in Liège, Belgium, in .43 Egyptian calibre and were issued with a sword bayonet. Rolling-block rifles were used against Muhammad Ahmad's Ansar Dervishes during the Mahdist War, including at the Siege of Khartoum where General Gordon met his end. [15] Guns with decorative brass Islamic crescents and Arabic inscriptions on the buttstock are not uncommon on the collector's market. [16] [17]

The French acquired 210,000 Egyptian rolling-block rifles to make up for a shortage of the standard-issue Chassepot and Tabatière rifles during the Franco-Prussian War. [18]

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. [19] 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. [20]

Civilian use

Along with the Sharps rifle it was one of two rifles probably used more than any other by the buffalo hunters who hunted the American bison herds in the 1870s and 1880s.[ citation needed ] The Rolling Block was also one of two makers rifles used by the US Creedmoor team to win the International Long Range matches held at Creedmoor Range on Long Island, NY in 1874. Team members shot against the Irish team with half the shooters using Rolling Block Creedmoor models, and the other half using Sharps Model 1874 Long Range rifles.

Civilian Remington Rolling Block rifles, and later surplus military rifles, became very popular among hunters in Scandinavia, particularly for moose hunting, with ammunition for the rifles being commonly available on the civilian market into the 1920s–1930s.[ citation needed ]

Military users

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krag–Jørgensen</span> Norwegian bolt-action rifle

The Krag–Jørgensen is a repeating bolt-action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Norway, Denmark, and the United States. About 300 were delivered to Boer forces of the South African Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single-shot</span> Firearm that holds one round of ammunition

In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have no moving parts other than the trigger, hammer/firing pin or frizzen, and therefore do not need a sizable receiver behind the barrel to accommodate a moving action, making them far less complex and more robust than revolvers or magazine/belt-fed firearms, but also with much slower rates of fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolt action</span> Type of firearm mechanism

Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by directly manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action (firearms)</span> Functional mechanism of breech-loading

In firearms terminology, an action is the functional mechanism of a breech-loading firearm that handles the ammunition cartridges, or the method by which that mechanism works. Actions are technically not present on muzzleloaders, as all those are single-shot firearms with a closed off breech with the powder and projectile manually loaded from the muzzle. Instead, the muzzleloader ignition mechanism is referred to as the lock.

Savage Arms is an American gunmaker based in Westfield, Massachusetts, with operations in Canada and China, PRC. Savage makes a variety of rimfire and centerfire rifles, as well as Stevens single-shot rifles and shotguns. The company is best known for the Model 99 lever-action rifle, no longer in production, and the .300 Savage. Savage was a subsidiary of Vista Outdoor until 2019 when it was spun off.

The Krag–Petersson was the first repeating rifle adopted by the armed forces of Norway and was one of the first repeating rifles to be adopted as standard issue by a military force, being preceded by the Swiss Vetterli adopted in 1867. Developed by Ole Herman Johannes Krag, the action of the Krag–Petersson was uniquely actuated by an oversized hammer. Another distinguishing feature was that the cartridge rising from the magazine was not seated automatically, but had to be pushed into the breech of the rifle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remington M1867</span> Rolling-block rifle

The Remington M1867 was a rolling-block rifle, the first rifle using metallic cartridges to be adopted by the Norwegian and Swedish armies. Nominally it had a caliber of 4 decimal lines, but the actual caliber was 3.88 Norwegian decimal lines or 4.1 Swedish decimal lines (12.17 mm), and it fired a rimfire round with a 12.615 mm lead bullet. The 12.17 mm caliber was chosen because the Swedish army had approximately 30,000 new muzzle-loading M1860 and breech-loading M1864 rifles in 12.17 mm caliber in stock, rifles that were suitable for conversion to M1867 rolling-block rifles. With the exception of the first 10,000 rifles and 20,000 actions, which were made by Remington in the US, all Remington M1867 rifles and carbines were made under license in Norway and Sweden, by Kongsberg Vaapenfabrik in Norway, and by Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag and Carl Gustafs stads Gevärsfaktori in Sweden with the two Swedish manufacturers producing about 80% of the weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peabody action</span>

The Peabody action was an early form of breechloading firearm action, where the heavy breechblock tilted downwards across a bolt mounted in the rear of the breechblock, operated by a lever under the rifle. The Peabody action most often used an external hammer to fire the cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6.5×55mm Swedish</span> Nordic 6mm centerfire cartridge

6.5×55mm Swedish, also known simply as 6.5×55mm, 6.5x55 SE, 6.5x55 Swede, or in its native military as 6.5 mm patron m/94, meaning "6.5 mm cartridge model 94", referring to 1894, is a first-generation smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. The cartridge has most users in the Scandinavian countries, where it is known as the 6,5×55 or just "the 6,5".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolling block</span> Firearm action, subclass of breech loader

A rolling-block action is a form of firearm action where the sealing of the breech is done with a specially shaped breechblock able to rotate on a pin. The breechblock is shaped like a section of a circle. The breechblock is locked into place by the hammer, thus preventing the cartridge from moving backwards at the moment of firing. By cocking the hammer, the breechblock can be rotated freely to reload the weapon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kammerlader</span> Breech-loading rifle

The Kammerlader, or "chamber loader", was the first Norwegian breech-loading rifle, and among the first breech loaders adopted for use by an armed force anywhere in the world. A single-shot black-powder rifle, the kammerlader was operated with a crank mounted on the side of the receiver. This made it much quicker and easier to load than the weapons previously used. Kammerladers quickly gained a reputation for being fast and accurate rifles, and would have been a deadly weapon against massed ranks of infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Paris Lee</span>

James Paris Lee was a British Canadian inventor and arms designer. He is best known for having invented the Lee Model 1879 rifle, which is the first bolt-action detachable box magazine fed rifle. These features would be incorporated into more successful repeating rifle designs later on, such as in the Lee–Metford and Lee–Enfield rifle series.

The Savage Model 99, Model 1899, and their predecessor the model 1895 are a series of hammerless lever action rifles created by the Savage Arms Company in Utica, New York. The Model 99 family featured a unique rotary magazine, and later added some detachable magazine models. The rifle was extremely popular with big game hunters and was even issued to the Montreal Home Guard during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.50-70 Government</span> Rifle cartridge

The .50-70 Government, also known as the .50-70 Musket, .50-70 Springfield, and .50-1+34" Sharps) is a black powder cartridge adopted in 1866 for the Springfield Model 1866 trapdoor rifle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.22 caliber</span> Index of articles associated with the same name

.22 caliber, or 5.6 mm, refers to a common firearms bore diameter of 0.22 inch (5.6 mm) in both rimfire and centerfire cartridges.

The term Joslyn Rifle refers to a series of rifles produced in the mid-19th century. The term is often used to refer specifically to the Joslyn Model 1861/1862, which was the first mass-produced breech-loading rifle produced at the Springfield Armory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.43 Spanish</span>

The .43 Spanish was a centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Remington designers around 1867. It was used in early rolling block rifles that Remington manufactured for the government of Spain. The cartridge is also referred to as the .433 Spanish, "11mm Spanish", and identical cartridges for the US Peabody rifle were marked "U.M.C. 43-77".

The 8×58mmR Danish Krag also known as the 8×58mmRD is a late 19th-century rimmed centerfire military rifle cartridge similar to other early smokeless powder designs. It was briefly adopted by Norway and Sweden and remained the standard Danish service rifle cartridge from 1889 until 1945.

The 1871 Beaumont and its variants were the service rifle of the Armed forces of the Netherlands between 1871 and 1895, and by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army into the 1900s.

References

  1. Esposito, Gabriele, The Paraguayan War 1864–70: Osprey Publishing (2019)
  2. "The military rifle cartridges of the Dominican Republic: from .50-70 to 5.56mm".
  3. "O EXÉRCITO REPUBLICANO" (PDF).
  4. 1 2 Jowett, Phillip, Latin American Wars 1900-1941: Osprey Publishing (2018)
  5. "BATALLA DE MASOLLER - ARMAS". YouTube .
  6. Hernandez, Edwin "ARMAS DE FUEGO USADAS EN LAS LUCHAS CIVILES Y POR LOS CUERPOS ARMADOS DOMINICANOS (SIGLOS XIX Y XX)"
  7. "From Picturesque Landscapes to Views of War, Honduras through Postcards".
  8. Pankhurst, Richard "Linguistic and Cultural Data on the Penetration of Fire-Arms into Ethiopia"
  9. "Military rifle cartridges of Peru part I: South America's most pugnacious country?". www.thefreelibrary.com.
  10. Remington goes to war
  11. NRA guns
  12. Sawyer, Charles Winthrop (1920). Firearms in American History: Our Rifles. p. 260.
  13. "Cartridge: Danish Remington". Arma Dania: The Virtual Museum of Danish Arms and Armour. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  14. "Bagladeriffel af model 1867 (Remington)". Arma Dania: The Virtual Museum of Danish Arms and Armour. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  15. Egyptian Remington
  16. Collectors weekly
  17. Old Ammo
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 165. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  19. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 168. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  20. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 169. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  21. Marcot, Roy (2005). The History of Remington Firearms: The History of One of the World's Most Famous Gun Makers. Lyons Press. p. 54. ISBN   1592286909.
  22. "The military rifle cartridges of Costa Rica: arms of Latin America's most "peaceful" country".[ permanent dead link ]
  23. McLachlan, Sean (2011). Armies of the Adowa Campaign 1896: The Italian Disaster in Ethiopia. Osprey Publishing. p. 35. ISBN   978-1849084574.
  24. "Guatemala - Coat of Arms". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  25. "구한 말 사용한 총기 관련한 문의가 있어서 적는 글".
  26. "The Malagasy Pith Helmet of the Merina Kingdom | Military Sun Helmets".
  27. Giletta, Jacques (2005). Les Gardes Personnelles des Princes de Monaco (1st ed.). Taurus Editions. ISBN   2 912976-04-9.
  28. Rossi, Major Robert N. (3 June 1994). The Mahdist Revolution (PDF) (Report). Fort Leavenworth, KS: Defense Technical Information Center. p. 61. Retrieved 30 November 2023.