Got a Remington Roller with crappy barrel--What caliber to convert to?

[Mustang Gregg]

Troops:

I was given a 7mm rolling block carbine by a friend a few years back.  The inside of the barrel looks like a cave.    

My dream is to re-stock it with nice wood and re-barrel it to a different caliber.
I would like some serious suggestions.
I AM NOT PLANNING ON USING IT FOR GAF COMPETITIONS.

Stock plan---Maybe a Tree Bone Carving stock with pistol grip stock.  It has the straight stock now.
Any other idees?

Barrel plan---Possibly an older caliber that I can shoot cast bullets out of for long range shooting. Nothing smaller than .30 caliber, though.

Sight plan---High quality long range peep that is traditional type

I would like some thoughts on this venture.

I want to treat myself to something nice as a coming home gift.

Ltc (bvt) Mustang Gregg
Nebraska Territory
Currently in Afghanistan

[Bull Schmitt]

Carbines tend to bring better prices than similar rifles. If the carbine's external condition is in good condition I would  either restore it or try to sell it. If you sold it you could then acquire a nice used rolling block action .The stock idea you have is great. The lower tang would have to be bent and possibly the hammer spring modified or replaced. From what I hear Treebone makes some nice stocks. With the modified tang for a pistol grip you may require a custom made stock.

As for caliber, either 38-55, 40-65 or 45-70 would meat your needs.

A good tang sight is almost a must. There are some excellent ones ($$$) on the market and also some real junk. A Soule type is probably the best if you plan on shooting a some significant distances. You would probably want to install a hooded front sight that can use multiple inserts.

Green Mountain makes good barrels for black powder cartridge rifles. There are other reputable manufacturers.

The American Single Shot Rifle Assoc. fourms http://www.assra.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl is a good place to ask questions and do research.

Hope you get home soon and can start this project!!

Col Bull

Keep us posted on your progress.

[Mustang Gregg]

Thanky, Bull!

If there is any value to the roller, I'd probably best sell it.  I never figured there was much.
I really rather have a falling block or a Sharps anyway.  So I'll check into that avenue.

I know a roller is strong, but not really a "pretty" rifle to my way of thinking.

Respectfully,
Mustang Gregg

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[Trailrider]

Just a note of possible interest about 7mm Rolling Blocks: They may show excessive headspace, regardless of the condition of the barrel. The reason is NOT due to excessive loads, etc.  When American ammo makers "brought" the 7x57mm cartridge over here, somehow the specs for headspace got shortened over the specs in Europe.  The result is if you shoot U.S. made 7x57 cartridges in most (maybe not all) 7mm Rollers, the cases will stretch. Not enough to create a dangerous condition with head separations, etc., but if you go to reload the brass, and resize it back to U.S. standard, pretty soon you will stretch the brass. Best thing is to back the sizer die out until you can just chamber the case, or (2) neck size only, or (3) form the cases from something longer, such as 8x57 or .30-06, etc.  While the 7mm Roller is a stronger action, I wouldn't heat the rounds up all that much, and watch out for the case heads to bend slightly due to the breech block rotating back a bit, regardless of how tight the action might be.

As to what to rebarrel it to, it depends on what you want to do to it.  If you want a medium bore, you might consider .30-40 Krag, .38-55, .40-65 WCF, or .45-70.

[SGT John Chapman]

Just my personal thoughts,... but If I already had a 30-40 Krag I'd set it up for that,.....KIS  (Keep It Simple)

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Is having it rebarreled in 7 X 57 an option?  Keep it looking like the same cavalry carbine.

[Shotgun Franklin]

A lot depends on what you might use the gun for. If there's a chance you might use it for hunting then .45-70 is the way to go. If just for fun plinking or killing targets then any light caliber will do.

[Trailrider]

A lot depends on what you might use the gun for. If there's a chance you might use it for hunting then .45-70 is the way to go. If just for fun plinking or killing targets then any light caliber will do.

Sure, you can rebarrel it to 7x57, but chamber it for SAAMI standard. (I don't advocate that cartridge as the perfect one for hunting everything, but remember that Karamojo Bell killed a bunch of elephants with a 7x57! Bullet placement is the key.  But, I think I'd go for either .30-40 Krag or .45-70.  Just MHO

[Mustang Gregg]

Well, ain't no hurry on it.  I have 2 months left here in KAF.
I really don't want a carbine.  I have a nice enough '96 Krag.

I want a rifle-length cast bullet shooting long range gun that will never be used in a GAF Muster competition.
So I will probably sell the roller and look around for a Sharps-type rifle or a falling block to build something.
If it turns out looking like Schutzen, that might be okay too.   

Muchas gracias,
Mustang Gregg

[Pony Racer]

My original military 1879 Argentine Roller full length Musket is fun.

I have grown partial to the 43 spanish cartridge and it does a great job when I do mine!

PR

[Guns Garrett]

I have a Roller in ".43 Spanish" as well - and found there are TWO different ones: the "regular" (11.15x58R) and the "Reformado" (11.5x57R).  Turned out, mine was the latter.  The Reformado is called ".43 Spanish", but actually has a .454" bore, and the "regular" .43 is .439 bore.  Even MORE bizarre is that a "regular" .43 Spanish necked up to .454 cal is a "44-77 Remington" (or 2 1/4" Sharps necked - the original metallic cartridge for Sharps).  I had suffered split cases and terrible accuracy until I did a chamber cast found what was amiss.  Reloading dies had to be obtained from 4D ($$$) and with the right size boolits, it shoots tolerably well.

The Reformado has only a slight "neck" - more like a taper.  Military rounds for this cartridge were brass-jacketed, which in the tropical climate of Cuba and Philippines, corroded with verdigris, and led the Americans to believe the Spanish were using "poisoned bullets" (or so the story goes...).

Speaking of "Schuetzen"... As a winter project, I purchased a "rollover cheekpiece" stock for my H&R Buffalo Classic (I know, not PC, but...), hacked at that with a rasp and drawknife (modern stocks don't have enough "perch belly", unfortunately), added a Pope-style hooked buttplate and scroll triggerguard (courtesy Track of the Wolf), an old Dixie "Swiss Diopter" tang sight I had laying around, and made my own palmrest, and came up with a not-so-bad "schueten-ish" target rifle.  I wouldn't be too keen on shooting an old-style 100-shot match at "40 rods" with a .45-70 with an iron buttplate . . .
 
. . . anyone know where I can find one of the old H&R "Target Classic" .38-55 barrels???  They quit making/selling them 6 or 7 years ago.

[Guns Garrett]

I completely missed the point of the OP - and I agree with Bull Schmidt.  I particularly like the 40-65.  I believe Steve Garbe won several National BPCR matches with that cartridge - in a Rolling Block.