Remington Rolling Block #1 Sporter?

[1srelluc]

I found this old Remington #1 Sporter in a local shop. I have about $112.00 in it.

24" octagon barrel. .75" across the flats. Marked E. Remington & Sons. Serial # 12233 on the barrel and lower tang. Flat bar extractor.

It started life as a .22 but someone rebored it to something in .310 cal straight-wall rimmed centerfire. I think it might be .310 Cadet as the rifle was reimported from Britain as were a lot of US made rifles in that shop.

No matter as the bore is pretty much FUBAR anyway but I'll do a chamber cast when I get some more alloy in to see exactly what I have to work with.

It took catastrophic butt-stock damage but it must have been a master that put it back together.

The front sight was replaced with a old Lyman fold-down post/globe and the rear by what appears to be a sight off a Winchester 1901 .22 pump. Meh, it works.

What would this receiver handle in terms of a rebore/rechamber? I was thinking .32-20 due to the extractor. I don't want something much bigger to keep the stress off the stock.

[stanforth]

If the conversion was done in the UK it should have proof marks showing the 'new' calibre. This as not an option and any gunsmith carrying out this work could have faced a term in prison if he sold it without having it re-proofed.
.310 cadet would have been a funny calibre to choose as it has been obsolete for a century and is impossible to get the rounds even here in the UK. It was made redundant by the .22 LR.

Keep us informed as it is an interesting story.

[1srelluc]

If the conversion was done in the UK it should have proof marks showing the 'new' calibre. This as not an option and any gunsmith carrying out this work could have faced a term in prison if he sold it without having it re-proofed.
.310 cadet would have been a funny calibre to choose as it has been obsolete for a century and is impossible to get the rounds even here in the UK. It was made redundant by the .22 LR.

Keep us informed as it is an interesting story.

Normally I would say you were correct about the Brit proofs but evidently it was not a hard and fast rule at some of the gun clubs in your country, particularly with American made guns that are now considered antiques here.

Maybe whoever did the conversion was not a gunsmith at all. You would not believe some of the ham-handed "work" of Brit shadetree "gunsmiths" I've seen come out of that shop. The joke around here is you never put and Brit, hand tools, and a rifle in close proximity.

I know the rifle came back from Britain as it was crated-up with a bunch of BSA 12/15s that the shop's Brit buyer procured at one (or more) of the clubs over there. There was even a Winchester M1885 in the crate. That one does not bear Brit proofs either by the way.

The shop's owner (now passed, his wife runs it now) was a importer and imported scores upon scores of long guns from Britain and elsewhere in Europe.....Mostly club guns his buyers would buy by the lot.

[stanforth]

(Quote)
Maybe whoever did the conversion was not a gunsmith at all. You would not believe some of the ham-handed "work" of Brit shadetree "gunsmiths" I've seen come out of that shop. The joke around here is you never put and Brit, hand tools, and a rifle in close proximity. :lol:


And the joke round here is 'You can never fully trust people who thow perfectly good tea in the harbour'

[1srelluc]

(Quote)
Maybe whoever did the conversion was not a gunsmith at all. You would not believe some of the ham-handed "work" of Brit shadetree "gunsmiths" I've seen come out of that shop. The joke around here is you never put and Brit, hand tools, and a rifle in close proximity. :lol:


And the joke round here is 'You can never fully trust people who thow perfectly good tea in the harbour'

And that is just exactly the mind-set we want from our cousins across the pond.... "Keep 'em guessing".

[Floop]

I have essentially the same rifle and have had it restored. My rifle was severely damaged in a cabin fire, so I felt no qualms about restoring it. Mine has a 28" barrel, but is otherwise the same rifle manufactured about 1875. Mine was originally a .38 rimfire. A shade tree gunsmith converted it to centerfire about 1905, probably in order to shoot .38 long Colt. Around 1910 it went through the fire and the metal finish and wood were destroyed.

I had Jim Dubell (since deceased) do the metal work on the restoration. He re-heat treated everything, draw filed all the metal to remove the pitting and sharpen the corners (but saved all the markings), installed new wood, modified the breech block for a new, high pressure, centerfire firing pin, relined the barrel, and chambered the rifle for .357 Mag. With .357 Mag it has a muzzle velocity of 1800 fps, but I prefer to shoot .38 Spc in it.

TJ's (see Brownell's) sells the rifled liner by the inch. George Peterson at Treebone carving has original and reproduction wood. Here's the finished product:

http://www.treebonecarving.com/remingto ... tocks.html

[marlinman93]

A #1 Sporting Rifle in .22 is such a rare gun I'd probably have it relined to .22 again. But if it indeed was switched to a CF cartridge you should also see signs of the breech block being reworked to CF, unless they found a new breech block in CF.
The .32-20 is a good choice, and the big #1 action should not have a problem in that. I have a smaller #1 1/2 in .32-20 original, and very tight still. It may be that your #1 was converted to .32 Long also? Or I suppose maybe .32 S&W Long?