.44/77 Remington rolling block

[NDduckhunter]

Hey guys first time poster here, I wanted to post some pics of an original #1 sporting rifle. First off the barrel is 26.5”, it’s marked .44 ctge s and chamber casts to .44/77 with a .455 bore that’s in pretty good shape. It has a slot for the rough and ready sight but it is missing. The set trigger is not setting unfortunately but not parts appear broken. The barrel has a name engraved on the bottom , E B or ER Overton I’m leaning towards E B but it’s pretty worn, here’s some pics……

[NDduckhunter]

I was wondering when rifles with the patent on the left side of the receiver started to appear? It is drilled and tapped for a tang sight, is this why they moved the patent stamp to the left side of the receiver? The barrel receiver and trigger plate all match on this gun. The gun also has a bone or ivory blade front sight that is mostly worn or broken off, I have never seen one quite like it.

[marlinman93]

If a Rolling Block was made during a time when the top tangs were roll stamped, and a tang sight was ordered, then they'd definitely omit the rollstamp on the top tang. But not sure they'd even put those patent dates on the left side then or not?
I have 7 or 8 #1 Rolling Blocks from an early number 3 digit 300 range to the highest number in the 7000 range, and none have a top tang rollstamp, or a left side rollstamp. All of them are originals not restored, and the only markings on some are the barrel rollstamps. I have a couple #1 1/2's and some #2, and #3 Remingtons and all but one #1 1/2 have stamps on the left side.
Roy Marcot's book states that beginning in 1866 to #3131 the top tangs were rollstamped, and beginning with #3158 the left side got the patent dates. But I'm not sure how he got his info since I own originals that seem to defy both of those statements. He does say a couple pages later that "most" have the two markings at those locations. So I must just be lucky or unlucky to own so many unmarked at either location?
Both of my .44-77 BN rifles in 1500 and 7000 range are marked ".44 S" under the barrel where yours is marked.

[NDduckhunter]

Mine is serial 3634, if I remember correctly, what would a good guess for date of manufacture? I know most of the records are gone. Mine definitely has the patent stamp on the left side but is hard to see due to wear and mottling and with the low resolution allowed on this site doesn’t help either, lol

[marlinman93]

Yours is fairly easy since it's serial number is close to those used in the 1874 Creedmoor matches that were in the low 3000 serial numbers. I'd guess 1874-75 range for yours.

[NDduckhunter]

That’s awesome, this rifle is a local North Dakota gun and sure looks like it has been shot and carried a ton. The metal edges are worn from use. The rifling is still very pronounced. This was a big buffalo hunting area. I have found piles of buffalo skulls and bones in the river when it has gotten low. Lots of written local history too. I would think this rifle has a pretty good chance of being used for buffalo hunting back in the day but guess we will never know. All I know about the rifle for certain is that it ended up in ND was told it might have been in Montana at some point and there is a name engraved on the barrel EB Overton. Thanks for all the great info Marlin! You are a wealth of information. Oh and the set trigger started working! I’m assuming the clp put in there finally loosened something up along with adjusting the worn set screw out but it works now!

[marlinman93]

The .44-77BN was indeed a favorite of hunters for big game like buffalo, and could still have been used for that when it was new in the mid 1870's as the northern regions of the buffalo ranges lasted longer than southern areas did.

[NDduckhunter]

I’m really into .43 Spanish and .44/77’s they are very old historical calibers and were pretty darn stout to boot. I like .50/70 just as much but it’s not as sexy as the .44/77, lol. .50/70 is super easy to get to shoot well and the cases last forever, which is good because they are almost impossible to find these days. I shoot more .45/70 now due to all the brass shortages but it’s my least favorite caliber to load and shoot. I sure hope things recover someday.

[marlinman93]

I’m really into .43 Spanish and .44/77’s they are very old historical calibers and were pretty darn stout to boot. I like .50/70 just as much but it’s not as sexy as the .44/77, lol. .50/70 is super easy to get to shoot well and the cases last forever, which is good because they are almost impossible to find these days. I shoot more .45/70 now due to all the brass shortages but it’s my least favorite caliber to load and shoot. I sure hope things recover someday.

I am pretty much just a Sporting Rifle collector, so never got into any of the military Rolling Blocks or those cartridge chamberings. I do like the .44-77BN a lot, but I also like very unusual chamberings in Remington rifles, so some oddball chamberings really get my attention. I own two full sized #1 Rolling Block Sporting Rifles in .22RF which I like. Have a couple in .40-50 that I also like, and one in .32-20 Winchester, along with a Hepburn in .32-20 too. I really like the .32-20 in general, and old full sized Remingtons in .32-20 have been tough to find since most were on the #1 1/2 or #2, as were .22RF rifles.
I don't own any Rolling Block #1 rifles in .45-70, but I have a Whitney-Laidley 1st model in .45-70 chambering. Someday I may find a #1 in .45-70, but so far haven't seen an original Sporter yet?

[NDduckhunter]

I missed a #1 sporting rifle in .45/70, it was in much better shape than this .44/77. the wood on mine has been heavily refinished and wouldn’t normally buy one this rough but it just spoke to me and I was very excited to be able to buy it. It is also very rare to come across a local big bore single shot from that era in ND. You’d think they would be common here but they are not. I don’t think families let go of them here. One of my favorite childhood guns was a marlin lever action in .32/20. It had a half magazine and a straight stock. It was a really good shooting rifle and I shot everything that moved with it lol. I cast bullets for it and loaded them, it was a very affordable gun to shoot. Wish I still had it.

[marlinman93]

Quite likely that locals in your area did let go of those old buffalo guns, but also likely it was well before our time. A lot of big time collectors knew what part of the country had the most of a certain type of gun, and focused on attending gun shows, or hitting local gun shops in those areas to buy them. I think the well ran dry eventually, and only some guns that were kept in families continue to exist.
When I bought my first Rolling Block Sporter it was also a .44-77BN, and a friend saw it at a local gun shop that was getting ready to close for good. He called me to say the owner was dragging guns out of his personal safe, and one was a Rolling Block he knew I'd been looking for!
I left work early and raced the 40 miles in Friday afternoon traffic to see the rifle. Git there 15 minutes before the shop closed, and found it on a wall rack. The store owner didn't know what the ".44S" meant on the barrel, and I told him it could mean a couple cartridges, and left it at that. He also never knew it was a set trigger, and I didn't help him there. The gun has almost no finish on metal, but all the metal is nice and smooth, with just some browning left on the barrel. It was never factory drilled for a tang sight, and has a simple buckhorn rear, and nickel silver blade up front. Barrel is a 34" extra heavy full octagon, and I've always thought it had all the appearance of someone's buffalo rifle with the cartridge and features.
It was a lot of money back when I bought it at $1350, but time has made it a good investment over the decades since I bought it. Nothing pretty, but it's an honest gun, and one of my most favorite Rolling Blocks.

[NDduckhunter]

That sounds like a great rifle! I started collecting trapdoor Springfield’s with my father back in the 80’s, we never spent more than $275 on one, lol. He also picked up a Mexican marked Remington rolling block for me in 7mm for $75 if I recall. I was 11 or 12 and would mow lawns so I could afford to go to the gun show with him and pick up a bunch of surplus 7mm which was super cheap and widely available. I shot the heck out of that gun. The 80’s and 90’s were awesome for gun collecting and shooting. Anyways all that morphed into me liking old black powder single shot cartridge rifles.

[marlinman93]

I bought a bunch of military Rolling Blocks back in the late 70's and 80's too. I;d shoot them awhile and then get bored and sold them. They were so cheap I figured I'd always find another cheap. Then one day I noticed they suddenly weren't cheap if they were good shooters!
I still buy military actions for $75-$250 if they're complete and not rusted hulks. Even an occasional complete gun, but now I wont tear apart a complete gun if it's a decent rifle. Times have changed!

[NDduckhunter]

Yeah, if we had only know! I sold a lot of mine to help put myself through college and then later starting my family. I was wondering if you know what the standard dove tail size was on these rifles, if there was one. I measured mine at the narrowest part and seems like the front is close to 3/8”, does this seem right? Mine has two rear sight slots, one for the rough and ready sight and a mid barrel dovetail. I have seen a couple rifles with a set up like this with a sight that is similar to the rough and ready but without the rear sight blade. I would guess you use the middle dovetailed sight close up and the flip up peep on the back sight for farther out. What is up with that set up, is it factory or some aftermarket alteration?

[NDduckhunter]

Here’s an example of one but the mid sight was removed……

https://www.gunauction.com/buy/pictures.cfm?i=12872602