Remington Rolling Block 7mm

[craigreid_84]

I just bought a 1902 Remington Rolling block 7mm. I have been reading up on these, Now i just need a straight answer. There is many of people that say you can shoot modern 7mm Mauser ammo out of them and there is many of people that say it is a major NO GO to shoot it out of them. So Can i shoot modern ammo out of it or not???? please Help

[tjack]

Shooting the 7mm Rolling Blocks is, in my opinion, a hand loading proposition. When the 7mm Mauser cartridge and the chambers for them were standardized they came up with a measurement for the "new" case ever so slightly shorter from the bottom of the base to the start of the shoulder than the cartridge that had been around since 1892. This was done in the 1920's I believe. What this does is create a head space problem with new brass in the old chamber. There is a possibility of a case head separation if new mfg ammo is fired in a Rolling Block chamber. Of course, there is a possibility that you will be involved in a deadly traffic accident the next time you drive an auto. I have many 7mm Rolling Block rifles and carbines (all with different markings or variations) and I shoot them all. I take a 7mm Mauser case and run a .30 caliber expander button thru the case mouth and neck. With the neck expanded to .30 caliber it will not chamber. I then start sizing the case down with a 7mm Mauser die a little at a time constantly checking to see if it will chamber. I will finally get the neck sized down enough to where the case chambers, the breech block closes and the hammer will go all the way down on the breech block. If there is a little friction between the hammer and the breech block all the better. Tighten the die locking ring at this point. What this does is create a false shoulder for proper head space. With the base of the case held firmly against the breech block it will form the neck and shoulder to the chamber when fired. Do this to all the cases you plan on using, doing it one step at a time. Fire form your cases. The original 7mm Mauser cartridge had a 175 gr bullet at, depending on the source, 2000-2200 fps. After the cases are fire formed, DO NOT full length size the cases or you will be back to square one. I size my fired cases to where the necks are sized half way down to the shoulder. I have fired many hundreds of rounds thru my 7mm Rolling Blocks and the ONLY case loss I've had is split necks. I have never seen a 7mm R/B that does not have an eroded neck which causes it to expand greatly. I anneal my cases necks after every 2nd shooting.
Use common sense and good judgment. The 7mm Mauser is not a 7mm magnum. Choose lite loads. Good luck!!!

[craigreid_84]

I was not planning on reloading the 7x57, i was just planing on shooting factory ammo. Not a good idea then?

[Wulfman]

I was not planning on reloading the 7x57, i was just planing on shooting factory ammo. Not a good idea then?

From my understanding........
The ammunition manufacturers take into consideration all of the rifles that were ever chambered for a cartridge and load them to a level that will be acceptable in even the oldest (weakest) ones.
I've been under the impression that the rolling blocks will handle a fair amount of pressure.

I don't believe you should have any problem using factory loaded ammo in your rifle (all things being equal.....like it's condition).


Den

[tjack]

It is not a matter of pressure. It is a matter of current 7mm Mauser cartridge cases being shorter than the chamber of 7mm Rolling Block rifles. It is all about head space. Too much head space = case separation. It is possible that, with case rupture, gases flow back thru the firing pin hole causing the rifle hammer to blow back allowing those gases to flow into the shooters face when the breech block opens. The Swedes were concerned enough about it as to add a hammer block to commercial Rolling Blocks preventing the hammer from coming back unless the shooters thumb depressed the stop.

[Wulfman]

From doing further searches and some more reading, I agree with "tjack". It might wise to refrain from shooting factory ammo in that rolling block.

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/forums/ ... 06&start=0

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/forums/ ... 7mm+Roller

I also found other sources from Google searches which gave dimensional differences between the 7x57 and the 7mm Spanish Mauser.

I think I would recommend having someone do a chamber casting so you can see for yourself.


Den

[rudybolla]

Don't do it! I agree that these guns are strictly handloading critters using very conservative loading. Those sloppy military rollers need to, as tjack says, have custom fit brass for best results.