Another 1891 Rolling Block pistol

[marlinman93]

Attended the CGCA collector show this weekend and purchased another Model 1891 Rolling Block target pistol. Last one I found was a Arthur Hubalek built version, and this one was built by Hubalek's mentor HM Pope! Hubalek was the only apprentice Pope ever had, and Pope taught him how to rifle barrels, so I think it's nifty to have one made by each gunsmith.
The barrel is a .22 Short, fitted for a Maxim silencer to shoot at indoors gallery matches. Trigger guard is equipped with trigger over travel stop, and hammer is lightened for faster lock time.
The grip has a small chip at the lower front, so I'll have to repair that later. Otherwise it's in great shape with a perfect Pope left hand twist bore.
Pope above, and Hubalek below:

[aardq]

Hi Marlinman,

A great find! What a nice pair to have. Do you know how many RB target pistols were made by each gunsmith?

Thanks,
Daniel

[marlinman93]

Hi Marlinman,

A great find! What a nice pair to have. Do you know how many RB target pistols were made by each gunsmith?

Thanks,
Daniel

No, I don't know how many. I can tell you I've seen at least 4-5 done by Pope, but only the one I have done by Hubalek. One Pope I know of is documented as being used by a US Olympic team shooter, and is owned by a friend of mine.

[aardq]

Thanks Marlinman,

I knew it was a long shot, but ya never know, so I had to ask.

Enjoy them, you have an exceptional pair of RBs.
Daniel

[marlinman93]

Langskron's book states all Model 1891's are scarce. I think he mentioned around 800 made total if I recall correctly? I've looked a lot over a couple decades, and was told by a friend that Pope rebarreled both the 1891 Remingtons, and the S&W single shots for competition use.