Hi all. I just acquired my great-grandfather's old Remington Rolling Block rifle. From the perch-belly stock and the scalloped receiver I've deduced that it's a No. 2, but I was wondering at the general date of manufacture of the rifle.
The barrel is octagonal, about 24 7/8" long, and has "REMINGTON ARMS CO.ILION,N.Y." stamped on the top and "32" stamped on the bottom. The left side of the receiver has the following stamped:
PATENTS
MAY 3 1864
MAY 7 JUNE 11
NOV 12 DEC 24
DEC 31 1872
SEPT 9 187?
Can't make out the entire year of the last line because of a scuff in the metal. The tang behind the trigger guard is stamped with the number "21755." No other markings are evident.
Can anybody guess as to the date of manufacture? Value is secondary, but if anybody wants to take a stab at it (almost no bluing or case-hardening left at all, cracked buttstock at the receiver tang, two small cracks in the receiver at the back of the hammer opening), I guess I'd appreciate it too, though to me its value is more heirloom than monetary.
Thanks in advance!
TJ Harrell