An old friend returns home.
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- marlinman93
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 6467
- Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:40 pm
- Location: Oregon
An old friend returns home.
A number of years ago I wanted to build up a Rolling Block for long range shooting. I decided it would be a .40-65 Win. chamber, and began looking for an action. My late friend Whitey Hanson had an original receiver, and after some swapping I got the action from him. I purchased the Green Mountain heavy full round barrel and had John Taylor fit it. Then cut it to 34".
Another friend had given me the stock blanks when he was near the end of his time, and I shaped and fitted them to the barreled action. My friend Wind Whitehill gave me the skeletonized buttplate and told me he thought it would be perfect for this project gun, and of course he was right!
I polished everything out and sent the action off to Al Springer for color case, and had George Komandine rust blue the barrel. Reassembled the Roller and before I even fired it much, I got into a trade deal on an engraved Ballard and it went away! It then went to the East Coast, Dakotas, and Indiana, before it found it's way home to me again!
Eventually the Rolling Block ended up in the hands of a good friend Steve, who used it successfully for long range matches and shooting. When Steve got it the poor Roller had been treated roughly, and abused! Shipping it several times had cracked the stocks. Then someone swapped out the original hammer and breech block, and the gun's tangs got bent when the stocks cracked. Steve repaired or replaced the action parts, and bent the tangs straight. He then repaired the stock crack, and it's an invisible repair! I told him if he ever wanted to sell it I was a buyer, and at our recent memorial shoot for Wind he offered the Rolling Block back to me. I'm pretty sure he wasn't done with it, and will miss it. But he knew how much I'd enjoy having it back and sold it to me at the shoot. He also brought loads with it so I could shoot it again before heading home with it! It was a great feeling to hear the old Roller hit the 990 yd. dinger, and know it finally made it back home to me!
Another friend had given me the stock blanks when he was near the end of his time, and I shaped and fitted them to the barreled action. My friend Wind Whitehill gave me the skeletonized buttplate and told me he thought it would be perfect for this project gun, and of course he was right!
I polished everything out and sent the action off to Al Springer for color case, and had George Komandine rust blue the barrel. Reassembled the Roller and before I even fired it much, I got into a trade deal on an engraved Ballard and it went away! It then went to the East Coast, Dakotas, and Indiana, before it found it's way home to me again!
Eventually the Rolling Block ended up in the hands of a good friend Steve, who used it successfully for long range matches and shooting. When Steve got it the poor Roller had been treated roughly, and abused! Shipping it several times had cracked the stocks. Then someone swapped out the original hammer and breech block, and the gun's tangs got bent when the stocks cracked. Steve repaired or replaced the action parts, and bent the tangs straight. He then repaired the stock crack, and it's an invisible repair! I told him if he ever wanted to sell it I was a buyer, and at our recent memorial shoot for Wind he offered the Rolling Block back to me. I'm pretty sure he wasn't done with it, and will miss it. But he knew how much I'd enjoy having it back and sold it to me at the shoot. He also brought loads with it so I could shoot it again before heading home with it! It was a great feeling to hear the old Roller hit the 990 yd. dinger, and know it finally made it back home to me!
Pre WWI Marlins and Singleshot rifles!
http://members.tripod.com/~OregonArmsCollectors/
http://members.tripod.com/~OregonArmsCollectors/
- 2ndovc
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 9331
- Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:59 am
- Location: OH, South Shore of Lake Erie
Re: An old friend returns home.
That's great! I know how it feels to get a good one back!
jb
jb
jasonB " Another Dirty Yankee"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
- marlinman93
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 6467
- Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:40 pm
- Location: Oregon
Re: An old friend returns home.
Yes, since so many of my friends contributed to helping me build this Roller had passed, I was really pleased to have it come back! I might have nicer, or more original guns, but I certainly don't have many that are so dear to me in memories!
Pre WWI Marlins and Singleshot rifles!
http://members.tripod.com/~OregonArmsCollectors/
http://members.tripod.com/~OregonArmsCollectors/
- GunnyMack
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 10097
- Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:57 am
- Location: Not where I want to be!
Re: An old friend returns home.
That's fantastic! It's very heart warming you have such history with the dear friends that helped get that ol' roller up and running. I hope you dont let it go again!
I'm sure those gone but not forgotten are smiling down upon you!
I'm sure those gone but not forgotten are smiling down upon you!
BROWN LABS MATTER !!
- marlinman93
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 6467
- Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:40 pm
- Location: Oregon
Re: An old friend returns home.
Thanks Gunny! And it wont be going anywhere anytime for me! Hope my kids appreciate what it is too, because they'll be inheriting it!
Pre WWI Marlins and Singleshot rifles!
http://members.tripod.com/~OregonArmsCollectors/
http://members.tripod.com/~OregonArmsCollectors/
Re: An old friend returns home.
Thanks for sharing!
Kind regards,
Tycer
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- Sixgun
- Posting leader...
- Posts: 18664
- Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:17 pm
- Location: S.E. Pa. Where The Finest Winchesters & Colts Reside
Re: An old friend returns home.
She's a beauty MM! Very classy with the wood and the ch.
On an off note....that has to be a sign of getting old...you see it when new, goes around the country, then back to ya. In the last few years I've been cutting down trees that died around here...ones I planted. ---6
On an off note....that has to be a sign of getting old...you see it when new, goes around the country, then back to ya. In the last few years I've been cutting down trees that died around here...ones I planted. ---6
- AJMD429
- Posting leader...
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Re: An old friend returns home.
That is SO very cool....marlinman93 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:06 pm Yes, since so many of my friends contributed to helping me build this Roller had passed, I was really pleased to have it come back! I might have nicer, or more original guns, but I certainly don't have many that are so dear to me in memories!
Be sure the STORY gets handed down with the gun; too many guns (and other tools) with histories like that just become "some old gun I think belonged to grandpa" after a generation or so.
I wish my 1889 Marlin could talk; I have a photo from around 1891 with my grandmother and her father on a camping and hunting trip, and he's holding that gun.
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.
Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.
Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
-
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 4736
- Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 5:00 am
- Location: North Coast of America-Ohio
Re: An old friend returns home.
Awesome All around. .
- marlinman93
- Advanced Levergunner
- Posts: 6467
- Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:40 pm
- Location: Oregon
Re: An old friend returns home.
Good idea! I do need to write it all down and put the info where my family finds it! I have files for provenance of guns like my Popes and Schoyens, plus a few other historically significant rifles. But this one needs to be added to the others too!AJMD429 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:42 pmThat is SO very cool....marlinman93 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:06 pm Yes, since so many of my friends contributed to helping me build this Roller had passed, I was really pleased to have it come back! I might have nicer, or more original guns, but I certainly don't have many that are so dear to me in memories!
Be sure the STORY gets handed down with the gun; too many guns (and other tools) with histories like that just become "some old gun I think belonged to grandpa" after a generation or so.
I wish my 1889 Marlin could talk; I have a photo from around 1891 with my grandmother and her father on a camping and hunting trip, and he's holding that gun.
Pre WWI Marlins and Singleshot rifles!
http://members.tripod.com/~OregonArmsCollectors/
http://members.tripod.com/~OregonArmsCollectors/