Rolling Block No. 4 Project

[Old No7]

Great, just what I needed was yet "another project"..............

But I've just found out that I'll be a grandfather come September!!!

So this old rifle will have a role to play in that child's life.


This l'il No 4 Rolling Block (a 22 Long CB cap will chamber just fine) was sitting in a LGS for the last 2 years with no movement. I'm sure it got picked up and looked at a few times, but the condition of the bore probably turned a lot of folks away... It did to me too! Many times, in fact... Until they chopped the asking price that is... The shop owner saw me looking at it again and said "I know you like to mess around with older rifles, so let me make you an offer you can't refuse..."

So he dropped the price by half and now it's mine -- with the condition that I take it back and show him later after I work on it some.

I've read that 144,000 of these 22.5" barreled, fixed rear sight, non-takedown models were made between 1890 and 1900, so by extrapolating the numbers per year, this was likely one of the last of that model made in 1900.

It's in decent "old and used" condition overall on the outside, but the bore is almost a sewer pipe. I plan to reline and refinish it, and after all the work is done, I'm hoping this will make a dandy shooter for my 1st grandchild when he/she is older -- and I will plan to gift it to the young'un when they turn 10.

Here's a side view:

Rem RB 4 01 (Small).jpg

And a close-up of the action:

Rem RB 4 02 (Small).jpg

Here's the latest view -- the work has started! You can see I have already buffed the butt plate, to prep it for case-color (since I'm sending off parts for my larger "The Beast" 45-70 Roller to be case-colored anyhow, and I'm hoping the small butt and No 4 receiver might fit into the same batch...)

Rem RB 4 project 01 (Small).jpg

This is one of the reasons you typically strip an old gun like this down to all the parts... I found the tip of the firing pin was broken off, but it still left a decent mark on once-fired 22 cases:

Rem RB 4 project 02 (Small).jpg

And I found this stuff (dried grease, I think) embedded in the barrel shank threads... At first, it seemed like packing material that you'd use on a propeller shaft to me, but there's no fibers in it. I'm wondering if it was originally intended -- or put there later? -- to help snug up the barrel to the receiver:

Rem RB 4 project 03 (Small).jpg

I'm not sure if I'll post any "work in process" pictures as this project moves along, but if/when I finally get this old piece relined and refinished, I'll be sure to post some updated pictures... Who knows? Maybe I'll just lay the restored rifle down in the baby's crib!!!

My daughter & son-in-law are both shooters, so they'd probably be OK with that... I think?!?!

Tight groups.

Old No7

[rgates]

This is a fantastic project! I'm sure everyone would like to see some in-progress photo's as you restore this rifle. That will be one lucky grandchild!

[M. M. Wright]

That is a cool project. I recently had ownership of a similar Winchester low-wall. Marked 22 short. I foolishly put it on the table, (this was at a gunshow) and someone came along and bought it. It needed a reline and a good preserving. Hindsight, oh well! Anyhow I really like your project.

[GunnyMack]

That's a great project! Congrats on the new powder burner in the family!!

[Pete44ru]

.

Those #4 miniature rollers are great woods-loafing guns, for sure !

Once upon a time, I found a ca.1902 solid-frame #4 roller in .32RF for chump change, and (due to the paucity of .32 RF ammo) converted it to CF, so I could use commercially-available (Wincester make 2 ammo runs/year) .32 Short Colt in it.

The RF-to-CF conversion went fairly easy, although the breech face ended up with 2 holes - one from the old RF pin, and the other one for the CF pin I made from the old RF pin.

I altered the breechblock by first locating the CF hole's position by dropping a Sharpie downbore with the breech closed to mark the breech face.

I then removed the RF pin & ground off the RF pin's fwd end to a flat, then re-installing it for drilling the breech face - which also allowed the flat FP face to be marked for the CF pin location (when the tip of the hole drill went through & hit the flat FP face).

I later removed the flat FP & drilled a hole at the mark in the flat face to accept the shank of the (sacrificial) drill used for the hole, which I later ground to length & soldered in place to be the new CF pin (no other work was req'd except re-assembly).


.

[marlinman93]

The #4 is tough to find in good condition. They were boy's guns and priced cheaply when new, so boys didn't take good care of them, and they rarely got cleaned or maintained. But I think they're a very neat gun! I have a friend who reworked one by adding a bent pistol grip lower tang and made a deluxe #4 rifle for his restoration. It's gorgeous, but took some work to weld the lower tang on, and make the stock.
I have a #4 Remington I purchased from my good friend engraver Bob Evans. It was one of his first engraving projects almost 50 years ago, so not the fine quality he's known for later. But I love it, and it is a great shooter too! It's been relined, and I added a tang sight to have better accuracy shooting it.

[gamekeeper]

Congratulations Darryl, nice rolling block to start a new shooter with too!

[Grizz]

super good project. love the rollers, don't know why.

[EdinCT]

I have a soft spot for #4's I started with one and it split's a high speed Long rifle shell rim because of its worn chamber but it could be used with a short, long or even a standard velocity Long rifle to hit a empty shotshell end at 40 yards when I could see ! Great project and I am looking forward to seeing the end result.

[David]

Technically the #4 was not a boys rifle it was way too expensive to compete that's why they came out with the #6.

[OldWin]

That is gonna be a treasure for the new family member. Take LOTS of pictures of every step, regardless of whether you post them or not. It will be important to the caretaker long after you're gone.
Stuff like that is really neat.

My buddy had one that was in unfired condition. It was beautiful and I kick myself for not buying it.

[marlinman93]

Technically the #4 was not a boys rifle it was way too expensive to compete that's why they came out with the #6.

Take a look at all the old ads by Remington for the #4 and see who those ads targeted. It was indeed expensive compared to other "boys rifles" at $8, but that is the group Remington was targeting. And the price of $8 did indeed make Remington rethink it and bring out the #6 that was more competitively priced.

[David]

Yes I agree they did target them and failed miserably, being it was a complete failure as a boys rifle it's typically not considered one at least to boy rifle collectors...
I guess is you manufacture what you call a sports car and no-one buys one it's still a sports car. I don't know don't want to pull a Slick Willy debating what is "is".
The #4 is a nice rifle the #6 is not so appealing.

[Pitchy]

Very cool rifle, congrats on getting it

[Ysabel Kid]

This is a fantastic project! I'm sure everyone would like to see some in-progress photo's as you restore this rifle. That will be one lucky grandchild!

+1 on all counts!

Congratulations Darryl! As they say, the reason we all put up with having kids is the payoff is having grandkids to spoil! At least, that is what I keep telling my kids. I'm just not in a rush for the payoff, given my kids' ages (Y2K is almost 19, and his lil' sis turns 15 in a couple weeks). This is exactly what I want to do for my future grandchild. Each will get one of their first, if not their first, rifle from their "AP" (grandfather - me) . And I want it to be something I personalized for them, like I did for my own kids. In fact, I have to confess that one of my greatest fears is that one or both of my children will marry an anti-gun nut. Not likely (especially for Y2K; he'd never tolerate it), but love does strange things to a young person. Should that horrifying situation be the case, my grandchildren will still get guns - just left at Ap's house until they are old enough to own them.

I know I speak for everyone in saying we'd all enjoy updates, especially with pictures!

Jay
YK

[marlinman93]

Yes I agree they did target them and failed miserably, being it was a complete failure as a boys rifle it's typically not considered one at least to boy rifle collectors...
I guess is you manufacture what you call a sports car and no-one buys one it's still a sports car. I don't know don't want to pull a Slick Willy debating what is "is".
The #4 is a nice rifle the #6 is not so appealing.

You just touched on one reason Remington went bankrupt in the late 1880's! They over built their guns, and pricing was higher than similar other makes and models. That practice of building guns so nicely, and also concentrating on military contracts all the time, resulted in Remington nearly going away after they filed bankruptcy. Had it not been for Marcellus Hartley of Schuyler, Hartley and Graham/UMC wanting to save the fine old company, it would have been the end. Winchester went in with Hartley and wanted to shut Remington down. But Hartley refused, and after two years he bought Winchester out.