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pulaski
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Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Jan 15th, 2014 at 11:32pm
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Any one here have one of there Rolling Blocks ?
I just got one . 30" oct/round bbl. pistol grip , shotgun butt plate . Tang. sight (elevation only) windage front sight with bubble level . Canvas and leather carry case (fitted) .
Any input appreciated .
Thanks , Steve
  
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SchwarzStock
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #1 - Jan 16th, 2014 at 10:58am
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Sell it quick!

Quality of these has been pretty poor. Remington will not reveal who made the actions and the parts do not interchange with originals. Barrel flats typically do not align with the receiver, sights are canted.... I could go on for hours and then switch to the inability of remington's custom shop to correct the problems or build a proper replacement. 

I have the remains of a modern remington roller on my desk. It was one of those "midrange" guns they built with the canvas case and the items you list. Was sent back to Remington but they couldn't fix it so they de-milled this receiver and then built me another gun with pretty much the same problems. In the end they refunded my money.

Oh, almost forgot, the color case hardening on these was pretty nice..

SS
  

If your rifle is not in 7.62 and you can't hit what you are aiming at with de-linked machinegun ammo you are a pretender.
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westerner
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #2 - Jan 16th, 2014 at 3:47pm
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Are they all like that?

Maybe polaski got a good one. Huh

We need pictures. 

     Joe.
  

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ssdave
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #3 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 12:15am
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Quality on these hasn't been real high, but most haven't been as poor as Mr. Schwartz's.  He's had a lot of poor luck with rifles, I'm glad he's out there to get most of the lemons and save the rest of us from them!

The actions were cast, made in Dayton Ohio.  A former participant in the Peabody Rifle Company ressurection was somehow involved with the making of those actions.  I bought a completed rifle that he had made using one of the actions (stamped with the Peabody Proofs and logo, and it was not a fine piece of work in any way, but was servicable.  Remington asked Dave Higginbotham to make the actions for them, and he refused, so they had them cast elsewhere and tried to finish themselves through the custom shop.  I think most of their problems were associated with using cast actions, and essentially hand assembling them without the benefit of production machinery and jigs for a full production run.  The custom shop for the past few years has been essentially "farmed out" to some small gunsmithing shops, and they specialize in bolt actions, so the quality turned out what you would expect for that methodology.

Show us what you got, and describe it.  I'd like some more info on what some of the good ones are like.  These have the potential for being a fine rifle if fit and finished well.

dave
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #4 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 11:39am
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Remington has had some serious problems in recent years with anything that wasn't a bolt action rifle. I think their employees have been so centered on bolt actions that to ask them to learn a new action and do it as well is tough.
Look at what their staff did with Marlin repeating rifles after the whole business was moved to the Remington plant. They had such poor quality coming out, and so many rifles being returned, that they finally had to shut down all production to address all the issues.
  

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SchwarzStock
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #5 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 3:26pm
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Yup, I have had a number of lemons but I am pretty particular.

As I recall Dave Higginbotham offered to make them and it was Remington that balked. Dave told me that he had re-worked one of them for a guy but it required some extensive changes. Doesn't matter much these days though does it. 

When I was trying to get a gun built correctly I was told by Keith Dyer in the Custom Shop they were trying to make a deal with Turnbull to assemble the rifles....

In 1999 they did produce at least one good one for me and that was written up in the December 2001 issue of the accurate rifle. I have not seen nor heard of another though.

Here is a scan of the one on my desk. You can see the series of holes on the left side where the ser. number used to be. You don't see the slot cut in the ring to prevent a barrel from being installed.

Again, original roller parts will not fit these actions.
  
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If your rifle is not in 7.62 and you can't hit what you are aiming at with de-linked machinegun ammo you are a pretender.
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pulaski
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #6 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 3:42pm
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Thanks for the input . I must have found one of the better ones . I have three of Dave's rifles and this one is not up to the fit and finish of a Lone Star . That said , this is not a piece of junk either .
The metal to wood fit could be improved , it could use a better tang sight and the metal could have had a better finish before bluing .
Took it out yesterday and shoot it at 100yds. and it gave me a 1 7/8 " group . I think with a little work it could be a really nice rifle .
By the way , mine has a blue receiver and the rollers are in the white .
Thanks , Steve
  
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #7 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 8:55pm
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Remington Custom Shop has a bad Internet reputation, most things Remington these days do have a bad vibe some well deserved.  In fact I have seen some nice work come out of there shop.  I recently looked at a Parker VH Shotgun that was re-worked for a Remington Executive, for sale on the Internet for some time. Nobody wants to even look at it. In person the gun is very well done. Equal to some of the name very expensive shot gun shops.

You have to look at the individual gun and make up your mind.

Boats
  
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Spud
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #8 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 11:01pm
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My Rem RB came out to Australia to be reviewed by the major Gun magazines here when they were first introduced. Remington must have been fishing for sales so they sent a good one with the full set of target sights & set trigger. I got it for a good price after the hacks had put a couple of boxes of factory .45/70 thru it. I believe it is the only example out here.
Initial impression was that the wood to metal fitting really left a lot to be desired, certainly not a custom job...and it had a plastic butt plate!! 
I stripped the hard plastic finish off the stock (more at home on a duck gun destined for service in the mud), stained the wood with dark walnut and finished with a hand rubbed oil treatment. The plastic butt plate was next to go and was replaced with an old metal shotgun plate that I had stashed away for a rainy day. The forearm got a remington metal nose cap from Treebone carving (boy... that was a fun job fitting that) and I added some panels at the rear. I was quite happy with the finished article as I'm certainly no woodworker! I enjoyed refinishing it.

It looks a lot better now than when I got it and I have no complaints about how it shoots. Using the old Ideal Postell 535gr and 24 gr of SR4759 it will shoot 2" groups at 100 yds all day long.   

Perhaps my biggest gripe was the "modern" Remington logo stamped on the side of the action along with the serial number. Surely they could have run an orginal looking stamp along the tangs just like the originals.
Spud
  
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #9 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 11:03pm
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Remington nose cap
  
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Spud
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #10 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 11:05pm
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Panels in forearm & that butt ugly Rem stamp!

Spud
  
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #11 - Jan 17th, 2014 at 11:19pm
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I saw one of them in the flesh a few years ago.  I recall thinking the price was rediculous in comparison to the quality.

Very rarely will I admit the italian imports beat the "real thing" or US made repros, but Pedersoli doesn't have to try to hard to make a better rolling block then Remingtons custom shop.
« Last Edit: Jan 17th, 2014 at 11:34pm by hickstick_10 »  
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firearmdoc
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #12 - Jan 18th, 2014 at 8:54am
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When I was trying to get a gun built correctly I was told by Keith Dyer in the Custom Shop they were trying to make a deal with Turnbull to assemble the rifles

I can attest to this as being true, although it was more Turnbull looking to make the deal than Remington. 
The problem that Remington has is that they want everything at a certain price point. In order to do this they don't care what the product looks like.

Turnbull has been involved with other projects with Remington, such as their centennial 1911 project, which in my opinion was a collosal failure of epic proportions. 

All of my experience with Turnbull comes from my past employment with them. I have since moved on after several years with them. 

Turnbull is trying more and more to become a production facility, and in my opinion is moving away from the quality restorations they are known for.This may work for them but it seems every company that gears itself towards quantity, eventually puts quality on the back burner. 

These are just my opinions and in no way are meant to reflect on my past employer in a negative manner. 

Jesse
  
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #13 - Jan 19th, 2014 at 4:33pm
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If Remington Custom farms out work it would explain the Parker Shotgun I looked at, Listed by the consignment dealer as from the Remington shop, gun is owned by a Remington Executive.  Another guy in the Dealers shop said DelGrego in New York did the Restoration, Work is very high quality better than I would think Remington employees would be capable of.

Want to see a crying shame compare a "New" Marlin 39A to a older 39A. Marlin kept quality standards far longer than the other big US makers. Remington takes over and goes down hill first gun off the line.

Boats

Boats
  
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John in PA
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Re: Remington custom shop Rolling Block
Reply #14 - Jan 20th, 2014 at 8:26pm
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I actually have a very nice Remington custom shop midrange, and it is one of very few that were factory engraved.  I have no complaints about wood to metal fit, or about the quality and appropriateness of the engraving pattern, or the color case hardening and bluing.  I guess I was lucky, but mine is , frankly, a beautiful firearm.
  

John Wells
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Peabody and Peabody-Martini's Wanted!
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