A year and a half ago I bought a rifle from a friend and collector.  This Remington Rolling Block is not like any others I have seen.  My friend owned it for 15 years until he made a comment that led to a deal.  I bought the rifle for the rifle and not the story, but there are quite a few things that lead me to believe that this "could be" Col John Bodine's rifle used at the 1875 match at Dollymount, Ireland.

A few standard details.  This rifle is not serial numbered.  The barrel is 34" long with an excellent bore and is chambered in .44-77 Sharps.  The rifle has a long range tang sight.  The rifle originally had a bead front sight but the previous owner replaced it with a windgauge front sight.  It has a checkered horn shotgun-style buttplate, horn forend tip and a block of horn inlet into the top of the comb for a rear sight base.  The barrel is browned, not blued.  The top of the receiver has a raised oval with several patent dates.  "L.L. Hepburn" is stamped several times under the forearm.

My friend made a loose connection when looking at Harper's Weekly covering the Creedmoor Match of 1874 when the U.S. team, including Hepburn and Bodine, won against the Irish. The woodcut illustrations taken from photographs showed the team and its rifles.  Bodine held a standard Remington Creedmoor.

In the next year, the Irish invited the Americans to a rematch in Ireland.  Bodine was on the team again, but Hepburn was not.  The pictures following the match were in Harper's Weekly (July 10,1875) of the American Team after having won against the Irish.  The woodcut drawing shows Bodine using a rolling block rifle with a carved stock (pistol grip area) snd black ipped forearm.  The rifle in the drawing does not have a windgauge sight either.

• Bodine's Remington rifle show in Harper's woodcut matches this rifle in the details of the barrel, stock carving and black forend tip.  the other Remington shooters on the team are clearly shown with standard Remington Creedmoor rifles.

• We know that Hepburn supervised the making of the Remington rifles for the US team.

• Hepburn's stamp is under the forearm in several places.  There is no serial- or assembly number

• Bodine believed that full round barrels were more accurate and made this point in a letter to Sharps Rifle Co on May 15th, 1877 (printed in Frank Sellers book)

... more ...

more pics ...

Thank you MarlinGuy ... it's amazing the things you can pick out from a photo that I miss with the naked eye.  Looking at the rifle, they look like two impressions but not plugged holes.  Good point ... thanks again ...

Simply beautiful.

my sugestion would be to get ahold of Dick Binger at Stotts Creek Armory. He may have some Knowledge on Bodine's rifle

40 Rod

Would really appreciate seeing a full length picture of this one.

Thanks

a few more pics by request ...

I couldn't begin to say who owned that back in the day, but he must have been a very proud owner, as must you be. I particularly like the proportion of the forestock on that one. Probably that way for a reason, but it just looks right. Now, I must ask- have you fired it at all?

That's Ron Peterson Guns in Albuquerque;-)

Joe,
I can understand how you may think that the rifle shown could have been Bodine's.  I have that woodcut from "Harper's Weekly" framed and on my wall.  Looking at it, I can see the forend tip that you describe but the pistol grip area is too undefined to show that kind of work.  Also, if you look at the receiver, it shows 3 pins going through it which rollers do not have.  I think perhaps the worker making the woodcut took a few liberties. However, that doesn't mean that your rifle wasn't made for somebody that aspired to make the Creedmoor team or perhaps even Bodine in 1875.  He was known to have owned many rifles.  I'd love to own his 1881 Deeley & Edge Creedmoor rifle.
I found my article written by George Wingate who was Capt of the American team and he describes L.L. Hepburn as making Fulton's rifle and his own for the 1874 matches.  Here is a picture of Fulton's rifle when it sold about 8-9 years ago. I wish it showed the pistol grip to see if it had any elaborate carvings.If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see an actual picture of the team and the rifle Bodine shot in the 1874
matches.  I found Wingate's article to be one of the best descriptions of the 1874 matches.  Good luck in your search.  Bob
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Blow the picture in the link up to 400% and note that the rifle Bodine is holding has a roll over cheek piece on a straight shotgun butt stock, a pewter forearm tip and maybe a Beach foresight on a half octagon round barrel .  
The other 3 rifles shown are '74 Sharps in 44-77 Sharps that were made specifically for the Creedmoor Match in addition to Remingtons.  Two round barrels with splinter forearms and the other an octagonal barrel 
Joe, your rifle has no cheek piece, is a perched stock, full round barrel & no picture of the forearm or sight on your rifle provided
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Whether it is a Bodine rifle or not ... it's drop dead gorgeous!

For providence to the rifle, I would suggest you contact the NRA - Instructions in your current NRA Magazine with pictures ... 

NRA
Dope Bag, NRA Publications
11250 Wapples Mill Rd
Fairfax, VA 22030-9400
Must contain the member's code line from an American Rifleman or American Hunter mailing label or membership card with a self addressed stamped legal size envelope 
"Allow 10 weeks for a reply"

It's the same link that Old-Win posted

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Again, I don't know who this lovely critter belonged to, but, regarding the photo of Bodine with the metal-tipped rifle and Hepburn's presence in the photo; Wasn't Hepburn absent from one of the matches? This leaves the possibility that the rifle owned by Joe could have been another gun that was used in another year? No knowledge, just my mind's wandering around.

John, they may have loaded them up since they had a long throat but all of the ones I have seen, including the one that fired the winning shot, used a 44-77 case. Here's something: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Quote:

Man ... this is like chasing a Shadow at midnight!
Sure would like to help Joe determine the providence of his rifle though

The .44-77 is I believe 2.25" long, but the .44-90 is 2.63" long. It may well be that the extra length is simply neck length, and the rest the dimensions match.

Both the body and the neck are longer on the 44-90 than the 44-77. It could have been re chambered at some point lon ago when it was a working gun and not an artifact.

40 Rod

I don't know whose rifle that was, but it is one of the best looking rifles I've ever seen!

John

No problem Harry, I saw the auction notice and thought it may have some relevance to the conversation.  I do think  RIA   embellishes  a bit to increase sales.

I think the team picture you reference is enlarged to poster size at the Cody Museum.  That is a wonderful rifle!

That IS a beautiful Rolling block for sure!

I certainly cannot comment on its provenance but wonder if anyone researching the famous overseas matches have ever tried to access the records of the ships which carried the contestants and their equipment?
Not sure if rifle descriptions and numbers were ever logged but it seems possible if only for preventing theft on the voyage.

Out of curiosity, does the base of the rear sight fit exactly into the recess for the back position?  My guess is that it will as your staff is very tall.
Many rifles came with different sight sets for differing positions or ranges and some came with one rear sight which was simply moved from one mount to another.

I thought this to be interesting in the different ways you could order a Creedmoor roller at least accordingly to Philip Sharpe's book "The Rifle in America".
In the section parted, "Remington Creedmoor Rifle, 
Introduced 1873 - Discontinued 1890"
"This rifle was brought out in .44-90,.44-100 and .44-105 and used bottleneck cartridges with an originally 2 1/4 inch shell, later increased to 2 7/16 inch.  It was essentially a target rifle and was brought out in several grades.
   The first record of this rifle being actually used in competition was in the Turf, Field, and Farm Match , August 2, 1873.  This model had a 34 inch barrel and weighed 10 pounds.
   Various models of this rifle were constructed known as A, B, C, D, and E.  The A type had a pistol grip stock and was equipped with Vernier peep rear sights and wind-gauge type front.  The B type and a plain stock and flat butt plate together with Vernier rear and wind-gauge front sights.  The C type had a military stock with Vernier peep rear and wind-gauge front sights, and the D type was the same as the A except that it had a rubber butt plate, forearm tip and checked forearm.  In addition the few extra accessories were available in sights including a spirit level and extra peep discs.  The E type was the same as the D except that it had a  specially selected walnut stock, highly polished and extra finished action throughout as well."
The photo of the Roller in this thread, certainly falls in one of these types it seems.

Further to Old-Win's post with the close up photos of a Remington of Fulton's, here is the full length picture. it was described as ".44-77, 34" full octagon barrel with an excellent bore."

With regards to the rifle that generated all this debate, and the recess in the stock possibly for a heel sight, do we know when heel sights started to be used on these rifles? All the pictures I have been looking at recently show tang mounted sights even when the rifles are being fired from the back position.

David

Yes, it is the same rifle. I bought it from the owner listed in the book

... Joe

Bringing this old topic back up, mainly because I have some evidence that answers some questions listed above, and some answers to incorrect assumptions or statements made above.

The first Creedmoor match was held in late Nov. 1874, and Remington did not catalogue their Long-Range rifles until 1874. But the challenge by the Irish was made almost a year earlier, and even before the 1874 Match Remington and Sharps began work on producing these rifles. Prototypes of the rifles to be used at the match were made  and sold in 1873, even though they were not a catalog item in 1873.
The Remingtons used in the Creedmoor matches were in the low 3000 serial number range. But there is at least one Creedmoor rifle with a serial number in the low 1500 range! George Armstrong Custer was also given a Creedmoor in this same range. His was #3333, and Fulton's was #3310. 
The .44-77 Remington-Sharps Bottleneck was deemed too weak for 1000 yd. duty. So the 400 gr. bullet was replaced by a 535 gr. paper patched bullet, and the throats were opened up so the 535 gr. bullet was barely seated into the case neck, and 90 grs. of powder was the charge in the case. This was done before the Creedmoor ever saw use in the 1874 match as the guns built as prototypes in 1873 will also accept the 535 gr. bullet barely seated into the case neck.
Almost all the Creedmoor Rolling Blocks were half octagon. But Fulton's was a full octagon, and still fit into the 10 lb. weight limit of the rules. Two others are known of in full octagon, and not sure of others?
There are at least three in full round, which Joe's is one. I own one of the others, and mine is one made in 1873 with a serial number in the low 1500 range, well below the ones used in the Creedmoor Match.
The heel sights were offered right from the very beginning, before the Creedmoor match took place in Nov. 1874. The way the sights were attached changed numerous times, but some rifles got no heel sight accommodation at all. It depended on the customer's request for one or not. I've seen heel bases simply wood screwed into the stock. Other's done like Joe's where an ebony insert was first inlaid, and then recessed for the base. And some that had a steel insert inlaid into the heel position, and the sight mounted with machine screws exactly like the tangs used.
Wish I knew of any records of serial numbers for the other rifles used in the 1874 match? That's probably the only way we could ever confirm provenance of who owned what.