This Remington Rolling Block is a recent acquisition and is in near perfect condition. While I wish it could be kept in original condition as a shooter, that just can't happen. What is going to happen, is the rifle will be sent to a roller-smith here in the state and be re-barreled to .357 Maximum. I can hear the groans now, but the Max is a great shooter with lead bullets, and the pressure can easily be kept within safe limits for the old Remington action. 

Now, I have a question... the rifle has all matching serial numbers, but on the right side of the breech part of the barrel there is the number 3195/96, which is not the serial number, and on the right side of the butt stock is stamped the number 1896. I'm pretty sure the 33 1/8" barrel is original to the action. So, the question is... was the rifle made in 1896?

oneatatime wrote on Jan 6^th, 2022 at 3:59pm:


I do believe the /96 indicates the "rework/conversion" date, not the date of mfg.

8x58 R cases made from .45-90 cases

Thanks for the responses... I guess you guys now know I'm not really a "rollerguy," but I'm working on it. When I was looking for a name to use on the forum that one worked, and I went for it. Interestingly, my first pick for a name was "oneatatime" - well, "oneatatime" you know how that went. 

All of you concurred that the date is a re-fit date and not a manufacturing date. Special thanks to Schuetzendave for all the pics... his rifle and mine appear to be the same. I did wonder about that filled hole on the upper portion of the frame. 

Now for oneatatime's question... "what do I have against the 8x58?" Nothing against the cartridge, it's just that I have no knowledge about it, and my background with the Max weighs heavy in favor of it. 

I think that a modern steel barrel with a heavier wall at the breech is a good idea. And I also think a straight wall case is a good idea. Plus, I have on hand the dies and 400 cases for the Max. At one time I had two pistol barrels and a rifle barrel for my Contender, and I shot them a lot over quite a few years. I wish I still had those barrels. I also had a Martini Cadet in the Max. 

As you can tell I'm going with the Max, but I think I will have the barrel marked as the Ballard XL, as it and the Max are very close in dimensions, and maybe that will keep someone from sticking a factory Max in it sometime down the road.   

Thank you guys again.

Mine is pretty much identical to Schuetzen Dave's. I form brass from PPU 8x56R Hungarian.

Gunfunpow...
I went through all the possibilities I could think of, like buying a new repro, right on up to and including, not buying anything at all, before I bought the Remington. Once I got it in my hands and played with it over the course of a few days, it's future was decided. The workmanship is excellent. The project turned into being about getting a 150 year old rifle back into action with a suitable cartridge. 

The 357 Max and the 38 Ballard XL are so close in dimensions they are virtually the same. Consider the finished Rem a Ballard and not a Max. The finished rifle should look the same as it does now, except for a shorter barrel and the addition of a vintage scope. 

Thanks for your response.