Hello, I Participate in other forums, just new here.  Shoot muzzleloaders and typically deer hunt with an H&R single shot 45-70. Reload for several calibers. I would like to learn more about Rolling Blocks. It seems there were several made by various different countries for military purposes and some for civilian use. I have a couple of Danish Rolling Blocks. Could you gentlemen point me in the direction of books or links to help identify the different models? Military vs Civilian? Parts? I've found some info and parts online, would like the advice from you fine folks.

If you want to learn all things rolling block I hope you have a good bit of time to spend on the subject. Quite a lot of history on rollers...




JMH

Rolling blocks is a very broad term. I don't profess to know much about many of them. But I have been studying and researching Remington #2 sporting rifles (mid-size rolling blocks) for a number of years. I have a youtube video with a general overview of them and their evolutionary changes. You may find it helpful.

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Parts and more:

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Kenn at rollingblockparts.com took over and built upon Bill Wescombe's parts business about 20 years ago, and he does such a good job at it there's no reason for anyone else to do it.   

So, yes, you've got the sources down, except for lucking into parts for one locally somehow.

Are you intending to work on them, create a comprehensive collection, a niche collection, or you don't know yet?

What you intend to do heavily influences what references you need.

If you just want to work on them, there's not much info out there, and the best is Steve Durrens article from about 2002 or so in the Journal; you can get it on reprint from the ASSRA archives, I believe.  He covers pretty much everything there is to know about working on the full size #1 or #5 actions.   

There's no such comprehensive info for the #2 and the #4; there's some info in Dehass's single shot rifles.

For collecting, I'd add in Grant's series on single shot rifles for a few more tidbits of information, in addition to the Marcot and Schreier books.   

I'll give you the entirety of what I know about rolling block rifles:

Don't stone or otherwise mess with the trigger or hammer sear surfaces, in an attempt to lighten the awful trigger.   You can easily make it unsafe against accidental discharges, and will almost certainly introduce creep into the mechanism. Don't weaken or thin the main spring either, that doesn't work, and causes other problems, and can even allow the action to blow open.  Don't thin or narrow the trigger spring, that will eventually cause it to break.  Use a wire spring, you can get them from Kenn at rollingblockparts.com, and it will lower the pull by about 15 pounds from an original military one.   

Good luck, and give us some more info on your interests (if they're more focused than just wanting to know everything about everything) and we can maybe steer you to more specifics.

ssdave wrote on Dec 20^th, 2024 at 1:19pm:


Good to know. I have no problems with one and done sources. Keep shipping cost down. 


ssdave wrote on Dec 20^th, 2024 at 1:19pm:


I want to work on them some. Maybe rebarrel one or two. Make new stocks. 

ssdave wrote on Dec 20^th, 2024 at 1:19pm:


I would like to get the Danish Rolling Blocks up and going. I'm sure I could shoot them as is, but prefer to swap barrels and go with 45-70 or 50-70, although the 50-70 brass is difficult to come by...I've been on Starline's list for over 2 years now. Stopped in person to ask for a handful of brass and to be put on the list, got on the list, but no brass. 

Looking to hunt whitetails with a Rolling Block as an alternative or upgrade to the H&R. We can straight-wall rifle cartridge hunt in the state I live, so it seems like a natural transition into a more traditional rifle. 

RBKenn wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2024 at 5:50pm:


I'll  check it out, thanks for the recommendation. Currently waiting on Layman's book from Track of the Wolf. 

Da haas’s book ‘Mr. Single Shot’s Gunsmithing Idea Book’
Has a lot of good information about some of the various models and what they could handle, etc. even if you are not planning on doing anything but collecting them it is just good reading that helps understand some of the differences in some of them. Including models 1,2,4 and5, as well as the Whitney’s 
I’m not sure how available that book is now, I picked mine up at a gunshow when they were in print and now it’s a well worn book. 
If there is anything particular you’re wondering if I can help I will. I don’t know but a smidge of what there is about them but I’ve learned a lot by just reading and working on them. Rollers and trapdoors are what I’ve fiddled with the most. Feel free to PM me if you want. I may or may not be able to help, but I’ll sure try.