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Jonathan
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Lone Star Rolling Block
Oct 12th, 2026 at 10:52am
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Because they are new to me I'm wondering what the general opinion is of the Lone Star Rolling Block. Thanks
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #1 - Oct 12th, 2026 at 11:00am
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The only thing I've ever heard were positive remarks about them. But there are quite a variety of Lonestar Rolling Blocks since some were made from reworked military surplus actions, and some from brand new actions. A lot of variety among all the rifles he built, and how much of the gun was all Lonestar, or reworked by Lonestar.
  

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Jamey
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #2 - Oct 12th, 2026 at 11:15am
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Jon
A couple of my friends have Lone Star rollers. They’re gorgeous, and highly regarded by everyone that’s seen and handled them. I’ve never had the opportunity to shoot them. I think I can arrange for you to see them if you want.
  
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Bulseyetom
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #3 - Oct 12th, 2026 at 2:47pm
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Jamey, why don't you have one sent to me so that I can give it a full year devoted to testing and evaluating it!  Tom    Cheesy
  
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4570mike
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #4 - Oct 15th, 2026 at 2:42pm
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I have had a couple of them.  One was a "Cowboy Action" style in 38-55 the other I still have is a Target Model also in 38-55.  Both were LS production and not military rebuilds.
The quality was excellent.  Fit and finish top notch.  The CC on both was very attractive.
The Target Model has a 30" full octagon barrel, PG stock and DST.
I've had Rollers with SST (the "RB97" Models) and the DST are better than those.
I think Dan copied the DST system from one of the Western Gunsmiths who did this conversion back in the day.
The Target Model I've used for Silhouette competition out to 500M and found it to be very accurate.
I'd have no reservation buying another one.


  
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Antonio
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #5 - Oct 15th, 2026 at 6:58pm
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Now, Jamey knows how I like The Lone Star rolling blocks, They are top of the line and very collectable. I will need to let Jamey shoot mine. If you want to offload one, let me know.
  
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oneatatime
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #6 - Oct 15th, 2026 at 8:08pm
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I can only imagine how nice a pure "Lone Star" must be. I sent him my beat 1902 carbine and stock blanks and asked for a 50-70 hunting rifle. He rebated the receiver, reshaped the block and hammer, tweaked the trigger, color cased the action, cut and inlet the wood, provided the forearm cap and butt plate, and mounted an octagon barrel and my requested sights and this is what I got back.
  
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Flatlander
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #7 - Oct 16th, 2026 at 12:57am
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Sweet roller.
Flatlander
  

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KFW
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #8 - Oct 18th, 2026 at 7:30am
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To my eye the straight grip Roller as shown is the finest looking, sleekest rifle of the era. And they carry so nicely in a scabbard on your horse.
  
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TDW
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #9 - Oct 18th, 2026 at 9:35am
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Kenny, I couldn’t agree more!
Tom
  

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S.P. Garbe, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, 1980
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ssdave
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #10 - Oct 19th, 2026 at 12:19am
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Dave H. made some very nice rifles.  As others have said, he produced a variety of stuff over the years, some originals restored, some military conversions of varying degrees, and some of his own customs from castings made by Thompson Center for him.

He was very good, near the end of his production.  Not so much so at the beginning.   

When he first started, he was THE only rolling block man that advertised openly.  I had no interest in blackpowder cartridge stuff, but acquired a cheap rolling block without the breech block, and thought I could make a nice high power 7mm rifle on it.  Sent off to Wescombe for a breech block, and he sent me one.  It was the wrong type for a rotary extractor.  Knowing Dave H was THE rolling block man, I sent him the block, and called him to talk.  He told me he had to anneal it to machine it, which would cost a rehardening and reblue.  I reluctantly told him to proceed.

He sent me back a badly carburized block, that he had machined for the wrong extractor (more like a .50-70 rotary than a 7mm).  He had machined off center also, so that the collar the extractor rides on was cut through all the way to the pin.  It was totally ruined and worthless for a 7mm.  I called him, and he told me "I did you a favor, now you can build it into a rimmed BPCR rifle, and the off center won't matter because the pin will hold it in place anyway".   

That episode was the first experience that made me realize I needed to get my own mill and lathe, and learn to do proper work myself.  I think I scrapped that rifle for parts, which was the start of me selling rolling block parts online.  I purchased a 50-70 barreled action from Ellwood Epps at that time and started in on gunsmithing it to learn how.

Around that time, a friend ordered a full custom rifle.  It was in the first 5 serial numbers that Dave produced.  That rifle was delivered with an obviously broken forearm that had been amateurishly glued back together.  When that friend complained, he was told something to the effect that every maker has mistakes that they correct before it's shipped out to the customer, there's nothing wrong with it, it's glued securely and that's as good as we will do.

He did get better as he got more skilled and more financially secure.  Some of his later rifles were quite good.

He never even came close to the workmanship of Curt Hardcastle, nor the skill of John King.
  
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ssdave
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #11 - Oct 19th, 2026 at 12:59am
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Ultimately, Dave H was right, he did me a favor by screwing up my breechblock.  I gained an interest in BPCR rifles, built my .50-70 from Ellwood Epps, had John King build my first .45-90, started selling rolling block parts and working on them.  Bought a lathe and mill and learned to use them.  I learned to overcome the awful rolling block triggers, and have made the springs ever since.  So, I've improved about 5000 triggers, maybe a few more even since then.

Here's the second rolling block rifle I built.  It's a .50-110, and was a learning expreience.  I welded up a horribly abused .43 egyptian action and milled it to thick side octagon configuration.  Modified the hammer to rotate further back, made a new trigger freehand on the mill to work with the additional hammer rotation.  Contoured block and hammer and trigger guard to sporter.  Reamed all the holes to match, and made new pins.  Threaded and chambered and fit the barrel.  Learned to cut dovetails for the sights.  Nitre blued the screws, block and hammer.  Drilled and tapped for a tang sight.  Only things I didn't do myself, had Glenn Fewless cut the trigger to correct geometry using his optical comparator to get it right, and had color case of Ohio do the case.  I may have had the barrel hot blued, I don't remember. This is probably the third or fourth stock I did, from my own blank.    I learned a lot building this rifle.  

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« Last Edit: Oct 19th, 2026 at 1:12am by ssdave »  
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oneatatime
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Re: Lone Star Rolling Block
Reply #12 - Oct 19th, 2026 at 1:37am
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I guess that I was lucky then that my rifle was completed just very shortly before the accident. I can't imagine it having turned out any better.
  
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