The Goose
NES Member
I picked this up a while back and am finally getting around to posting about it. It is a military Remington Rolling block in .50/70. I was told it is a New York State Militia rifle, but really have not done any research. It is missing the cleaning rod. I looked at this rifle several times before I bought it. It just looked so bad. The outside metal looked really funky and pitted and the stock was almost black. The bore looked cruddy. Really not much to recommend it. I bought it at a decent price expecting it to be a wall hanger at best, but I do love a challenge. When I got it home I took it completely apart. The bottom side of the barrel covered by the stock looked brand new. I have cleaned up a few old rifles using the Kramer products. They seem to take off the grunge, but not the original finish. I had been told that this rifle had been hanging in a club over the bar, something like a Legion Hall or VFW Post or something. Again who knows. However, as soon as I started to clean with the Kramers solution this dark brown and smelly stuff started to come off. Then I realized what it was, nicotine. This rifle had layers and layers of cigarette smoke. I pictured years of smoke and then dust settling on the sticky residue followed by more smoke and then more dust. It gave an almost textural appearance to it. What looked like pitting was layers of sticky dust. Every day for a few weeks I would rub it a little bit more with the Kramers solution and the brown just kept coming off. I had some trepidation about removing any patina, but decided that I would get it as clean as possible. I am fundamentally a shooter and not a collector. Another surprise was that the bore was absolutely pristine, after cleaning it literally looked new. I can only assume that the nicotine served as a preserver.
As I cleaned it I also acquired some brass, dies and already had a Lee mold that would throw a 450 gr. bullet. Biggest problem was that the largest sizing die that I had was .512, the bore slugged out at .515 and the cast bullet was .518. The .512 was too small and the .518 would not fit in the case even when expanded and flared. I loaded up some rounds with the .512's anyway and 64 grs of 2F black powder. Mediocre accuracy at 50 yards and tumbling mayhem at 100 yards. I just got a .515 sizing die from BACO, maybe that will help.
I probably ruined any value that this rifle might have had, but it was just so nasty with that sticky brown gunk all over it. At least now it is a fun shooter and a darn nice looking rifle.
As I cleaned it I also acquired some brass, dies and already had a Lee mold that would throw a 450 gr. bullet. Biggest problem was that the largest sizing die that I had was .512, the bore slugged out at .515 and the cast bullet was .518. The .512 was too small and the .518 would not fit in the case even when expanded and flared. I loaded up some rounds with the .512's anyway and 64 grs of 2F black powder. Mediocre accuracy at 50 yards and tumbling mayhem at 100 yards. I just got a .515 sizing die from BACO, maybe that will help.
I probably ruined any value that this rifle might have had, but it was just so nasty with that sticky brown gunk all over it. At least now it is a fun shooter and a darn nice looking rifle.
