Remington Roller....

[DonT]

I have an opportunity to pick up a Remington Rolling Block (number 1 or number 5 action)  that has a Shilen Match barrel (designed for shooting cast bullets)  hung on it.  Caliber is 45-70 it has nice (aka: average grade) wood, Tang rear sight  (nothing fancy one of the italian copies I would venture to say) and front lyman globe.

It has an intentionally patina'd finish and the barrel is a heavy round barrel that had flats cut on it to just in front of the action  Looks like one of the old buffalo guns.

Overall the gun is very nice.

I am trying to get a feel for pricing on these things since they are new to me and this is outside my league a bit.  I know the guy that has it and have had a chance to put a few rounds thru the gun on steel targets.  He has all the receipts for the work done and it was done by a local shop..


Any help you can offer as to values would be greatly appreciated.

[John Traveler]

DonT,

A rough estimate of what it cost to make your rifle:

Remington Number 5 action  $200-$300
Shilen .45 caliber barrel        $250-$300
replacement stock & forearm $100
Italian vernier tang sight        $75-100
Lyman globe front sight         $25-50

add labor, barrel fitting & chambering, fitting & finishing stockwork, and    
action & barrel polishing & bluing

Total in materials approximately $650-700
labor                                         $200-300

A fair price for what you would essentially pay for a low-end Pedersoli or Uberti Rolling Block.  You'd gain the competition-quality barrel, but probably not get as nice a finish as a new rifle.

HTH
John

[DonT]

Thanks John that is in the range I was figuring.  He is in the $800-ish range so it sounds like we are in the ball park.  I would assume as time goes on demand for the original Remington Roller actioned guns will increase pushing prices up some...

Thanks again..
DonT

[John Traveler]

DonT,

I dunno about "original" Remington roller prices increasing, because the real value of that rifle is as a working competition gun.  It's not gonna appreciate as a fine condition ORIGINAL antique would.  Assuming it's accurate enough to be competitive, and decently finished, yes, I'd say $800 is a fair ballpark price.  

The Italian imports ARE steaadily increasing in price because of the strong Euro dollar trends.  IF that changes, they will decrease in price.

Keep in mind:  Those parts prices are what it would cost you/me to go out, find, and buy them.  It so happens that if you scrounge hard, you could make a rifle like that for less than $500.  If he did some of the work himself, it could be even less.

John

[marlinman93]

DonT,
 John's given you some excellent advice. The question you need to ask yourself is, do you want to pay what you could build one for, or get a bargain?
 $800 is a fair price, but you might be able to put one together for that price, or less.
 My last Rolling Block project went this way.
 Purchased an action for $150, Green Mountain barrel for $125, some nice deluxe wood, for $100 (fitted it myself), sights for $150 front and rear, bluing for $160, fitting barrel to the action $140. Total-$825
 The project before that started life as a barreled action, that someone didn't want to finish. Bought it for $300, and for another $300 I was done!
 It's generally tough to get out of a gun what you put into it, unless the project is a correct restoration of a mostly original gun.

[Redhawk1]

I just picked one up a month ago, I gave $450 plus a Marlin 444P for it. The thing about it was, it is an original Remington Rollingblock. But it has been reblued and the stock was redone. Collectors value is zero, other than it is the original action and barrel. But it all come down to what you are willing to spend. I would say $800 to $850 would be a fair price. IMO.   :grin:

[445supermag]

Well i sure would like to see 150$ actions. A friend i no deal.s in singlr shots and he said he gets 350 foe actions. I have paid 150 for good actions back in the 70d,s. . Good as in no pits on surface. I cant say what the new rb are made of but more than likely nickel steel. But they are larger than the old ones. The barrel is higher in the frame. So the hammer is larger and the block is larger. WE as navy arms and pedersolie. If you can get someone that shoot,s 45/70 good or yourself if you are used to recoil shoot that rifle first. Fitting the barrel and chambering is the most important part. The most important part is if it will shoot real good the bullits that you whant to shoot. You can buy a new rifle and it might shoot ok for hunting but not match acc. Now if this rifle has match acc. you will be way ahead of the game.