WHAT IS A ROLLING BLOCK?
Remington invented a split-breech-loading rifle in the early 1860s to handle the new self-contained cartridges used in the new Spencer rifles. It soon evolved into the rolling block Remington system.
Instead of using a drop-block to seal the breech as in the Sharps rifle, Remington’s breech rolls back to allow a cartridge to be inserted or extracted. It is a beautifully simple design with few parts and strong enough to handle powerful cartridges such as the .45-70.
The Remington Rolling Block’s most famous use was helping to win the international long-range rifle match of 1874. Countries from all over Europe, including the champion Irish team, attended the match held at the Creedmoor Range in Long Island, New York.
The American team, using its Rolling Block and Sharps rifles, was closely trailing the Irish team going into the final relay. An Irish shooter accidentally fired his last shot at the wrong target, which counted as a miss. The Americans fired center on the correct target at 1,200 yards to win the event.
MY IMPRESSIONS
The Pedersoli Rolling Block holds substantial weight and shows high-quality features. The color-case-hardened receiver shines with beautiful hues of blue and black. The walnut stock is nicely shaped with colorful wood grain, and the checkered pistol grip is attractive and functional. I can pull the stock into my shoulder to control the rifle.
Pedersoli intends this rifle to be fired in competition. The long, tapered octagon barrel provides a long sight radius, and its weight balances well when pointed. The sight radius (distance from the front sight to the rear sight) should be long to be accurate. A heavy barrel will be steady while shooting from cross sticks during a silhouette match.
This Pedersoli Rolling Block comes with a barrel-mounted buckhorn sight adjustable for elevation, and the steel tang is drilled and tapped for the addition of a more precise Vernier-style target sight. The Vernier peep sight increases sight radius and narrows the field of view to eliminate error.
The Lyman 17A-style target sight in front reduces glare and narrows my view to focus more precisely on the target. It can accept various sight inserts to help in target definition, so I inserted a vertical post sight to shoot the various target shapes.
The stock is my favorite feature of the Pedersoli Rolling Block. The steel butt plate is nicely inletted to fit the rear of the wood and comes to a beautiful point on the top of the comb. The forend wood is tapered from the receiver forward, giving me a stable platform to hold the rifle offhand. The wood grain really adds to the overall beautiful lines of the rifle.
The rifle feels great on my shoulder. The length of pull is just right, and the trigger is easy to reach. My sight picture is natural, and the action is simple, intuitive, and strong.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Caliber: .45-70 Government
- Weight: 10 pounds
- Length: 46 inches
- Length of Pull: 14 inches
- Trigger: 3 pounds, 12 ounces
- Barrel: 30 inches, full octagon tapered, 1:18 twist
- Sights: Rear buckhorn, adjustable for elevation; front Lyman 17A-style hooded aperture
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Stock: Walnut
THE AMMUNITION
The Rolling Block rifle was originally intended to fire black powder cartridges with lead cast bullets. I load this type of ammunition for competition, and my load for the Pedersoli Rolling Block is a Lyman #457193 mold-cast lead bullet weighing 405 grains. About 65 grains of black powder topped by a card wad powers the bullet downrange. This is a good short-range load for a black powder cartridge rifle like the Rolling Block.
Not everyone casts bullets and reloads, so I also brought a few factory-loaded rounds. Hornady’s Lever-Revolution 325-grain jacketed polymer-tipped bullets will show what recoil and accuracy are like with modern ammunition. I expect these smokeless powder round to kick more than black powder, but the weight of the Pedersoli should help reduce that kick.
SHOOTING TIME
For my Area 52 test, I shot from the offhand position at steel and soda jug targets from 30 to 80 yards. I feel the Pedersoli can shoot greater distances from cross sticks in the prone position, and I may test that on a future date.
My first shot was with the Hornady jacketed cartridge with the 325-grain bullet. To load a rolling block rifle, first cock the hammer, then pull back on the loading lever to expose the chamber. Slide in the cartridge, close the lever, and the rifle is ready to fire. It is simple and fast to load.
Slowly squeezing the trigger yielded a stout kick and loud report as the bullet impacted steel. A heavy steel target at 30 yards was no match for the .45-70 round, falling over when struck. This rifle has power to spare.
The black powder rounds do not kick as much as smokeless, despite the heavier bullets. After taking out several soda and water jugs, it was time to clean the Pedersoli barrel. Black powder is very dirty and leaves a lot of residue in the barrel. Pushing a few patches through the barrel from the breech preserves accuracy.
My final offhand test was to hit a steel target at 80 yards. The fit and balance of the heavy Pedersoli and the beautifully fitting stock help hold it steady. After setting my feet and aligning the rifle, I slowly squeezed the trigger. The heavy bullet slammed home with a resounding bell-like ding, and the heavy steel target fell over. Even I was surprised by the accuracy and power of the Rolling Block! This test was all fun, and there were no jams or malfunctions.
I also shot a three-shot group on paper at 50 yards from a sitting position as an accuracy test. The 4-inch group showed promise. Two shots were nearly touching, and the third shot opened the group up a bit to the right. With further load development, I believe the rifle will shoot tighter groups.
PROS & CONS
