With hard times and the Remington family no longer in control, there must have been an exodus of old-school Remington workmen leaving the company.inventor Lewis Hepburn being one of the them, as you will see quality on Remingtons noticeably drop. In 1888, the company was purchased by Hartley and Graham Sporting Goods of NY who changed the name to simply "Remington Arms Company". That marking by itself narrows its date of manufacture considerably as it was used on arms manufactured from 1852 to 1888. I can't find much in the way of manufacturing dates on this rifle except that the barrel (which is the original and serial numbered to the gun) is marked E. By that, I mean every major component on this rifle was hand-fitted and serial numbered from the buttplate to the forend cap.
32 remington rolling block rifle serial number#
The serial number is in the 13,000 range and has matching numbers throughout. This particular example has a 26" octagon barrel in caliber. These came standard with a blued barrel, breech, and pins while the frame, forend cap, and buttplate were case color hardened. The stocks on the Model 2 have a distinctive bow or "perch belly" and come with a semi-crescent buttplate. The frame is a small to medium size between the heavy actions of the target and military rifles but larger than the small-frame. The Model 2 is easy to distinguish from all other Rem RB's by its curvature at the rear of the frame where it joins the buttstock.
Production of the Model 2 started in 1873 and lasted until 1910. When I first laid eyes on this little Remington Rolling Block, all I could say was "Wow!" This is a beautiful rifle and for 130 years old, the condition is not mint.but stunning nonetheless. Remington Rolling Block Model 2 Sporting Rifle Remington Rolling Block Model 2 Sporting Rifle