Over 30 years ago, I was at a flea market in the small town of Philomath Oregon. There hanging on the wall, was a Remington Rolling Block barreled action. At the time I did not know anything about them. I asked to look at it. It was well worn, missing some of the action parts, and the barrel was extremely bad. I thought the price of $60 was too high, so I passed it up. For the next week I could not get it out of my mind. The next weekend, I had to have it. I still to this day I don’t know why. I started to research everything about Rolling Blocks. The internet was not available then so it took awhile to find out what was missing. I found out about a man in California that had Rolling Block parts. He sent me a list of the parts he had for the different types of Rolling Blocks, with a print of the action so I could figure out what I needed. I ordered the parts and found a gunsmith that had worked on these before. He assembled it for me and made some suggestions as to where to go from here. First off, the pins were to loose to fire the gun safely, so he made new ones out of tool steel. When he was finished, I had to try it out,” a, I know another kid with a new toy thing”. To say it would not hit the broad side of a barn, would be an under statement. I had acquired the bug, I loved this gun would be putting it lightly. Money being tight so to speak would be putting it lightly. It sat in my closet for the next year, until I had the money to have a new barrel installed. Now the gunsmith that has built guns for me for over 30+ years enters the picture. It was a 7x57 originally, ok here comes more research. What was I going to use it for? Somewhere during that time I got the bright idea to make it a carbine for using on a stand, where the shots would be short range. The gunsmith, “being the salesmen that he is”, had a 30 caliber barrel someone ordered and did not pick up. I decided to make it into a 30-30 to be able to shoot it cheaply, and have enough energy to do what I needed it for. When he got the barrel on I went to see it,” being the salesman he is” he talked me into letting him give it a blue job. The barrel he used was bigger than the original so the stock would not fit. Her it comes again,” being the salesman he is”, we started looking for new wood. Some ware he found a deal on some beautiful walnut. Look at the photo, talk about nice. Well one thing led to another, until it was done; now it was my turn. It was too nice, I hated to take it out hunting. My father and I went to the range to try it out. The trigger pull was hard [found out later it was 14 lbs], I had open sites installed with a nice front ramp. When I finally had it sighted in, I could not believe the accuracy. One thing I will never forget was when my father sat down and took a rest, and I waited, and waited, and waited a little more. Then he turned to me and said, “will this thing ever go off”? Everyone needs memories like that. Well to make a long story short, I took it to the gunsmith and he lightened the trigger pull and installed a little higher front bead to center the site adjustment. To this day, I have killed 4 deer with it, and it has done all I have ever asked of it. I had an old time venier site installed on the rear tang, and now make and shoot cast bullets in it. A day at the range with it is more than I can ask for. I hope other people go though this experience as I have.  I have done this with a lot of guns over the last 30+ years, and it’s been very well worth it.

And I might add, a couple months ago I was at a gun shop looking around. Guess what, there was a 1897 Remington Rolling Block, and yes I had to bring it home. Here I go again, research, research, and research.

Author Rick V.

 Getting the little women’s approval for a new gun sometimes takes a little work. Of course they are not all alike, so with that said we need to form a strategy. What have you done to get her to enjoy your love of guns? Yes it’s up to you to set the stage. Do you even know what she thinks about guns? Has she even been around them? This should go for Girl Friends to! Some women are afraid of guns because of the noise, some because of the power, some because they have never been around them and have been taught that they are dangerous. We all know that guns are not dangerous, some people are. It’s our job to teach this to the people of the world.

So how do we get the little women to enjoy guns? When I started to write this article I looked back to how my dad got me to love guns. Back then BB guns were very popular, and could be used anywhere. My dad made sure I always had one and lots of BB’s. I would spend hours shooting along with a lot of my friends. Those were the good old days. So how doe’s this help teach the wife to enjoy guns? Years later, my family, parents, and mom and pop in law, were camping together. Some how I got one of my wild and crazy idea’s [ that’s what my gunsmith calls them]. We were sitting around the camp fire, so I got out a BB gun and stuck some pop cans in a tree. We took turns seeing who was the best shot. You would not believe how much fun the women had, and yes the women won the contest. Doe’s this give you any idea’s?

First find out what she thinks about guns and why. Set up a plan on how to get her to enjoy guns. Start her out with a BB gun or 22. Make up contests for her to enjoy. Take her to places where there are custom guns and get her to enjoy the beauty of them. We all have stories about how we came to love guns, and in my case, how the family would get together and spend a week every year, camping and hunting. Guns have been enjoyed by my whole family for many years.

My wife has been very supportive of my hobby of gun collecting for many years. Lately she has instigated a new idea. If I spend money on a new gun, she gets to have the same amount of money to spend for her self. I guess turn about is fair play.    

I have been building and collecting custom rifles for more years than I want to count. I have had a lot of military surplus rifles from a lot of different countries. I never knew that so many people where into collecting and shooting them. When I was a young boy, “that was a lot of years ago”, I had a paper route. I used to buy surplus rifles that were in a barrel at the sporting goods store. Back then you did not have all the useless restrictions we have today. I used to bring them home, Take them apart, sand and finish the stocks, and cold blue everything. I even made a few dollars doing it, and it was fun. Doing that, back then got me into studying everything I could about firearms. I was like a sponge, soaking up all the knowledge I could about anything related to firearms. If we only knew then, what we know now, we would be a lot better off. The idea of collecting and shooting surplus rifles never crossed my mind. I still do a lot of research on everything related to firearms. When I came across all the forums on the internet, I could not believe all the interest in the old surplus rifles. “Having more than one gun safe already” I started looking into surplus rifles again. I already have a lot of custom rifles I have built over the years, and the reloading equipment to go with them. Do you remember when you were a kid and you got a new toy? Ya, that’s where my mind was headed. I already have a lot of cast bullet moulds for my pistols, and muzzle loaders. Then I ran across an article in G&A surplus magazine, using cast bullets in surplus rifles. What a neat idea, here I go again, I will need another gun safe. “I need a bigger house”, Will this ever end? I have come to a major conclusion, that I have an addiction.

Now I have Lee-enfields, Mosin-Nagants, and a SKS. I am keeping an eye out for some Jap rifles. I now see this will never end. Ya, but what a hobby!

I have purchased bullet moulds, gas checks, moly lube, brass, and sizing dies. I can’t wait to see how they shoot. I can do a lot of shooting and not have to worry about having to rebarrel them. Cast bullets and moly lube will not harm the barrels. Also I have come across articles about making light loads for them, with pistol and shotgun powder. There is now quite a few cast bullet forums and cast bullet sections in gun forums. I can now get on the internet and study for hours. You will never learn it all, but research is part of the fun, seeing what other people have been doing and getting ideas from them is a good part of this hobby.

When we first met, she had never been around guns. She did not know anything about them. What a way to start a relationship. It was so long ago, I don’t remember what  the first gun she fired was. I introduced her to my gunsmith and that got the ball rolling. My Gunsmith was one hell of a salesmen. She got to see some of the guns in his collection and fell in love with the beauty of them. My rifles were way to big for her so the search was on. What kind of rifle would the little lady be able to use to deer hunt with? Well my Gunsmith, being the salesmen that he is knew how to cure this problem. He had just finished a custom model 95 Mauser, in7x57 caliber. It had a scope mount installed so we added a 2x-7x scope. It was built as a carbine, short barrel and a short light weight stock. Of course she fell in love with it, even though she had never fired a gun.

A few days later we went to the rifle range and the fun begins. I fired it a few times to sight it in and turned it over to her. After her watching everybody firing their guns, and instructions on how to hold it, it was her turn. With her ear muffs on, and by now the noise didn’t bother her, it was time. The unexpected [to me anyway] happened. First believe it or not, she hit the target! I don’t think I will ever get over that. Next thing surprising was she loved it.  So, I had to marry her, who in their right mind would let a women like that get away]. She was my hunting partner, gun collecting partner, she even loved going to gun shows with me. She started getting a little high maintenance. She wanted a gun collection to. So here comes having to work some overtime to keep up. The Gunsmith, being the salesmen that he is, talked her into letting him build a one of a kind special rifle for her. I usually have a say as to what it is but this time it was just them. [I was just there to pay for it]. Well believe it or not, 9 months almost to the day, my son was born. The gun was almost finished. [You are going to love this] The wife and I had a bet, if it was a boy, she got her gun engraved. Believe it or not, the second person we called from the delivery room was our Gunsmith! What a women. Then a bad thing happened. The engraver died. The Gunsmith did a few things to make it extra special.

One day he called and said it was ready. When we arrived, he placed it in her hands it was hard for both of us not to have tears coming. One of a kind would be an understatement. Short Mauser 98 action, Timney trigger set very light, new 6.5x55 caliber barrel, action lapped to silky smooth. Custom light weight carbine stock, classic style, with a snoble forend,. His special touches were a custom designed sweeping trigger guard that you would not believe, a customized Lyman peep sight, he stamped her name on the barrel and then he gold inlayed the peep sight and scrolling on the trigger guard. Talk about a thing of beauty! That is by far an understatement. I don’t know how he did it but he fit the stock perfectly to her. Of all of her guns to this date it by far out shines them all. When it comes time to show off our guns, you know who is there to show off hers. Guy’s if you come across a women like this, don’t let her get away. Last fathers day she got me another gun safe,and if that was not enough she got a pistol safe to. What a women!    

You have a rifle you just acquired  and have started having ideas about what you want to use it for. Maybe it won’t fire or the stock is broken. It has missing parts. But hey, the good part of the story is that it’s yours to do with as you please. This is where the fun starts. Research, it’s the start of something new and exciting. This is when the brain cells start turning. Even if you stand it up beside your bed and see it when you are there it has a lasting effect. It’s yours. It’s the start of something new.

If you get the bug like I have you will get a note pad and start writing down each step you want to take. Next start researching each and every detail. You learn new things in the process. Sometimes it seems like research takes forever. I know very well how exciting it can get. Like a 16 year old who just got his drivers license. Don’t hurry this part. Be sure of what you want to make out of it. You will not believe the wild and crazy ideas that can come up.

Ok, now the work part of the story and project. Gunsmith, the quality of work. Are you going to do the work? Think about this for awhile, are you qualified to handle the job? The last thing anybody wants to see is a cobbled up gun. You spend a lot of time researching and dreaming about what you want. Make it come true. Make it a one of a kind gun that’s yours for all time. A work of art that you will be proud to pass on when the time comes. “It would be nice if we could take them with us”.

Gunsmiths come in all different forms, and quality of work. Some love the work, others are only in it for the money, and there work shows it. Don’t just find a Gunsmith and hand him the gun and your detailed list and say call me when its done. A lot of times the finished product is no where near what you dreamed about and now you are stuck with it. With the gun and detailed list what if you have one thing done at a time? It enhances the excitement to no end. Tell the Gunsmith your idea’s and see what he says. Have the gun repaired if it needs it and shoot it. Be sure it can end up being the gun of your dreams. Next have custom sites or a scope installed and shoot it. I know it takes a long time but you don’t have to take a second mortgage out on your house to have your dream gun. Space out each detail. It could take months or years but the out come is and can be one of the loves of your life.[ Don’t let your wife read any of this]. This way step by step you get to see the quality of work the Gunsmith does. You may need to find a better Gunsmith. I have been fortunate to have found a Gunsmith that is very meticulous in his work and loves his trade. His attitude is remarkable to no end. He has built custom rifles for me, step by step for over 30 years. He has not only been my Gunsmith but my personal friend. I still have all the receipts from all the work he had done for me over the years. The other day I took a lot of the custom rifles he built over the years and took photos of them [I will add them to the site as time allows]. Everyone has it’s own story. I had never done this before and looking back at the last 30+ years, and what I had to show for it not only in custom guns, but the things that we both went thru to make these dreams come true. I would not change anything.