Remington Rolling Block 7mm

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craigreid_84
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 10:52 pm

Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by craigreid_84 »

I just bought a 1902 Remington Rolling block 7mm. I have been reading up on these, Now i just need a straight answer. There is many of people that say you can shoot modern 7mm Mauser ammo out of them and there is many of people that say it is a major NO GO to shoot it out of them. So Can i shoot modern ammo out of it or not???? please Help
tjack
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Joined: Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:15 pm

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by tjack »

Shooting the 7mm Rolling Blocks is, in my opinion, a hand loading proposition. When the 7mm Mauser cartridge and the chambers for them were standardized they came up with a measurement for the "new" case ever so slightly shorter from the bottom of the base to the start of the shoulder than the cartridge that had been around since 1892. This was done in the 1920's I believe. What this does is create a head space problem with new brass in the old chamber. There is a possibility of a case head separation if new mfg ammo is fired in a Rolling Block chamber. Of course, there is a possibility that you will be involved in a deadly traffic accident the next time you drive an auto. I have many 7mm Rolling Block rifles and carbines (all with different markings or variations) and I shoot them all. I take a 7mm Mauser case and run a .30 caliber expander button thru the case mouth and neck. With the neck expanded to .30 caliber it will not chamber. I then start sizing the case down with a 7mm Mauser die a little at a time constantly checking to see if it will chamber. I will finally get the neck sized down enough to where the case chambers, the breech block closes and the hammer will go all the way down on the breech block. If there is a little friction between the hammer and the breech block all the better. Tighten the die locking ring at this point. What this does is create a false shoulder for proper head space. With the base of the case held firmly against the breech block it will form the neck and shoulder to the chamber when fired. Do this to all the cases you plan on using, doing it one step at a time. Fire form your cases. The original 7mm Mauser cartridge had a 175 gr bullet at, depending on the source, 2000-2200 fps. After the cases are fire formed, DO NOT full length size the cases or you will be back to square one. I size my fired cases to where the necks are sized half way down to the shoulder. I have fired many hundreds of rounds thru my 7mm Rolling Blocks and the ONLY case loss I've had is split necks. I have never seen a 7mm R/B that does not have an eroded neck which causes it to expand greatly. I anneal my cases necks after every 2nd shooting.
Use common sense and good judgment. The 7mm Mauser is not a 7mm magnum. Choose lite loads. Good luck!!!
craigreid_84
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 10:52 pm

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by craigreid_84 »

I was not planning on reloading the 7x57, i was just planing on shooting factory ammo. Not a good idea then?
Wulfman
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Location: N.W. Wyoming

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by Wulfman »

craigreid_84 wrote:I was not planning on reloading the 7x57, i was just planing on shooting factory ammo. Not a good idea then?
From my understanding........
The ammunition manufacturers take into consideration all of the rifles that were ever chambered for a cartridge and load them to a level that will be acceptable in even the oldest (weakest) ones.
I've been under the impression that the rolling blocks will handle a fair amount of pressure.

I don't believe you should have any problem using factory loaded ammo in your rifle (all things being equal.....like it's condition).


Den
tjack
Posts: 198
Joined: Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:15 pm

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by tjack »

It is not a matter of pressure. It is a matter of current 7mm Mauser cartridge cases being shorter than the chamber of 7mm Rolling Block rifles. It is all about head space. Too much head space = case separation. It is possible that, with case rupture, gases flow back thru the firing pin hole causing the rifle hammer to blow back allowing those gases to flow into the shooters face when the breech block opens. The Swedes were concerned enough about it as to add a hammer block to commercial Rolling Blocks preventing the hammer from coming back unless the shooters thumb depressed the stop.
Wulfman
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Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 6:04 pm
Location: N.W. Wyoming

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by Wulfman »

From doing further searches and some more reading, I agree with "tjack". It might wise to refrain from shooting factory ammo in that rolling block.

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/forums/ ... 06&start=0

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/forums/ ... 7mm+Roller

I also found other sources from Google searches which gave dimensional differences between the 7x57 and the 7mm Spanish Mauser.

I think I would recommend having someone do a chamber casting so you can see for yourself.


Den
rudybolla
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2003 12:13 pm
Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by rudybolla »

Don't do it! I agree that these guns are strictly handloading critters using very conservative loading. Those sloppy military rollers need to, as tjack says, have custom fit brass for best results.
Merle
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Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 7:06 pm

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by Merle »

Thanks for the info. I'm somewhat relieved to hear it is only a case length issue, as I know how to deal with this. I must have hit it lucky & got a shorter chamber, as I can't see any difference in fired cases with a visual inspection, but I have never miked them. The throat does not appear to be eroded, so maybe I got lucky twice & got a rifle that saw little use. I plan to reload it with cast bullets to take it easy on the old barrel and I always resize the brass to suit that particular chamber; I have been dealing with 303 British rifles & got quite an education on chamber variations. This is my first foray into the rolling block world & I am extra cautious as I don't know what to expect strength wise, etc. The 'net is very contradictory on this, which is why I'm here - I've been told you guys are the experts!

Thanks for the help :mrgreen:
Mlinkrpt
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Joined: Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:25 pm

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by Mlinkrpt »

I recently purchased a 1902 Rolling Block in 7 x 57 Mauser in 90 to 95% condition with super clean bore and it loves the factory loads with no separation of brass and 139 to 175 grain loads. The action can withstand a lot of pressure and no gas comes back in my face. Just have a reputable gun smith look it over for you and have fun!!! :D
Merle
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 7:06 pm

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by Merle »

Mlinkrpt wrote:I recently purchased a 1902 Rolling Block in 7 x 57 Mauser in 90 to 95% condition with super clean bore and it loves the factory loads with no separation of brass and 139 to 175 grain loads. The action can withstand a lot of pressure and no gas comes back in my face. Just have a reputable gun smith look it over for you and have fun!!! :D


Thank you! :)
Texgun
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 7:45 pm

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by Texgun »

Merle,
I saw an old post about using modern ammo in a 7x57 Roller. Have you been doing so? How is it working?
Thanks.
Merle
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 7:06 pm

Re: Remington Rolling Block 7mm

Post by Merle »

Texgun wrote:Merle,
I saw an old post about using modern ammo in a 7x57 Roller. Have you been doing so? How is it working?
Thanks.


I have shot several boxes with no problems as yet. I have mostly used 175 gr to get as close as possible to the original loading. 8)
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