The rolling block was produced in a dizzying array of models and calibers; by Remington and other manufacturers, in a variety of countries; rifles, carbines, shotguns and pistols; rimfire and centerfire...plus, most of Remington's records on rolling block orders were accidentally destroyed in a fire just prior to the Second World War. If a complete accounting of all models of the rolling block were ever possible, that certainly isn't the case today. But, given the resources of George Layman's seminal book on the rolling block, The Remington Military Rolling Block Rifle; Konrad F. Schrier, jr.'s Remington Rolling Block Firearms, plus the Internet, we'll give it a shot.

When Sam Remington brought the Rolling Block Show to Europe in the summer of 1866, the rifle with which he wowed the representatives of several European nations was the first version of Remington's rolling block rifle, the New Model rifle. This was almost identical to the forthcoming No. 1 Rolling Block, but its extractor, the method by which the empty brass of a fired round would be kicked out of the chamber, didn't work particularly well. Showman Sam managed to impress the pants off of just about everyone who gathered to witness this newest evidence of American ingenuity, however, so he was likely very familiar with the extractor's shorcomings, and able to disguise any mishap with magical flourishes. Whatever he did, within a year of Sam's European visit, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Spain all placed orders for tens of thousands of Remington rolling block rifles.

Remington's No. 1 Rolling Block was the model that took the world by storm. It was a black powder weapon, firing a cartridge tipped with a variety of what were, by today's standards, huge bullets. In many cases the caliber of these rounds was arrived at by agreements made betwixt the purchasing nation and Remington, based on that nation's perceived needs, and/or its manufacturing capabilities. This resulted in a ridiculous number of different calibers, but standardization across the board wasn't a goal, as each nation would be producing its own ammunition.

The No. 1 Rolling Block was also offered in a carbine version, which was shorter and handier for cavalry or soldiers whose duties would make a full-sized rifle too cumbersome. Denmark was Remington's first customer for the rolling block, ordering 42,000 rifles by the end of 1866: 1,800 of these were carbines.

Ultimately nearly 50 nations would place orders with Remington for the No. 1 Rolling Block, with Spain ordering the most units. Remington initially handled the manufacture of these rifles and carbines, but in time several nations would purchase licensing rights from Remington for domestic rolling block production.

It was Remington's dearest wish that the United States would accept the rolling block as its standard military service rifle, but for a variety of reasons, this never came to pass. The US Navy did, however, dip its toe into the rolling block market, first purchasing a number of .50 caliber rolling block pistols in 1865 and 1866, with which they were reportedly quite happy.

Pleased with their rolling block experience, the US Navy also purchased several thousand carbines and, eventually, Model 1870 rolling block rifles. For an accounting of the exploits in which these and other rolling blocks were utilized throughout the globe, please visit this site's Users section.

Remington also introduced two lines of sporting rifles for the civilian market based on the No. 1, the first of which they poetically named the Remington No. 1 Sporting Rifle. These appeared on the market at the end of the 1860's, and were produced into the 1890's.

The No. 1 Sporting Rifle was offered in just about every black powder chambering that was produced during this period, from .22 to .50-140 Sharps. Remington also designed their own black powder rounds specifically for this rifle, in .40 and .44 centerfire. A dazzling array of accessories, such as special stocks, sights, triggers and barrels, were also made available.

In the 1870's Remington introduced a series of excitingly-named No. 1 Sporting Rifles, including the .46 Long Rimfire Deer Rifle, the .50-70 Government Buffalo Rifle, and the .45-70 Black Hills Rifle, presumably intended for shooting deer, buffalo and black hills, respectively. American sportspersons appreciated the No. 1 Sporting Rifle, which was capable of taking down any game that pranced, lumbered or otherwise gamboled in any of the United States.

The second line of civilian sporting rifles built on the No. 1 frame was the apogee of its development: the Creedmoor Target Rifle. Only a few hundred of these custom rifles were ever built, from around 1872 to 1890. Creedmoors were expensive items, selling for around what one would now pay for a decent midsized automobile.

The introduction of the Creedmoor rifle coincided more or less with the creation of the Creedmoor Rifle Range in New York City, a long-distance shooting range that was officially opened by the new National Rifle Association in June of 1873: One suspects that there may have been some connection betwixt rifle and range.

The Creedmoor was a long-range, big-bore rifle that was meant to shoot in excess of a thousand yards. Its most distinctive feature that makes it easily recognizable is its rear tang sight, which flips up in what appears to the modern eye a most unlikely fashion.

The telescopic sight was first introduced in the 1840's, but didn't become reasonably useful until the late 19th century...thus the necessity of a weird tang sight affixed to the Creedmoor. An unweildy device for sure, but this was not a combat arm. The Creedmor also usually had a pistol grip-style stock, unlike other No. 1 Rolling Blocks.

Under favorable conditions, the Creedmoor was an astoundingly accurate rifle at long ranges, but it was still a black powder weapon, whose great gallumphing bullet was more sensitive to wind and weather than those fired with the smokeless powder that was swiftly approaching.

The Remington Model No. 1½ Rolling Block Rifle was an intermediate improvement betwixt No. 1 and No. 2, designed to fire a series of rim- and centerfire pistol cartridges.

Exact dates of the No. 1½'s production are elusive, but they were produced from the 1870's to 1897, in calibers ranging from .22 to .44-40 Winchester. The concept of one's rifle and pistol sharing the same ammunition was a popular one for those who tamed the American west, and the No. 1½ sold reasonably well in the last decades of the 19th century.

The action for this model was robust, frequently excessively so for the smaller calibers...but only noticeable improvement over the No. 1 was a slight thinning of the action, along with a correspondingly slight reduction in weight.