Swede 12.7x44R Rolling Block Project - Case Color Pics Added

juanvaldez

juanvaldez

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Well I finally took the plunge and stripped my Swede RB down and started to work on her. This gun accepts 50/70 brass with no mods other then shortening and shoots a cast LEE bullet extremely well so I decide to keep the bbl and do a complete refinish. Started into it before I realized I didn't have a pic of the before. Right now I'm polishing the receiver and will be chucking the bbl up tomorrow to start polishing it. The receiver will be case colored and the bbl hot blued if I can figure out how to make a tank. Built a forge out of an old bbq, a hair dryer and some piping. Works great and should have no problems giving me the heat I need for case coloring.
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I'm thinkin you should be glad you found out this way...an not by pullin the trigger ;)
I've been looking at Swede rollers and am very interested in yer "redo",think you could post pics step by step,I'd kinda like to follow along.
 
Pretty sure the OP was shooting it. Can't really see a problem with that. I've experienced a few case seperations in mine without a hitch. I wasn't even aware until the cases were extracted.
 
Why not rust blue the blued parts? Are you already set up with bluing salts, etc?

Dig around the web and see if you can find the Marlin Collectors site, and the color case thread there. Absolutely astonishing work, and all details documented by a guy that obviously has both the time and inclination to experiment and document his changes along the way.

Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!

Cheers
Trev
 
A days worth of polishing on and off and my first try at forging a knife from a railroad spike. Happy so far withe the RB. Took out most of the pits and dings without losing any of the markings.

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Looks good to me, nice knife aswell!!

Now that the rifle is nearly like new, you might want to consider getting new stock wood for her....Dixie has rolling block stocks.

Cheers
 
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On the flats I used an angle die grinder with medium grit sanding/grinding pads for the coarse work then sanded with with emery cloth and a wooden block to keep the lines from rounding over. Had to do a bit of filing as well for some of the bigger dings. I used a well worn belt on a stationary 1.5 inch belt sander for taking metal off on the contoured areas of the receiver.

I am ordering a new stock from treebone. Never checked dixie, treebone is 167USD delivered for a straight grained walnut stock with shotgun buttplate and schnabel forend 90% inlet
 
That's an interesting project . I've been thinking of picking up an RB from T.E.C because I love shooting the oldies. Was wondering what Lee mold you're using? Can't wait to see pics of the finished piece.
 
I have also been eying the same swede rolling blocks. I am a bit nervous now thinking about that loose barrel but if brass is readily available I may pick one up after I recover from Xmass expenses.

Isn't it great watching rust and dings disapear and the markings come out?
Like magic.

Great first knife ,a good option for decent carbon steel for a knife that will hold an edge better than railroad spikes is old honda coil springs. Leaf springs have good steel but it takes a ridiculous amount of work to forge them down to size while the coil springs from an old civic are almost ideal for forging and cheap as dirt. A good way to know when the blade is hot enough is when carbon steel becomes nonmagnetic.
 
Looking great so far. Thanks for giving us the whole play by play on your project.

How was the trigger on your roller? I have one that needs some serious work- the trigger spring itself is about a 20lb pull and the trigger doesn't stay engaged without spring pressure.

I'm thinking of getting a 12.7x44 too. The 8x58R that I have is a pain to make shells for and results are disappointing so far.
 
I was browsing on that site and came across this in the reloading section:
"I've seen a few of these rifles ruined by being re-chambered to
.50-70 after some knowledgable gunsmith or dealer told the owner it was the best thing to do..."
Does he mean that it's dangerous to do this, or just from a bubba standpoint of ruining an original piece? I was thinking of picking up an already sporterized one and reaming the chamber to 50-70 and be done with it instead of screwing around with brass etc. Any reason why not?
 
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Oddbawl,

He objects to the caliber change and 'destruction' of the originality of the guns. So, yes, strictly from a bubba standpoint.

A lot of them will chamber 50-70 directly. The caliber itself is safe enough in the action, as is any other of dozens of black powder cartridges that are back in production.

Cheers
Trev
 
Personally I think making a rifle usable is worth more than preserving the historical integrity of all but the most rare and collectable guns.

That said I would probably try and find a way to shoot it without reaming the chamber first. Mostly because I haven't got a reamer. :) My father had one that 50-70 brass worked in if you shortened them a little. Eventually it was rebarreled to a 40-60. A fate likely to befall my 8X58R one day if it doesn't start to preform.
 
I started this whole "gun" thing with mislurps, so I get the whole bubba resentment. Nobody thought twice about sporterizing Lee Enfields in the past, and I've seen some that bring tears to my eyes, but IMHO, if it's already sporterized, chopped barrel etc, it's fair game.
 
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