Written by: Steve Osborn

I've said it before. Cowboy action shooting is about the most fun you can have. However, the fun really starts when the six-guns, shotguns, and lever guns are put up for the day, and the long rifles come out. Serious fun, that is. Rifle marksmanship has always been a serious affair, and rifle competition has a history that pre-dates the cattle drives of old. When the pioneers headed West, rifle marksmanship was a tool of survival. Whether used to provide supper, or some good-natured competition between soldiers on the frontier, the rifleman has always been admired.

The long rifle events held in conjunction with most cowboy action shooting are also serious affairs. The smiles so common during the main events give way to steely-eyed looks, determination, and intense concentration as cowboys and cowgirls prepare to shoot at targets hundreds of yards away...targets that are often smaller than what they shot at earlier in the day just a few yards away!

The cowboy action shooter takes pride in their long rifle, and treats it with the respect any precision tool deserves. Like a lot of good things today, these rifles can be somewhat scarce, some taking years before delivery after the order is placed and others that require a second mortgage on the ranch! I decided to hunt for an alternative. I wanted a single-shot rifle that looked great, shot better than it looked, was affordable, and without the wait. My friends thought I was crazy. Then, while browsing at a local gun shop, I saw my first Navy Arms Rolling Block rifle, a faithful reproduction of the Remington rifle of the late 1800's. Sitting next to a couple of Sharps, was a rifle that looked like it met my 'ideal' so I contacted the good people a Navy Arms, and before long I had a No. 2 Rolling Block Creedmore in caliber .45-70 to test.

I picked it up. "Any rifle that is going to be used in Cowboy Action Shooting must be well-balanced," I thought, "to allow shooting while standing." Many a long range rifle match is decided in the offhand position. "This is a good looking rifle...oh man, does it balance well or what!", I shouted as I passed it to a friend. He passed it back, and once more I pulled the butt stock into my shoulder and peered through the sights. This might be the one I was looking for.

The Remington Rolling Block has a long and distinguished record. Production dates back to 1866 and designer John Rider. Successful with military rifles at first, Remington adapted it for their No. 1 Sporting Rifle. The rolling block avoided the sticking firing pin problems not uncommon with the falling block actions. The rolling block was considered strong enough for any cartridge of the period.

Simplicity was the key to the rolling block. After loading, a large breech block would be rolled up and forward. The hammer is located back and below the breech, and is part of another large rolling block. When fired, the hammer moves forward, and the hammer base block rolls underneath the breech block to lock the action before the firing pin is struck. Both breech block and hammer block are held in place by two massive steel pins.

The only complaint about the rolling block design was that if a gummed firing pin in the breech block protruded through its opening, and the shooter snapped the breech block closed, the cartridge could fire on an unlocked breech. The consequences of this are obvious. Shooters today can avoid this by ensuring that their firing pins are working properly, and by visually inspecting the breech block when inserting a cartridge to ensure the firing pin is not protruding through it. Finally, close the breech block slowly and carefully.

The Remington Sporting Rifle No. 1 of 1870 was a hunting rifle. When fitted with tang sights, it found favor in short to mid-range match shooting. In 1873, a new rifle was needed to compete at distances beyond 1,000 yards. Remington's answer was the Creedmore Long-Range Rifle of which the Navy Arms is faithfully modeled after. The original sported a 34 inch half-round, half-octagon barrel, a vernier rear peep sight, wind-gauge front sight, pistol grip stock, and flat buttplate. Later models saw full round and full octagon barrels such as the full tapered octagon barrel found on Navy's.

The .44-77-405 bottlenecked cartridge in the original chambering was inadequate for 800 to 1,000 yards, so Remington switched to the .44-90 with 520 and 550 grain paper-patched bullets. By 1876, the Remington Creedmore had developed such a great reputation for accuracy, that all but two members of the United States Rifle team chose the Remington over the Sharps. Today's Navy Arms Remington Creedmore is chambered for the .45-70, and, like its predecessor, is a great choice for today's match shooters.

The Navy Arms Remington Rolling Block--Model S.870--is made in Italy by Davide Pedersoli & C. At 9 pounds, this rifle both looks and feels lighter than it is, no doubt the result of its wonderful balance. The barrel is full octagon with a straight taper, 1.110 inches at the receiver and .865 at the muzzle. The barrel is 30 inches long, and the rifle is 46 inches overall. The top and sides of the receiver are also milled flat and match nicely with the barrel.

Fit and finish are surperb. When parked next to my C. Sharps custom rifle, and my Browning High Wall (BPCR), the Navy looks right at home. Bluing is dark and uniform, and the case-colored receiver is quite nice. Stock design of the Navy is faithful to the original with a checkered pistol grip and un-checkered forearm. Wood-to-metal fit is outstanding on my test rifle. The rifling is deep and clean, and it is apparent that real care goes into putting these rifles together.

The nicest surprise however, was the trigger. My personal 'acid test' for any rifle, is its ability to be fired offhand at 200 yards (a habit I developed during my years of annual rifle qualification with the Marines). With many American rifles so loaded with gadget safeties and heavy triggers these days, the Navy Creedmore was a real treat. At about 4 pounds, the trigger breaks crisp and clean, and can be easily relied upon to shoot accurately while standing.

I decided to begin my range tests with smokeless powder. Over the years I have tried a lot of loads, but none has proved to be so accurate in so many different rifles, as one I found in Ken Waters marvelous
book, Pet Loads. A linotype cast, RCBS 405 grain gas check flat nose design, with 31 grains of IMR 4198, is the only smokeless load I use at the range. It hits what I aim at, in any rifle, every time, and has shot under one inch at 100 yards. [This is the load I use and not a recommendation for others]

The Navy Arms Creedmore comes with two sights. A semi-buckhorn barrel mounted sight and a vernier-type tang mounted peep sight. Most cowboy action shooters will be interested in the tang sight. Suffice it to say the vernier is a 'no frills' sight that will probably work all right if sighted-in for a single distance. Making any adjustments and returning to the previous setting is tricky. There are no reference marks for windage. The sight staff is marked on the left edge for elevation, but no other reference mark to help when adjusting. Having said that, I had no difficulty in adjusting the sight to get my zero at 100 yards with just a few moves. Those who feel a need for finer adjustments can upgrade with one of the fine sights from Montana Vintage Arms. The front sight is a tapered post and ball in a globe. It will not take replacement apertures (which would be a nice addition). The front sight should work well for any Cowboy Action long range rifle event. The dovetail left in the barrel from drifting the barrel sight out makes a conveinent spot to place a barrel level, also available from Mantana Vintage arms.

For weeks, the Navy Rolling Block begged to be shot. There has been more rain and snow in Oregon this year than any in recorded history. Then, just before New Years, and just before the next storm, a half-day without rain was forecast. I headed to the range. Temperatures were at freezing, the sky over cast, and almost no wind. Not ideal, but not bad either. I began my tests with smokeless loads.

The distance was 100 yards. The standard for black powder cartridge accuracy in a single-shot rifle is estimated at two minutes of angle. So, 2 inch groups at 100 yards was my goal. I fired at a an 8 inch black bullseye. The first two shots were low at 6 o'clock, nearly touching each other. I raised the sight. The next two nearly went into the same hole at 6 o'clock, this time in the black. I raised the sights again. Two more shots, nearly touching, at 6 o'clock, just below the 10 ring. You could draw a straight line at 6 o'clock and intersect 5 of the 6 shots. I decided I was on target. I then shot 5 offhand. Four shots into four inches and one 'called' flyer. I decided that with my black powder cartridges, I would hold the front sight at six o'clock rather then center as I had with the smokeless rounds. Perhaps this would give me the group I was after.

I cleaned the bore and switched to black powder loads. My loads consisted of Goex Cartridge grade powder a magnum rifle primer, and the RCBS 500 grain (cast) black powder bullet. A card wad was placed over the powder in the case, and a newspaper wad over that. A compression die was used to slightly compress the powder which had been poured through a 30 inch drop tube. Thompson Center Bore Butter in a Stick was used for bullet lube. I fired 5 rounds; each followed by 2 breaths blown into the barrel. The result was promising, three and one-half inches. It was now beginning to snow, and I decided I had enough time to fire five more before packing up. I didn't want to get caught on icy roads on the hour trip back home. As I peered through the spotting scope after each shot, I thought I must be missing as I could only see one hole in the black. When I collected my target, I found four shots grouping at .790 inches, with a fifth shot 'called' an inch higher. I could only imagine what this rifle would do with a narrow, square front sight post and improved rear tang sight.

I compared my Rolling Block targets with those fired in my C.Sharps and Browing black power cartridge High Wall. Although the other rifles might prevail on another day, to date, the smallest group with black powder loads was fired with the Navy Rolling Block! The bottom line--I would shoot this rifle, head to head, with any other single shot made.

This is a great rifle. Perhaps the most important comment of the day came from my long time shootin' partner, Coyote Jim who was helping me on the range. Jim is a genuine trapper, long time muzzleloading and cowboy action shooting competitor. He easily won second place with a loaned rifle at last years Oregon State Cowboy Shooting Championship. "By golly," he said, "that's a shooter! I've got to get me one of those." My guess is, that as more cowboy action shooters hear about the Navy Rolling Block and get a chance to see it, they will want one of their own. It is more than the equal of any other single-shot rifle in appearance and performance, is readily available, and best of all at a very affordable price. Pedersoli and Navy Arms are a winning combination with the Rolling Block Creedmore.

And now the best news of all. The Navy Arms Creedmore in caliber .45-70 is available from Cabela's (1-800-237-4444) for $659.99 (as of 2/97). You can't buy a better rifle for the money.

Places to write:

Navy Arms Company 689 Bergen Blvd. * Ridgefield, NJ 07657 * 201-945-2500

Montana Vintage Arms 61 Andrea Dr. * Belgrade, MT 59714 * 406-388-4027

Goex, Inc. Moosic, PA 717-457-6724