Only sometimes do ideas, separated by time and topography, converge to make something new and remarkable. The 1871 Rolling Block Air Cartridge Rifle is one such device, involving three nations, plus a century-and-a-half of thought, development and adaptation.
The original Remington, sometimes called the Rider Remington, after its American inventor, was a single-shot, breech-loading firearm, built around a black powder metallic cartridge. Rolling Block describes the rifle’s operating mechanism. With this type, the block is simply rolled into position to close the breech and support the cartridge base.
Long after Rider had passed into history, a new history began. British company Brocock perfected and put into manufacture a fully self-contained air cartridge, having a miniature air reservoir, fill and exhaust valves and a pellet holder. In time, Italian gunmaker Uberti…
