Featured in this lot is a Remington No.1 Rolling Block .45-70 caliber octagon barrel sporting rifle. This is an early example with all matching serial number 2780 found on receiver, bottom of the barrel underneath the forearm, on the back of the forend and on the inside of the distinctive style steel butt plate. The No. 1 heavy single shot Rolling Block sporting rifle was made in a variety of calibers with the largest being used by buffalo hunters and frontiersmen in the West. The .45-70 caliber was the standard U.S. Military cartridge introduced in 1873 and was very popular in the big Remington Rolling Block and Sharps rifles of that time period. It was especially popular because ammunition could always be procured from frontier military forts and outposts. The Rolling Block was produced by Remington from 1866 ‰ÛÒ 1888. It was made in huge quantities to fill foreign and domestic military contracts, but made in fairly limited numbers as sporting rifles for frontiersmen, professional hunters and sportsmen. The large caliber examples, being extremely scarce and desirable, command the most interest and highest values on the collector market today with the popular .45-70 being the most in demand. This all matching example was made soon after the introduction of the famed .45-70 cartridge in the early 1870s. Almost all of these heavy sporting rifles in large and powerful cartridges found their way West. This is an extremely fine Rolling Block rifle and retains excellent stock and forend with very tight wood to metal fit. The forend also retains the original early style steel forend cap. The 28‰Û barrel is marked ‰ÛÏ45/70‰Û on the bottom octagon flat ahead of the forend and the receiver upper tang has all the correct early Remington Arms Company markings and early style 1860s patent dates (later examples have these markings on the side of the receiver with later, 1870s patent dates). The rear sight is a buckhorn style marked with ‰ÛÏR‰Û and the front sight is the standard Remington Rolling Block sporting style short blade. Standard barrel length for the Rolling Block sporters was 26‰Û with an extra charge for longer lengths up to 34‰Û. This 28‰Û sporter retains a lovely soft blue finish on the barrel, breech block and hammer. The receiver is uncleaned and retains an attractive aged silvery/gray patina. The barrel retains the original Remington ‰ÛÏcrowning‰Û in which the sharp edges of the octagon are slightly rounded indicating that this is the original barrel length and not cut down. The bore condition is excellent with sharp rifling and shiny appearance all the way through. All springs are strong and the action is extremely tight. An iconic rifle of the buffalo hunters and of the Old West in general, this was the same style rifle George Armstrong Custer carried to his death at the Little Bighorn battle in 1876. Actually more rare than the Sharps sporting rifle, the Remington Rolling Block large caliber sporting rifle is an elusive rifle for the collector to obtain. Survival rate of original, all matching examples is extremely small and the total number of large caliber rifles was limited to begin with. A most attractive and rare example. The rifle qualifies as an Antique Long Gun, and does not require FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check. Serial Number: 2780. For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer‰Ûªs responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.