There sure isn't much that's surprising with Ballards. Just when I think I've got an handle on what they made, then something weird shows up! I've got a good friend who has a Pacific that is pistol gripped, with a 32" barrel that's marked "Browning Bros". 
Barrel lengths and weights seem to be so numerous I just don't know what is standard any more! I checked the barrel outside dimensions on 8 #2 Ballards in my collection, and only found two that measured the same weight!

All Ballard pistol griped frames are forged, straight grip come in cast or forged. What Flydermans is refering too is the differance between the cast and forged actions, and on the subject of Flydermans-Norm is good but not up on top of the Marlin Ballards. Norm say's again in his latest book that Pacific's come with a 30 inch barrel period, that the catologe says you can only get it with a certain barrel length. I have seen the same c atalog cut and I think it is a slip in the English langauge. What that verbage refers too is the fact that you can have what you want from Marlin with in reason. That was the writng style back then-or so my wife the English major says. 
Someone once told me that my pacific could not have had a 22 in barrel form the factory as it would not have been done. That all  of the powder would not have burned. That is a load for the compost pile as I guess they never heard held or saw all of the 22 in barrled carbines that are all original out there. I firmly believe that Marlin would make anything you wanted as long as they made money on it.

Hoot is correct, the 3F was usually a cast pistol grip frame, so it's the exception. As with the #2 Ballards, which were "almost always" cast straight grip, with some forged exceptions; and some pistol gripped exceptions.
Occasionally Marlin would substitute a forged frame on a model that usually came as cast, if it was special ordered with a feature that was common to a forged. I've seen more than one #2 that was forged and had double set triggers too.
There were both rebated frames, and flat side frames also, and dimensionally there are slight differences in Ballard frames from different eras. The later rebated forged frames were the same dimensions as cast frames.   
As for triggers, there are single or double set, but I've never heard of a single set factory trigger. Levers were various types, and although certain models like the 3F, 4 1/2, 6 1/2, 8, 9, and 10 usually used a loop lever, they could be special ordered with other types. 
I was told by a friend who's a contributor to the Bluebook of Gun Values that this is why they don't cover Ballards in that book. Just too hard to pin down what model some of them are.

thop wrote on Apr 20^th, 2008 at 5:15pm:



There are more variations of the Winchester high-wall than any other type of single shot ever made... including the Ballard and Marlin-Ballard rifles. Consider these facts;

Frame types;

1. Thick-side flat-top frame ring (sometimes referred to as octagon).
2. Thick-side round top frame ring.
3. Paneled-side (thin-side) flat-top frame ring.
4. Paneled-side round top frame ring
5. Thick-side round top frame ring, Take Down frame.
6. Paneled-side round top frame ring, Take Down frame

Types 1 - 4 were made with a flat-spring action
Types 2 & 4 were also made with a coil-spring action
Types 5 & 6 were made with a coil-spring action only.

The specific variants are as follows;

1. Plain Sporting Rifle (all six frame types)
2. Special Sporting Rifle (frame types 1, 3, 4, & 6)
3. Special Single Shot Rifle (frame types 3 & 4)
4. Musket (center-fire) (frame types 2 & 4)
5. Carbine (with saddle ring) (frame type 4 only)
6. Schuetzen Rifle (three different models) (frame types 4 & 6)
7. Shotgun (frame types 4 & 6)
8. .22 caliber Musket (Winder, two different types) (frame types 4 & 6)

Calibers & cartridges offered;

Black and smokeless powder, .22 rimfire up to a .577 center fire (almost every type of rimmed cartridge that was made in the latter part of the 19th century, and early years of the 20th century). More specifically;

(17) different rim fire cartridges
(72) different center fire cartridges
(1) shotshell (20 ga.) **Note: one experimental 28 ga. gun was made

Barrel sizes;

Seven distinct sizes were made as follows: No. 1, 2, 3, 3-1/2, 4, 5, and a few ultra rare No. 6 barrels. The Musket and .22 caliber Muskets used a barrel size unique to those variants (about halfway between a No. 2 and a No. 3 round barrel).

Barrel lengths;

20" (Carbine), 24" through 36" for the various rifle types, 28", 30", and 32" for the various Muskets, and 26" for the Shotgun. Even though Winchester stated that only "even inch" lengths would be provided, I have found a few odd inch barrel lengths in the factory ledgers (27", and 33").

Trigger types;

1. Plain (non-set)
2. Single-set
3. Close-coupled set (often referred to a double-set)
4. Schuetzen double-set

The real truth about the Winchester Single Shot high-wall, is that there is no such thing as a "standard" type or variant.

Bert

thop wrote on Apr 21^st, 2008 at 3:01pm:


You are quite welcome . If you could not already tell, I live & breath for the Winchester Single Shot. Finding an original specimen in a rare caliber or configuration makes my day .

Bert