SSShooter wrote on Jan 21
st, 2016 at 8:27pm:
So,,,,,,, appears my rifle is a later #3, concave top, straight grip with a crescent buttplate. Correct?
Is it OK to dry-fire a rimfire Ballard?
Yes, your configuration is correct for a later #3. I don't make a practice of dry firing mine, but the only question I would ask is if the RF firing pin might contact the edge of the rim cut, and leave a mark? The breech block is made to stop travel of the firing pin, and the Ballard is known for strong firing pin design, and not known to break.
One other thing! A RF Ballard, and a .22 RF Ballard are different firing pins! The .32RF, .38RF and .44RF are reversible from RF to CF, so use the flat firing pin, which can be flipped upside down. The #3 .22RF is a round firing pin.