t's a shame there wern't more single shots made. Once upon a time I had one rebarreled to 22/3000.

A switch barrel setup.

Two screws on top of receiver released the barrel which would slide out.

This particular Bullard is a hunting rifle, so maybe the difference isn't great.  Perhaps there was a second barrel, in a smaller caliber that might allow easier practice or small game hunting.  Today's CPA rifles can be set up as switch-barrel rifles.  A friend has 5 different barrels for his.

A takedown was a rifle or shotgun that came apart readily, to be put into a case for easy transport or storage.  Many of the cases were fitted (more expensive), but mostly the gun would fit into ordinary luggage.   

My idea is that takedown guns appeared at the same time as vacations.  A man who worked in a city wanted to go back to the home farm or on a hunting trip and wanted to take his gun along.  There were as many thieves per capita then as now.  Travel was by rail.  If your rifle was in a suitcase that looked like every other suitcase, maybe with a "Mary Smith" name tag, the thieves might overlook it.

Winchester offered the takedown option for the Single Shot after they switched from leaf springs to coil springs (1907?).  I've had an 1894 Winchester short rifle in takedown.  Currently have an 1893 Marlin (pre-WW1) and an 1899 Savage dated 1928 that are takedowns.  Stevens Favorites could be considered takedowns.

So if I'm understanding the above, one calls a rifle a "switch-barrel" or a "take-down" based on usage or intent, not mechanics?

Bill Lawrence

Maybe, the Bullard setup could be described as switch barrel barrel capable. Apparently, any caliber combination up to thirty-eight could be ordered on the small frame, and the large frame, such as this sample, seemed reserved for forty caliber cartridges and above. The Bullard book author describes the feature as detachable, but seems to feel his research points towards the selling point of being able to switch calibers on the same frame. 

The use of the takedown description seems(?) to be related to how it is or can be cased. High end stuff comes to mind, but there are tons of inexpensive backpack .22s that come with soft pouches.

My source for what follows is the 2nd edition of the Bullard book (highly recommended) and my work on a Farrow biography:

For information, the Bullard factory was in Springfield, Mass. It is not clear if Bullard ever filled all the orders that Farrow obtained on his sales trips. Not only was Bullard not building inventory, but immediately after Farrow's sales trip to New Orleans, they laid off nearly all their employees.  That was early in 1885, maybe even in January.  They couldn't meet payroll.   

Farrow's contract expired 12/31/1884.  Farrow was not broke.  My idea is that Farrow paid the key Bullard production people, their chief machinist and the head stockmaker, to make the brass-action prototype Farrow, to make a few of what Joe Ruth has termed the first model actions and parts, and a large run of stocks.  Bullard's facilities, machinery and materials were used, but Farrow paid for everything.  In April, 1885, Farrow demonstrated his prototype at the rifle range in or near Springfield, with Bullard staff on hand.  After he had the first model design developed into a workable model, Farrow left town.

IIRC, the Bullard single shot appeared in September of 1885, made to use a lot of the repeater's parts.  But about the same time, Winchester, with their huge manufacturing and advertising capability, brought out the 1885 single shot and the 1886 repeater.  Economically, Bullard was screwed and the key inventor & investor thought his future was in steam powered automobiles.