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Best book on the Ballard rifles? (Read 2424 times)

texasmac Frequent Elocutionist Online Posts: 2065 Location: Central Texas Joined: Aug 16^th, 2004	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #15 - Jul 24^th, 2025 at 4:29pm	Print Post
	TomKlinger wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 3:54pm: Wayne, Once you get that purty Ballard and shoot it, you will never look at another Stevens or HighWall the same way again😂👍 probably a Ballard .22in your future too! Tom Klinger Tom, You may be right but to a large extent it will depend on how well I can get the Ballard to shoot. The 1st couple of things I need to do is make a chamber cast & work up about 25 rounds with incremental powder charges to run a ladder test. Since I shot .40-65 now in a Shiloh Sharps 1874, I have moulds/bullets to try assuming the chamber dimensions are close. Wayne


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TomKlinger Full Member Offline Posts: 160 Location: Central Florida Joined: Feb 17^th, 2019	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #16 - Jul 24^th, 2025 at 5:51pm	Print Post
	Keep us posted on your results…. Tom Klinger


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 17117 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #17 - Jul 24^th, 2025 at 7:04pm	Print Post
	texasmac wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 4:29pm: TomKlinger wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 3:54pm: Wayne, Once you get that purty Ballard and shoot it, you will never look at another Stevens or HighWall the same way again😂👍 probably a Ballard .22in your future too! Tom Klinger Tom, You may be right but to a large extent it will depend on how well I can get the Ballard to shoot. The 1st couple of things I need to do is make a chamber cast & work up about 25 rounds with incremental powder charges to run a ladder test. Since I shot .40-65 now in a Shiloh Sharps 1874, I have moulds/bullets to try assuming the chamber dimensions are close. Wayne Going from a Sharps you'll have to learn not to cock the hammer before opening the lever!

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texasmac Frequent Elocutionist Online Posts: 2065 Location: Central Texas Joined: Aug 16^th, 2004	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #18 - Jul 24^th, 2025 at 7:19pm	Print Post
	marlinguy wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 7:04pm: texasmac wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 4:29pm: TomKlinger wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 3:54pm: Wayne, Once you get that purty Ballard and shoot it, you will never look at another Stevens or HighWall the same way again😂👍 probably a Ballard .22in your future too! Tom Klinger Tom, You may be right but to a large extent it will depend on how well I can get the Ballard to shoot. The 1st couple of things I need to do is make a chamber cast & work up about 25 rounds with incremental powder charges to run a ladder test. Since I shot .40-65 now in a Shiloh Sharps 1874, I have moulds/bullets to try assuming the chamber dimensions are close. Wayne Going from a Sharps you'll have to learn not to cock the hammer before opening the lever! Marlinguy, You're right, but I've also put many thousands of rounds thru a Browning 1885 BPCR which does not require cocking the hammer prior to opening the lever. Wayne


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 17117 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #19 - Jul 25^th, 2025 at 9:38am	Print Post
	texasmac wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 7:19pm: marlinguy wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 7:04pm: texasmac wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 4:29pm: TomKlinger wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 3:54pm: Wayne, Once you get that purty Ballard and shoot it, you will never look at another Stevens or HighWall the same way again😂👍 probably a Ballard .22in your future too! Tom Klinger Tom, You may be right but to a large extent it will depend on how well I can get the Ballard to shoot. The 1st couple of things I need to do is make a chamber cast & work up about 25 rounds with incremental powder charges to run a ladder test. Since I shot .40-65 now in a Shiloh Sharps 1874, I have moulds/bullets to try assuming the chamber dimensions are close. Wayne Going from a Sharps you'll have to learn not to cock the hammer before opening the lever! Marlinguy, You're right, but I've also put many thousands of rounds thru a Browning 1885 BPCR which does not require cocking the hammer prior to opening the lever. Wayne Can the Browning 1885 be lowered with the hammer cocked? Ballards can't. Need to always be sure to leave the hammer down on a Ballard before trying to open the lever.

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texasmac Frequent Elocutionist Online Posts: 2065 Location: Central Texas Joined: Aug 16^th, 2004	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #20 - Jul 25^th, 2025 at 11:10am	Print Post
	marlinguy wrote on Jul 25^th, 2025 at 9:38am: texasmac wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 7:19pm: marlinguy wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 7:04pm: texasmac wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 4:29pm: TomKlinger wrote on Jul 24^th, 2025 at 3:54pm: Wayne, Once you get that purty Ballard and shoot it, you will never look at another Stevens or HighWall the same way again😂👍 probably a Ballard .22in your future too! Tom Klinger Tom, You may be right but to a large extent it will depend on how well I can get the Ballard to shoot. The 1st couple of things I need to do is make a chamber cast & work up about 25 rounds with incremental powder charges to run a ladder test. Since I shot .40-65 now in a Shiloh Sharps 1874, I have moulds/bullets to try assuming the chamber dimensions are close. Wayne Going from a Sharps you'll have to learn not to cock the hammer before opening the lever! Marlinguy, You're right, but I've also put many thousands of rounds thru a Browning 1885 BPCR which does not require cocking the hammer prior to opening the lever. Wayne Can the Browning 1885 be lowered with the hammer cocked? Ballards can't. Need to always be sure to leave the hammer down on a Ballard before trying to open the lever. Vall, Yes, the Miroku Browning or Winchester 1885 can be lowered with the hammer cocked. Your're the 2nd person to warn me about the Ballards due to this thread. I received a PM yesterday with the same warning in which he further stated it will bust the tip of the trigger off which I assume is the sear. I'll have to check out the action to determine why. Can the action be safely opened when the hammer is at half-cock? Going from the Browning's to the Sharps, I had to remember to half cock the Sharps prior to opening the action or risk breaking a firing pin, which I eventually did. Wayne


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 17117 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #21 - Jul 25^th, 2025 at 12:12pm	Print Post
	As soon as you begin to open the lever on a Ballard after firing the hammer is drawn back to half cock. Half cock on a Ballard is tough to even see as it's just off the firing pin by a small amount. The hammer at full cock is situated where the spur is over the top of the frame, so as the lever is opened the spur catches on top, and if forced it will indeed break the sear/trigger tip off. Most people realize it before they break the trigger as it takes a fair amount of force to do this. I've let new shooters try my Ballard rifles at the range and often begin to cock the hammer before opening the lever and I jump in and stop them before they even get to the lever. The only time I use half cock is hunting with my Ballard rifles and a loaded chamber. The rest the time the hammer is down, or automatically on half cock after chambering, and just cocked to shoot.

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Oleblacksmith Participating Member Offline Posts: 45 Joined: Jan 10^th, 2024	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #22 - Jul 25^th, 2025 at 6:26pm	Print Post
	RD Gun books usually has the least expensive books that I have found. (You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links) There is also one for auction sale on Ebay which has 4 days to go. I have watched ebay for Dutcher"s book and got one for $200 while there were 2 others for sale priced below $300. Be Patient!


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texasmac Frequent Elocutionist Online Posts: 2065 Location: Central Texas Joined: Aug 16^th, 2004	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #23 - Jul 26^th, 2025 at 12:49am	Print Post
	Oldblacksmith, Thanks. That is a good price based on what all others are asking. Wayne


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4570mike Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 428 Location: On the Peninsula Joined: Apr 11^th, 2013	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #24 - Jul 29^th, 2025 at 2:25pm	Print Post
	(You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links) At $123.50 with one day to go. Free shipping! Mike.


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texasmac Frequent Elocutionist Online Posts: 2065 Location: Central Texas Joined: Aug 16^th, 2004	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #25 - Jul 30^th, 2025 at 4:21pm	Print Post
	Thanks everyone. For $302.02 (got it for $260 +shipping & sales tax) I have a reportedly nice condition copy of Ducher's book headed my way. Apparently the book is getting rarer by the day since it's no longer published. I did a lot of looking prior to bidding for it on eBay. Only a very few years ago it was going for less than $100 by several suppliers. Wayne


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texasmac Frequent Elocutionist Online Posts: 2065 Location: Central Texas Joined: Aug 16^th, 2004	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #26 - Jul 30^th, 2025 at 4:28pm	Print Post
	4570mike wrote on Jul 29^th, 2025 at 2:25pm: (You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links) At $123.50 with one day to go. Free shipping! Mike. Mike, The shipping was not free - cost me $19. But even at that + sales tax it was the cheapest I could find. Thanks. Wayne


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4570mike Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 428 Location: On the Peninsula Joined: Apr 11^th, 2013	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #27 - Jul 30^th, 2025 at 6:41pm	Print Post
	texasmac wrote on Jul 30^th, 2025 at 4:28pm: 4570mike wrote on Jul 29^th, 2025 at 2:25pm: (You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links) At $123.50 with one day to go. Free shipping! Mike. Mike, The shipping was not free - cost me $19. But even at that + sales tax it was the cheapest I could find. Thanks. Wayne Wayne, I was almost going to bid on it myself. but then realized someone else (you) might be on it and I'd just be driving the price up. Glad you got it. Enjoy! Mike.


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 17117 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #28 - Jul 31^st, 2025 at 2:36pm	Print Post
	texasmac wrote on Jul 30^th, 2025 at 4:21pm: Thanks everyone. For $302.02 (got it for $260 +shipping & sales tax) I have a reportedly nice condition copy of Ducher's book headed my way. Apparently the book is getting rarer by the day since it's no longer published. I did a lot of looking prior to bidding for it on eBay. Only a very few years ago it was going for less than $100 by several suppliers. Wayne Even at that price it's well worth owning Wayne! It is the best gun book ever published, regardless of topic. I've told plenty of people that everyone who writes a gun book should look through John's book and copy his format exactly. I've also asked John to do another run just to run down prices of used copies, but I understand he's getting up there and not interested in another run. I've got two copies, and one I got when John was bringing them back from the printer, he autographed it for me. I later bought a 2nd copy that I could not have to be so careful with the 1st copy as I'm perusing mine at least once or twice a week.

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rkba2nd Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2032 Location: earth Joined: Feb 16^th, 2009	Re: Best book on the Ballard rifles? Reply #29 - Jul 31^st, 2025 at 5:45pm	Print Post
	John has run a second printing some years ago, not anticipating it would be recognized as the great book that it is. The current books on Sharp's rifles are runner ups, but no cigar. Wise to obtain copies, if one has interest, before they are gone as well. I obtained Grant's book when it was the only good book available, and then his others as time went on. Like Marlinguy noted, I too obtained a second copy as the first was rapidly falling apart. Soon others would become available which was the beginning of another collection addiction. Books.

	rkba2nd
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