Our local community had not had a gun show in around 30 years...until last December.  So I decided to setup a table to support it, even though I hade to drive 6 blocks.   

There was also a local dealer there with 5-6 tables, Friday he came over, sat down and started talking about a Ballard he owned but didn't know anything about it.  He asked if I could help him with it, which I agreed to do, but I figured I really wouldn't be much help!

He brought it in Saturday and I must say, I was expecting a beat up #5 or something like that, but got a real surprise.  It was the rifle shown in these pictures.  I believe it to be, or was anyway, a #6 1/2 Rigby, but, the real surprise was the Pope barrel.  It's stamped HM Pope, Hartford, Conn. on the top flat of the barrel. The dealer left it with me and we talked, off and on, all day.  I sent pictures to Tony Maddox and Tom Rowe to get their thought on what it was and relayed the information as I got their thoughts.  

He did want to sell it and by the end of the day we had agreed on a price and I now own it.

Since Pope usually didn't mark the chambering on his barrels, we didn't know what it was, but thought probably 28-30.  That was a wrong assumption, I did a chamber cast and it's chambered in 25-25 Stevens, which apparently Pope did use, but probably not very often since it's not seen much.

The serial numbers on the wood and buttplate match the frame, but the the breech blocks, and of course barrel, don't.

The pictures of the rifle are a little unusual because of the background.  This background was needed to be more neutral from what I normally use. Tom Rowe wanted pictures of it for a book he is working on about Pope Jersey City barreled guns.  While this is not a Jersey City gun, he is adding a section on guns that have shown up since his other books were published.  This gun/barrel is a new find so it's not listed in the earlier books.  Included are 2 pictures I sent, that Tom did his photo magic on.  You can see how he fixes them.
Bob

Couple more.

I'm puzzled by the chambering? If it was originally a .25-20SS and Pope re-rifled it, I can't figure out how he could rifle it with Pope rifling in the same bore size? A .28 would be no issue, but .25 to .25 Pope doesn't make sense.

Beautiful Rigby Pope though!

marlinguy wrote on Jul 25^th, 2025 at 9:46am:


Vall, pretty much my question too.

I guess it all comes down to when Winchester marked the chambering on the barrel.  It appears that Pope was probably the one that cut the barrel back, cutting through the Winchester markings.  Speculation on what was done is part of the fun of collecting these guns.

I forgot to mention earlier that it also came with a 15 power Lyman Super-Targetspot.
Bob

marlinguy wrote on Jul 25^th, 2025 at 10:25am:


Haven’t noticed anything but really haven’t looked for a liner.  I will look but I have a hard time believing Pope would lower himself to lining a barrel and have confidence in it shooting like he guaranteed.  The barrel number being 227 is fairly early too.
Bob

I agree Bob. I doubt Pope would ever reline, or line a barrel to then rifle it. I know he used a good number of smaller bores to rebore and rifle for his work. This just puzzles me how it could be a Winchester .25-20SS and become a Pope .25-25 later with a fresh bore?

Speculating--Read somewhere Pope purchased drilled, unrifled barrel blanks from Winchester.
Barrel was marked prior to rifling then pulled and sold to Pope.
Beautiful rifle and interesting story.
Chuck

The Pope barrels I've seen on Winchester (and Farrow) unrifled blanks were marked "Rifled by H M Pope, Hartford, Conn".

Barrel 201 carries that marking; likely made just a  few months earlier than this rifle.