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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Ballard questions (Read 3333 times)
marlinguy
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Ballards may be weaker,
but they sure are neater!

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Re: Ballard questions
Reply #45 - Aug 5th, 2025 at 4:55pm
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Wayne, if the breech blocks match the action, then it would have been a special order #4 since I seem to recall it has DST? Or since barrel and stocks were replaced it more likely was a #5 Pacific action, and got fitted with a new barrel and stocks. Once they're restored and reworked it's tough to say which model it once was. We can eliminate any of the pistol gripped models, or engraved models, or deluxe models. But #4, #4 1/4, or #5 Paicifc could all be candidates it was built from.
With the late action, and serial number it's very close to the end of production, and probably around 1889.
  

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texasmac
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Re: Ballard questions
Reply #46 - Aug 5th, 2025 at 5:57pm
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marlinguy wrote on Aug 5th, 2025 at 4:55pm:
Wayne, if the breech blocks match the action, then it would have been a special order #4 since I seem to recall it has DST? Or since barrel and stocks were replaced it more likely was a #5 Pacific action, and got fitted with a new barrel and stocks. Once they're restored and reworked it's tough to say which model it once was. We can eliminate any of the pistol gripped models, or engraved models, or deluxe models. But #4, #4 1/4, or #5 Paicifc could all be candidates it was built from.
With the late action, and serial number it's very close to the end of production, and probably around 1889.


Thanks Vall.  As you indicated,  it's unlikely that I will ever find out for sure what model the rifle was when it left the factory.  Also, based on everyting I've read, I figured 1889 was the year of production.

Wayne
  

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marlinguy
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Re: Ballard questions
Reply #47 - Aug 5th, 2025 at 6:57pm
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I've never seen or owned a Ballard with a serial number over high 36,000 range, and if I recall correctly John Dutcher also confirmed this to me when he was looking at a lot more Ballard rifles than I had. I surely haven't seen on in the 37,000 range.
Of course there are JM Marlin and Marlin Firearms Co. marked Ballard rifles that have the same serial numbers since John Marlin restarted numbers when he incorporated in 1881. I had a #6 Schuetzen JM marked, and a #2 Sporter MFC marked with the same number. Both were around the 3000 serial number range if I recall rightly?
I've seen some JM Marlin marked pretty high, but mostly they stopped around 9000 range. I have a weird #3 .22 Long that has all MFCo. features, but has a JM Marlin rollstamp, and is in the 36,000 range. It went to England and has Birmingham proof marks. Obviously a very late Ballard, and likely a receiver that got stamped early, and then lost or set aside until the end when they were cleaning up the last Ballards. It's also got a shotgun buttplate and stock instead of the standard crescent. It's the same buttplate as my #7 Long-Range, and weird on such a small #3, but serial numbers all match on stock and forearm to the gun. British hated crescent buttplates.
  

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texasmac
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Re: Ballard questions
Reply #48 - Sep 9th, 2025 at 3:11pm
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Sent my new-to-me Ballard off to Tom Klinger to have the barrel relined with a 14:1 twist T. J. liner.  Just got it back yesterday.  Using a bore scope, the T. J. liner bore looks really nice with a couple of minor flaws which I'm not concerned about.

Tom did a beautiful job at a good price.  And he was great at keeping me updated on the progress.  Here's a photo of the match reamer he used & the resulting chamber cast I made yesterday.

Wayne


« Last Edit: Sep 9th, 2025 at 11:32pm by texasmac »  

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