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.

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.

Gettin ready to load several cartridges to run a ladder test & tried a few of the unprimed cases to see how they fit.  They chambered fine but I found that if the firing pin is pressed forward, it prevents the breechblock from opening, even with the hammer in half-cock.  After bouncing the rifle on the carpeted floor to get the firing pin to back out, no problem opening the action.  I assume this is normal with the Ballard since there's no firing pin spring.  I'm also assuming that extracting a case with a fired primer should not be a problem.  Comments appreciated.

Wayne

bpjack wrote yesterday at 6:38pm:


Jack,

So, based on your response, I'm assuming what I experienced with an unprimed case is normal in the Ballard,

Wayne

Yes, this would be normal.  With no primer in the brass, the firing pin is hooking on the square edge of the primer pocket.  With no shell, and the firing pin pushed forward, the firing is pushed back, when opening the breech, by a slight chamfer filed into the bottom of the barrel chamber rim.

Should be no problem with a primed case.
Bob

I've had this happen on a Stevens 44 1/2 without a cartridge or cartridge case in the chamber, if there isn't a groove in the extractor for the firing pin tip. The firing pin will get hung up on the extractor.

texasmac wrote yesterday at 6:57pm:


Not really "normal" for a Ballard Wayne. I've never had it happen in my 40 plus years of owning them. I have had an instance when it happened after dry firing on a fired case numerous times and it finally indented the primer enough to cause this.
My guess is someone might have made a new firing pin and it's too long at the tip, or the rear. If it's too long then when the lever is opened and that moves the hammer up off the firing in, then the firing pin wont retract enough. Could also be too tight in the breech block halves so it doesn't easily float in the hole. Should be able to tip the barrel up and see the firing pin drop back with the hammer cocked.
Need to check protrusion at the face of the breech block with hammer down, which should be .040"-.050". Then also check that the rear of the firing pin isn't above the breech block surface with the firing pin pushed forward. If it's high at the rear it can cause this issue. The hammer should also raise to the half cock position, which is very low on a Ballard. If you open the lever a little, then close it you should see a gap between the hammer and the breech block. Then try holding the trigger back and raise the hammer a little and allow the hammer to drop and the gap should be gone as the half cock notch releases it. If that doesn't happen the half cock notch isn't working.