To all:

I have not been on the forum for several years now, maybe as far back as 2019 or so. Post COVID garbage, work, kids marrying off, etc.... I have done nothing with a firearm for years.

But, I did bump into a rescue of sorts at an estate sale this weekend and I'll admit to not going to an estate sale here in TN since 2018! I could not help myself. It was in a horrible wet, moldy dripping basement that was destroying any and all metal within reach.

There was a Ballard, I believe I have identified it as a Kentucky sale, the batch of approx 1000 carbines they procured in 1862. No excitement though, as this basement find is rough. Action was frozen, bore is a sewer pipe in 44 RF. Alas, this morn I was able to spend a couple of hours ressurecting it. Factory sight is operable. Action is fully operable. The lever screw is what appears to be a home made replacement, as it has an all thread shank and is longer than said receiver sould accept by about 40 thou. It is numbers matching which means nothing in this case as it is a rusty devil. 

I treated the stuck action with a does of Eds Red and preserved the full integrity of the action. The extractor has been broken and welded from what I see. Stock is military with military butt plate, stock has shrunk as typical. 

As always I am impressed with the restorative properties of Eds Red (Cast Bullet Assoc reference) and it's ability to penetrate and loosen rusted surfaces. I left two action screws stuck as those buggers scared me. I did zero damage to screw heads, zero finish damage, I "did no harm" but those screws which are perfect in form, I am afraid to put greater pressure on w/o a procedure that is proven. I finished my end of work on it.

My fun with the gun was to find it, get it "operable" again and now send it to a new home where someone can potentially build a sporter with it--- or not----. It is beyond my abilities. Hand be a rolling block and I can make it run reasonably well. Something of this nature in its condition is more work than I can eat in a year. Thus I am looking for help from everyone on a fair value that would send it to a new home and leave a buyer very confortable with what they have and what they spent. This is out of my wheelhouse.

I have only encountered bolt actions from foreign wars in this type of condition. 

See pics. Any feedback I can get would be helpful and yes it is my intention to list the gun here. I have stayed a member for years for a reason.

I think your Ballard is likely a government purchase, but not sure if it's a Kentucky Ball & Williams or if it's a Dwight Chapin & Co. Ballard? Tough to say when they're bad enough to not see all the markings. Or it could be a Ball & Williams made to fill US Govt. orders before Kentucky outbid the government and got the later guns.

I don't know of anyone building Sporting Rifles on these early hand ejector RF/percussion Ballard rifles? I have seen some reenactors using them with blanks converted. The rifle likely has some value as a non shooting relic, but I really have no idea what that might be.

It looks to me like a Ball & Williams sporting model. I don't remember the government having a part octagon barrel. And I thought the Gov. ones had the exaggerated hammer spur.
Just spitballing (kinda like throwing spaghetti against the wall. If it sticks it is done.),
Charles

Ill get a pic of the breach block face.

Did the sporting models come with military butt plates? Im so used to seeing rolling block style military butts, I assumed it was military. I dont have any info on Ballards and had to google up possibilities to norrow things down. I expected all sporting models to have nice curved butts. 

Frank I added the breach block face shot.

Also added the butt plate.

Small application of scothbrite and felt horrible doing it.
Tried the same on roll mark flanks and NADA!

Marlinguy thank you for the assistance in ID'ing the gun, thanks everyone for that matter. If it stays in my hands Im inclined to attempt something harsh and I am not capable of, like lining it for a 32S&W. Clearly I dont need another project I will never complete. The longer I look at it the more I see some bastardization with a take off barrel from some crap. 

Mike