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GT
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A Cobbled Ballard
Today at 9:56am
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At a recent match I picked up another Ballard receiver that was mixed and matched parts and in that batch of parts I got a forged receiver, a single trigger breech block and an early Brown lever…  The receiver had a feature someone in history performed, they added a hole drilled and tapped like a Stevens for the takedown feature.  Friends have accused me of building a rifle around an action screw I’ve picked up so this isn’t nearly as extreme…  This did get a different breech block (old and abused), a double set trigger configuration, several of my parts for internals, a true mother of fence post butt stock and a barrel got used that’s been kicking around our places since 1975… (the UPS label has that date on it)  I believe it may have been the very first barrel blank I ever bought… when I was a teenager I had a minor itch to build a rifle in high school shop class, (back when we did those kinds of things) but at the time, I was hooked on fumes, (gas and perfume) more so than smoke, (gunpowder and cigarettes) so this idea faded into oblivion.  When my dad passed a few years ago my siblings and I divvied up several boxes of plunder and I’m just getting around to going through a few more of the boxes…  The barrel is a Shilen, 30 cal. 28”, 1:10, CM, and I’ve wanted to build a 30-30 Wesson as an offhand rifle for some time so this gave me the nudge.  Like many of my projects I put myself under pressure - with just over a week before my next scheduled match, a strong eleven days away.  I was sure I could get everything together and shooting with a day or two to spare – it just meant that there may not be much time for sleep in that time frame – my regular work load got busy again, probably because of my absence from going to other shoots? It’s a vicious circle…   
Well, here we are operating in the 11th hour, making a new breech seater, casting bullets, trying to make time to slip to the range, work on some loads, fix the bugs that come up, make a few last minute changes, maybe make a forend and use a screw to attach it?  I do have a backup, the rifle I’ve been shooting the last 3 or 4 matches, but it’s time for a change…  We'll see how the cookie crumbles.
GT
  

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk"  T. A. Edison
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marlinguy
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Ballards may be weaker,
but they sure are neater!

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Re: A Cobbled Ballard
Reply #1 - Today at 10:31am
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That Stevens style takedown on a Ballard was fairly common. My first Schoyen Ballard has it, and drilled right through the serial number! Hope you make it to the match with your new Ballard project!
  

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bobw
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Re: A Cobbled Ballard
Reply #2 - Today at 11:45am
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Greg,
They say that if you want to get something done, give a project to a busy person!

Looking at your Harris scores kinda proves a rifle doesn’t need to look good or even be finished to shot well!
Bob
  
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Green_Frog
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Re: A Cobbled Ballard
Reply #3 - Today at 11:52am
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I've mentioned my FrankenBallard here several times before.  The brrechblock assembly came from a cigar box in Carlie Dell's basement and the receiver shell and tang came from an auction vendor in California.  The barrel was a take off from a period built position rifle... Jim Borton sold that to me.  The assembly of all the parts was done by Joe Harz.  A target stock from a kind soul on this forum whose name I can't seem to find right now, and a Lyman Super TargetSpot I had laying around made it "complete"!  Now that is a cobbled Ballard.   

I also own a numbers matching #5 Pacific.  All the numbers match except the barrel and fore end... they match each other but not all the rest of the gun.  Somebody really wanted a 40-90 Pacific!

Forge
  
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Schutzenbob
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Rheinisch-Westfälisc
hen Sprengstoff-Fabriken

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Re: A Cobbled Ballard
Reply #4 - Today at 3:51pm
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GT,

I bust my ass to just make up a forend to go to a match, and in the same week, you made a whole rifle with all the bells and whistles. I'm impressed!
  
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jhm
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Re: A Cobbled Ballard
Reply #5 - Today at 4:09pm
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Speaking of Ballard parts anyone have a set of set triggers blocks laying around? I took Mr. Greg's suggestion and ordered a set of drawings so I now have a somewhat complete set triggers assy. but need blocks. I could make them but if I could find some it would be wonderful. Either original or kit form doesn't matter. Rifle shop is out of everything and back ordered. I emailed Rodney Storie but got no response. Mr Greg that's a good looking Ballard you got going. What power scope is it?



JMH
  
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