Home | Ezine | Forums | Links | Contact
NitroExpress.com: BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ????

View recent messages : 24 hours | 48 hours | 7 days | 14 days | 30 days | 60 days | More Smilies


*** Enjoy NitroExpress.com? Participate and join in. ***
You are not logged in. [Login] Main Index · Search · Active Topics
New user · Who's Online · FAQ · Calendar

Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Single Shots & Combination Guns
Previous topic Previous   View all topics Index   Next topic Next   Threaded Mode Threaded  

Pages: 1
TRAKS_GUNSMITHING
.224 member


Reged: 22/08/11
Posts: 3
Loc: NJ, USA
BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ????
      #206634 - 06/04/12 11:49 PM

i have a brass breech single shot 44 cal rifle. No markings but 2800, and someone thought the last "00" means prototype????

It has a octagon barrel, with a Ballard rear site.

Single shot, rim-fire with a ejector. The breech is solid Brass, except where the falling block locks into the lower tang. The lower tang is steel laminated with brass.

The lever and the rear site are definitely Ballard style. The NRA Museum states that it was not unusual for Ballard not to put any markings on some guns.

On another forum a person thinks it is 1 of 50 made...???? I do not know

I put the link below to my photobucket alblum for this gun, copy it to your browser and it should go right to the alblum.

If anyone has any info. or any ideas on where to look from here please let me know. My email is
KCU@TRAKSGUNSMITHING.COM OR SEND ME A MESSAGE HERE. IT WOULD BE BEST TO SEND TO MY EMAIL THOUGH BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO KEEP ALL INFO IN A SINGLE FOLDER.


http://s1256.photobucket.com/albums/ii499/TRAKS1/BRASS%20BREECH%20RIFLE/

THANKING ANYONE IN ADVANCE FOR IDEAS WHERE TO LOOK FROM HERE OR THEIR OPINIONS ON THIS RARE GUN.

THANKS

KURT

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26514
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ???? [Re: TRAKS_GUNSMITHING]
      #206657 - 07/04/12 06:09 AM

Looks like a brass frame Ballard to me.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
SharpsNitro
.375 member


Reged: 12/08/08
Posts: 729
Loc: Arizona, USA
Re: BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ???? [Re: TRAKS_GUNSMITHING]
      #206670 - 07/04/12 08:36 AM

Here are some brass Ballards:

http://www.gunsamerica.com/949943548/Gun...rting_Rifle.htm

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_24_56&products_id=435

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
DoubleD
.400 member


Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2398
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma
Re: BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ???? [Re: SharpsNitro]
      #206680 - 07/04/12 09:49 AM

Post on the Americna Single Shot Rifle Association board. http://www.assra.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

Those guys knoiw single shot and especially Ballards.

--------------------
DD, Ret.

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
wjw
.275 member


Reged: 05/06/10
Posts: 55
Loc: b.c.
Re: BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ???? [Re: DoubleD]
      #206697 - 07/04/12 11:53 AM

Kurt

You have a pre-Marlin Ballard. Made by Ball & Williams, Merrimack Arms or Brown Manufacturing Co. - some were unmarked. Most of these will have a manual extractor under the barrel ahead of the reciever. The brass reciever suggests early production. Ballard production began around 1861 and were used in the Civil War. Marlin took over producion and modified the action about 1875.

Edited by wjw (08/04/12 04:15 PM)

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
AkMike
.416 member


Reged: 19/11/05
Posts: 2576
Loc: Anchorage, Alaska
Re: BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ???? [Re: wjw]
      #206771 - 08/04/12 02:30 PM

That is indeed an early brass framed Ballard. I saw several at the huge ballard collection at the Milwakee museum.

--------------------
"When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors; you may know that your society is doomed." Ayn Rand

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
Dphariss
.300 member


Reged: 18/04/06
Posts: 130
Loc: Montana
Re: BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ???? [Re: TRAKS_GUNSMITHING]
      #207033 - 14/04/12 12:53 PM

Ballards were made in Brass, cast iron and steel depending on the cartridge used and the time frame.
Wyoming Armory Cody WY could likely tell you anything you need to know.
http://www.wyomingarmory.com/

Its not suitable for centerfire cartridges.
Dan

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
Dphariss
.300 member


Reged: 18/04/06
Posts: 130
Loc: Montana
Re: BRASS BREECH single shot rifle..who made it ???? [Re: Dphariss]
      #211525 - 25/06/12 12:00 PM

Quote:

Ballards were made in Brass, cast iron and steel depending on the cartridge used and the time frame.
Wyoming Armory Cody WY could likely tell you anything you need to know.
http://www.wyomingarmory.com/

Its not suitable for centerfire cartridges.
Dan



As a expansion on the above. A lady was severely injured at the 2012 "Quigely" match at Forsythe, MT. She was shooting a CAST FRAME Ballard that had been lined and converted to 40-65 WCF and was shooting smokeless powder. 40-65 would be a massive overload with BP. The cast frame Marlin/Ballards were never made in a caliber larger than .38 long RF.
This was a gruesome and totally avoidable event. Accident is not a proper term. Shooting a cast frame in a CF caliber is like parking on the RR tracks...

Ballards with cast frames are not suitable for any caliber larger than 22 rf. But there are a lot of Ballards out there that have been assembled from parts perhaps by someone wanting a given model for a collection or to sell.
It is critical that ANYONE shooting an original Ballard check the action. The cast actions are obvious if the breech block is removed. All known cast actions have a 3 line address on the left side. But SOME forged frames do as well.
If its a cast action and is chambered for a CF cartridge its a fake and is not safe to shoot. Period.
Very few gunsmiths know how to properly set up a Ballard action for that matter so some forged frame guns are often faulty in the lockup.
Modern made Ballards are surprisingly strong, for a design of its age. But when Ballard Rifle Co. was at Cody, WY they did not recommend shooting anything but BP in the guns. So if you have a Ballard and shoot it, it is advisable to consider the information above.

Dan

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
Pages: 1


Previous topic Previous   View all topics Index   Next topic Next   Threaded Mode Threaded  

Extra information
0 registered and 38 anonymous users are browsing this forum.

Moderator:  Huvius 

Print Topic

Forum Permissions
      You cannot start new topics
      You cannot reply to topics
      HTML is disabled
      UBBCode is enabled

Rating:
Topic views: 5320

Rate this topic

Jump to

Contact Us NitroExpress.com

Powered by UBB.threads™ 6.5.5


Home | Ezine | Forums | Links | Contact


Copyright 2003 to 2011 - all rights reserved