Christmas Ballard 22 Project
- Thread starter rwnblack
- Start date
My day has been made with the images of these beautiful rifles - thank you, Sir, for posting them. I have only one rifle that comes near these beauties, and that is my .45-70 replica Winchester High Wall with the G*d-awful crescent butt-plate. These early single-shot rifles are just soooooooooo graceful in appearance, and effective in application, that I'd love to start a little collection of my own. Of course, living in this particular county in UK, means that I'd have to sell one to buy one... 
Thanks,
I am a bit addicted to them. Right now my affliction is Ballards. I also picked up a #2 Ballard that has been relined with a 303 barrel and chambered to 32-20 but is a bit of a rough barrel and a crude installation. I am thinking I am going to install a new 25 cal barrel on it and chamber it to 25-20, we will see. I love the high walls as well but that crescent buttplate really is a killer. I have an original Ballard pacific in 40-85 with a crescent butt plate but has some weight to it that helps. Still I have only shot it a few times with out a slip on recoil pad and it left a nasty bruise, from now on my slip on heavy recoil pad is my friend. I hear there are some very nice antique rifles available in the UK that can be shipped to Canada. Is this true? I have heard they drill a hole through the bottom of the chamber but if they are rebarreled or sleeved they can become very nice rifles.
I am a bit addicted to them. Right now my affliction is Ballards. I also picked up a #2 Ballard that has been relined with a 303 barrel and chambered to 32-20 but is a bit of a rough barrel and a crude installation. I am thinking I am going to install a new 25 cal barrel on it and chamber it to 25-20, we will see. I love the high walls as well but that crescent buttplate really is a killer. I have an original Ballard pacific in 40-85 with a crescent butt plate but has some weight to it that helps. Still I have only shot it a few times with out a slip on recoil pad and it left a nasty bruise, from now on my slip on heavy recoil pad is my friend. I hear there are some very nice antique rifles available in the UK that can be shipped to Canada. Is this true? I have heard they drill a hole through the bottom of the chamber but if they are rebarreled or sleeved they can become very nice rifles.
Standard answer. You were not holding your lips right, when you dumped them in the bucket! LOL!
Nice work on the old hulk!
I saw a similar Ballard at a gun show in Edmonton some years back. The guy started out with a right stupid price on it, ~$1500, and ended up selling it for a wee fraction of that. I have never been particularly enamored of the design, but they do make a great rimfire rifle.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
You've restored a broken old lady to her rightful level of dignified age. Well done, sir, and beautiful work.
I don't know where you heard that, but all the older rifles, of the kind that interest both you and me and many others here, that I have ever seen were totally shootable. Over here we have a category of firearms called Section 58 [Obsolete Calibre] and providing that the calibre is on the HUGE list, then anybody over age 18 can walk into the dealer and buy it. No documentation of any kind is needed to own it. but you can't shoot it unless you have a valid Firearms Certificate [FAC] and to get is a long and drawn-out procedure joining a gun club, serving between three and six months probie time and then applying for your FAC with a selection of the guns you want to shoot on it. Supposing you get it back with your wish list filled, you can then go about getting the reloading gear needed to shoot it.
The bad news for me is that I've been jonesing after a Trapdoor Springfield for years, and of course, ammunition is still freely available for this 1873 design...
But hey, I'm boring you all fartless here, sorry.
I worked on the trigger today. It had a crisp but heavy 6 lb trigger. I reduced it to 3 lb 3 oz so now much nicer but still safe. I would liked to have taken it to the range today but it is brutally cold with the wind today, -42 C. I am putting more coats of oil on until it warms up so I can try it out with the lighter trigger and scope.
With a bit of jiggery pockery you might be able to change one to 45-75 and then it would qualify. You would have to set the barrel back a bit because the cartridge is a bit shorter than a 45-70. One of my favourite rifles is a trapdoor in 38-55. I rebarreled a sporterized gun with a shortened and buggered up barrel.
cheers mooncoon
I used the Ballard in a little fun indoor 22 shoot in Davidson yesterday. Had a lot of fun, the rifle shoots perfectly. It was an off hand shoot so I was the reason for any misses not the rifle. In the hands of a better offhand shooter it would be deadly. I ended up taking 2nd place but with offhand there is more luck involved than anything. If you live in Saskatchewan I would recommend getting out to this little shoot, they do a great job hosting and you can use any kind of 22 you want. One fellow even used a very cool pellet gun.
WOW I looked at this rifle, when it was on the EE....looked...and looked, and then passed on it. It definitely , went to the right “man for the job” Do you...or would you do work on other people’s rifles? I have an old Steven favorite, that I would love for you to go over, and yes stamp your name under the forearm!
Beautiful! Priceless quality!
Cheers
Brian
Beautiful! Priceless quality!
Cheers
Brian
Thanks,
I don't think I better take on any extra projects for a while. I only get to play in my shop some evenings and weekends and have accumulated a pretty long list of projects and I seem to keep buying more. I am just finishing a couple of favourites that I am bringing back to life in a similar manner. One is a 22 and the other was a 25. I cut them off in front of the octagon, bore them out to 1/2" then machine down a 22 barrel to fit. The 22 now has a 26" cooey barrel like the Ballard received and the 25 now has a 21" barrel from a CIL Anchutz 22. I have rust blued the barrels, casehardened the actions but still have to draw the temper back on them and have to nitre blue the small stuff. I am using the original wood just did some repairs and bringing some life to the finish but much of the history evident in them. I am on the road far far away right now (12 hour time zones away from home) but am looking forward to getting back and completing these rifles. The 26" barrelled one is spoken and will be used by a young guy in our club for 22 bpcr silhouette. The one with a 21" barrel may show up for sale. I haven't decided yet. Probably will play with it for a while and see where it goes. I have had good luck with those CIL Anchutz barrels so my guess is it will shoot very well. Typically I get distracted by some other project and end up selling or trading to get the new projects. I think it may be an addiction... Ballards tend to cause minor to severe fits!
I don't think I better take on any extra projects for a while. I only get to play in my shop some evenings and weekends and have accumulated a pretty long list of projects and I seem to keep buying more. I am just finishing a couple of favourites that I am bringing back to life in a similar manner. One is a 22 and the other was a 25. I cut them off in front of the octagon, bore them out to 1/2" then machine down a 22 barrel to fit. The 22 now has a 26" cooey barrel like the Ballard received and the 25 now has a 21" barrel from a CIL Anchutz 22. I have rust blued the barrels, casehardened the actions but still have to draw the temper back on them and have to nitre blue the small stuff. I am using the original wood just did some repairs and bringing some life to the finish but much of the history evident in them. I am on the road far far away right now (12 hour time zones away from home) but am looking forward to getting back and completing these rifles. The 26" barrelled one is spoken and will be used by a young guy in our club for 22 bpcr silhouette. The one with a 21" barrel may show up for sale. I haven't decided yet. Probably will play with it for a while and see where it goes. I have had good luck with those CIL Anchutz barrels so my guess is it will shoot very well. Typically I get distracted by some other project and end up selling or trading to get the new projects. I think it may be an addiction... Ballards tend to cause minor to severe fits!
If one of your Stevens come up for sale, please let me know...maybe I have your next project/parts rifle...your looking for to .....trade....part trade etc....you just never know lol.
Cheers
Brian
I restored two Stevens Favourites, one was a 22 the other a 25, now they both have new 22 barrels sleeved in. The longer one has a Cooey 26" donor barrel, the other is a 21" Anchutz. I cut the chambers off and they bith have new Match chambers. I had to add a oiece of wood to replace wood the was cut out of the front of the comb on the shorter rifle. The same rifle needed a new Stevens buttplate and I put on a nice Lyman tang sight. I am hoping to try them out tomorrow. The longer rifle is taken, not sure what my plans are for the shorter one is. Here are the before shots. I used a slightly higher casehardening temperature and the colors are a darker than my other projects.
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