Thread: Marlin Ballard restoration

Well here I go again

Just finally got my Marlin Ballard Perfection no.4 38-55 rifle
Circa 1880
It's been a long search for a very rare rifle in NZ
But to me this is the pick of the Marlin Ballard single trigger hunting rifles because it has the forged Norway steel frame
So can safely be shot with care and could take game again

The pros are
Its totally complete with every original part correct and no additional holes or modifictaions
Complete number matching rifle . Ballards have serial numbers on 7 different major parts
Its a 38-55
The walnut butt stock is exceptional
It has a shotgun butt plate which is much nicer to shoot and despite being hard rubber it isn't cracked

The cons
The fore end hanger screw ia not correct
The hammer picot hole is slogged out and split through the back which has thrown out the half cock firing pin protrusion
The fore end has a small chip and an old repair done with pink panelbeaters bog

So first thing to do is drop out the breech block
That's what Ballards are all about

This one is very tidy outside and a joy to see the twin matching numbers on the back of it


Quite tricky to get the two halves un screwed and priesed apart
And inside is 100 years of oil and rust



All parts soaked overnight, cleaned, checked and assembled this morning

Found only real major is the hammer pivot screw hole is slogged out and split
Main lever pivot screw is slightly bent / worn

Should look something like this inside the breech block

Then on to the much more enjoyable task of seeing that lovely piece of walnut hiding under nearly 150 years of dirt and oil



It's pretty exciting to see walnut like that on a no.4 hunting rifle

looking great

Mate that is a treasure and a bloody good original for BP silhouette.

very cool project , will watch with interest.

So having a quick look through the Ballard bible writtrn by John Dutcher there is an image of a No.4 special order select walnut with the same shotgun butt and very similar grain



And images of Ballard factory original tang sights fir the unique 1.125" hole spacing



After market tang sights for the 1.125" spacing



And the various front sights that were across the model range



So one of my jobs now is to try and find a tang sight for this because i know i can shoot them vastly better than the basic barrel sights

Very nice Akaroa. This must have been a very early John Marlin design if 1880. He was a clever man.. established Marlin Firearms in 1870.

Is it marked JMMarlin or later Marlin Firearms company? Also is it the 29" barrel noted for some of the early Marlin Ballards. Read somewhere some early Ballards had a reversible pin arrangement??? whatever that looks like - enabling the firing of either rimfire or rimless ammo? Please correct comment here as required. Always a treat to see old american burr walnut come up - looks great.

.38 cal with 55 grains of powder - wonder what powder it used then. Be interesting to see how it shoots..

Keep us posted.

@mudgripz Ballard patent is 1861 and various companies manufactured until bankruptcy

J M Marlin brought the patent and improved the extractor and manufacturing processes

There were a huge range of Marlin Ballard models
The no1s and no2s were cast iron and in pistol calibers

From no.4 up mostly forged steel
The no.4 was the pick of the single trigger hunting rifles

So Marlin to a good and unique design and made it better

Yes reversible firing pin was a thing

Also there was a model that had rimfire and a central percussion nipple

You could fire facrory rimfire ammo
Punch a small hole in the middle of the base and re use the case with a percussion cap flash igniting the BP through the hole

Beauty, look forward with interest.

Yes reversible firing pin was a thing

Also there was a model that had rimfire and a central percussion nipple

You could fire facrory rimfire ammo
Punch a small hole in the middle of the base and re use the case with a percussion cap flash igniting the BP through the hole

This is the pre Marlin Ballard dual ignition breech block
Rimfire flat striker above central percussion nipple


And this is the Marlin Ballard dual firing pin
Rimfire and center fire changed by disassembling the breech block and turning the firing pin over

Reversible pin setup rather clever. I think Marlin continued with Ballard rifling - no doubt with changes - for over 100 years. From mid 1950s they did change their rimfires to the new microgroove barrel design which worked a treat. Still does.

John Marlin a contemporary of John Browning and both were also designing early lever actions in 1880-1890s. Browning designed the iconic Winchester 94, and John Marlin also busy with range of levers from model 1881 - about contemporary with your Ballard No 4 hunter. Have not seen any early Marlin levers and know nothing about them - though one of those early levers was the predecessor of the later Marlin 336s. John Browning's Winchester 94 design went on to become the biggest selling centrefire sporter in history. Marlin 336 lever the second biggest seller. Those boys knew their business..

Might have to pop over the hill to have at that rifle akaroa...