Marlin-Ballard No. 2 Sporting Rifle in .38 Long Colt

A scarce Marlin-Ballard No. 2 Sporting Rifle in .38 Long Colt, #1768X (circa 1879), blued 28” special-order octagonal barrel. Has “Rocky Mountain” pattern dovetailed blade front sight and buckhorn-style adjustable ramp rear sight. Original crescent buttplate. Marked  ”38 LONG’ on the barrel near the breech; This is a nice honest-looking rifle that came from a ranch near Billings, Montana. Stock and forend have typical age/use marks, with a few noticeable dents near the buttpplate, and one minor non-threatening crack at the wrist. The wood has nice grain and color. Action is smooth and lock up tightly with no lever droop. The bore is darkly-leaded, but it should clean well, with its defined rifling. The action, barrel, and crescent buttplate have faded to a pleasant and uniform brown patina. The front sight is slightly loose in its dovetail, so it should be peened. The hammer spring is nice and strong. Pre-1899 Marlin Ballards are quite hard to find. After going through severa manufacturers during the U.S. Civil War, the rights to produce the Ballard rifle were bought by the Marlin company. The Ballard design is particularly fast to  load and fire, since unlike their competing rolling blocks, there is no obstruction to the chamber. The No. 2 was introduced in 1876 for .32, .38, .41, or .44 rimfire and centerfire cartridges. It features an octagonal barrel, a reversible firing pin (to allow the use of either rimfire and centerfire cartridges), and a blued frame. Most of the .38 caliber pattern had 30-inch barrels, so this rifle’s special-order 28″ barrel is unusual.  Also included with this rifle are a primerless dummy cartridge, 25+ sized lead bullets, 21 pieces of deprimed brass, a Lyman .375 bullet sizing die, and handloading data. (ESPB-082)