Dad acquired a Ballard rifle in a trade a few years ago, and I am exploring the idea of shooting it. Obviously, the 38 rimfire cartridges are not available. But a 357 mag cartridge fits the chamber and I heard that the 357 maximum is a correct fit, if loaded with gunpowder and the primer left out. Can anyone verify this?
Ballard Rifle Ammo
- Thread starter Stacer
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Busyhands94
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You could bore out a .357 magnum casing with an offset hole, then insert a .22 acorn blank as the primer. Then of course load it up with some BP and a soft lead bullet, that would probably be a very effective substitute for .38 rimfires. Although I don't know what the bore and bullet diameter are, you are going to have to slug the bore to find out what bullet would work best. If it is over sized you could just use a heeled bullet or a hollow based bullet.
Dixie Gun Works does sell these neat little cartridges for obsolete rimfires, you use .22 acorn blanks in them as the primers if you don't want to have to bore out a case to fit the blank.
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_101_287&products_id=8156
Hope that helps!
~Levi
Dixie Gun Works does sell these neat little cartridges for obsolete rimfires, you use .22 acorn blanks in them as the primers if you don't want to have to bore out a case to fit the blank.
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_101_287&products_id=8156
Hope that helps!
~Levi
zimmerstutzen
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The 38 XL Ballard is the identical case to the 357 Max, except that it took a heeled outside lubed bullet of 375 diameter.
My Wesson rifle in 38XL will shoot either rim or center fire cases by flipping a tab on the hammer. The standard 38 long is probably about the same as the 357 case.
My Wesson rifle in 38XL will shoot either rim or center fire cases by flipping a tab on the hammer. The standard 38 long is probably about the same as the 357 case.
Be very, very, careful with original Ballard rifles. Many have cast iron receivers and can become grenades in short order. Which company made the Ballard? (there were several)
If there is a inside front hollow section in action beneath barrel thread area, it is cast iron.
I have a JM Marlin Ballard #5 Pacific in .45-70, but it has the solid forged Norway Iron (steel) receiver.
If there is a inside front hollow section in action beneath barrel thread area, it is cast iron.
I have a JM Marlin Ballard #5 Pacific in .45-70, but it has the solid forged Norway Iron (steel) receiver.
Busyhands94
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Kinda like those Cobray over and under derringers? I saw one that had a tab on the hammer like that, you flipped it up to shoot a .22 barrel on top and flipped it down to shoot the .45 LC/.410 bbl on the bottom.
zimmerstutzen
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Stacer: years ago, I was at Dixon's Muzzle loader shop and Dixon and a customer were toying around with an old Maynard Rifle that was also percussion or rim fire. The guy had two original cases. Very similar to a modern center-fire case, except it just had a small "touch hole" instead of a primer pocket. The fouling that kicked back into the action through the "touch hole" must have been a pain to clean, but other wise, it was a simple idea. You may have to ream or drill the flash hole a bit larger and breech seat a round ball ahead of a case full of powder/filler,
Have the cases, bored out the primer, now, what load to use? I have a few bullets from my 38 special that I can use, and one case is already loaded by being filled with FFF and the 110 fmj bullet on top. I'm thinking about trying it this weekend.
zimmerstutzen
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Stacer, it is most likely a heeled bullet. meaning it is a true 375 diameter bore. The 38 Spec bullets will be .019 too small. Some folks have had luck shooting round balls of bore diameter, and it just so happens that 36 cap and ball revs take 375 round balls.
Slug the bore before doing anything for loads. Get the true bore diameter.
Slug the bore before doing anything for loads. Get the true bore diameter.
PRD1
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None of the various-make original Ballard actions...
are steel. Some of them are plain cast iron, while the best and strongest of the Marlin Ballards are forged of Norway Iron, which is a high-grade wrought iron: it is NOT steel, but was case hardened and sufficiently strong for the original black powder pressures they were made for. The Ballard action, admirable as it is and well liked for building accurate rifles, is still a relatively weak action, not at all suited to the pressures of modern cartridges or smokeless loads which produce higher maximum pressures than the original BP loads - and that lack of great strength is due to the mechanical design of the action, as well as the materials of which it is made.
PRD1 - mhb - Mike
are steel. Some of them are plain cast iron, while the best and strongest of the Marlin Ballards are forged of Norway Iron, which is a high-grade wrought iron: it is NOT steel, but was case hardened and sufficiently strong for the original black powder pressures they were made for. The Ballard action, admirable as it is and well liked for building accurate rifles, is still a relatively weak action, not at all suited to the pressures of modern cartridges or smokeless loads which produce higher maximum pressures than the original BP loads - and that lack of great strength is due to the mechanical design of the action, as well as the materials of which it is made.
PRD1 - mhb - Mike
Hello, Stacer. Pay heed to what PRD1 posted..it could very well save your life! When you said you "bored out" primer..what flash-hole size do you have? The original C.F. flash hole of the .38 Spec. is way too large..you'll get lots of gas leakage. There only should be a small pin-hole thru for outside percussion cap flame to pass thru.
Good advice on slugging your bore..you don't have to use a heeled bullet if you care to breech-seat a bullet ahead of case..kind of slow, but most accurate method of shooting a lead-bullet breechloader.
Good advice on slugging your bore..you don't have to use a heeled bullet if you care to breech-seat a bullet ahead of case..kind of slow, but most accurate method of shooting a lead-bullet breechloader.
I beg to disagree. Have read more than once that Norway Iron was steel, but the yea/nay debate goes on. True, the very design of the Ballard receiver/action is inherently weak.
The Ballard that blew up was definitely a cast ion receiver, the hollow section beneath threaded area confirms it.
I have also read several times that anyone rebarreling one of the cast iron receivers for anything larger than .22rf is playing with fire. IIRC, the Ballard Rifle Co. that was in Cody, WY would not go over .22rf for a cast receiver rebarrel.
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