Dai; Merry Christmas.
Did you ever "do" anything with your Ballard. As I recall, it has an interesting provenance. If you let it be I think you made the right choice.
Rattlesnake Jack tells me that IMI, a militaria replica supplier, has 1882 mounted infantry bandoliers for a great price.
Strange you ask that question. I have been following up on the history of that rifle over the past couple of weeks.
Unfortunately "rel life" has interfered with a lot of my shooting interests lately and the Ballard has taken a long time to get done.
I was just talking to an engineer last week. I have made a chamber cast and slugged the bore. From these he is going to make me some brass and a mould to throw a 370 gn bullet.
Another friend of mine is an autocad draughtsman and he has promised me he will make an electronic drawing of the action good enough to make a copy on a cnc machine.Hopefully I will be able to get this done. My step daughters partner has a milling maching in his worksop and he has offered to make the internal parts for me. Another friend has expressed an interest in running me off a copy of the action in his firms industrial cnc milling machine once I have the autocad drawing. Sharron ( her indoors) has ordered me the book by Frank De Haas regarding single shot rifles and in particuler the issue that deals with the Ballard. From this I hope to make a centrefire action for the copy.
Pondering which calibre to go for and I ha ve decided that I would like to make a rifle for shorter distances so I am going to go for a Ballard .38 Everlasting. Actually this old case is almost identical to the modern .357 Maximum. I'll just get a .38 heel loaded mould made and load with Black Powder.
Finally finished rebuilding my rolling block (almost). Need to have the upper tang drilled and the rear sight mounted. All the reloading gear for the 45-70 should arrive this month. A Lyman mould 535 gn Postell mould, lubrisizor dies and top punches, set of Lee reloading dies. Xmas present from the kids.
As to the history of the Ballard I have been trying to sort out all the information in documentary form. I have a lettter from the person I bought it from, stating that in approximately 1900 his father bought the carbine and some ammunition from Richard Roderick. This letter also states that Mr Roderick was a US citizen who had lived in the Paparoa\Dargaville area of NZ for a long time and was in the business of bootmaking. It also mentions that when his father bought the rifle that it was wrapped ( according to Bob's father) in Mr Rodericks' military uniform and that it was a Union uniform. So I have a record of the last 108 years set as a family history.
Working from there I have been delving into records and reports from civil war sites. I know the rifle was issued to the 12th Ohio Regiment. I have found two Richard Rodericks. One of whom would be too old as Bob here in NZ remembers talking to the man (Bob is 80 years old). I have concentrated on the younger Richard roderick who was 21 years old in 1864. There is a grave for him in the church in his hometown but I have been informed that this was a common practice for persons that had gone missing after the war or had died overseas.
It is so easy to find all this information but very hard to make it all tie up logically. I know that I will never be able to do so 100% but woulkd be very happy to have an 80% provenance.
I rave on so I will sgtop now
Chris
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