Marlin Ballard Custom 40-65 Rifle, 1876-91 Antique

SOLD FOR: $2,885.00
LSB#: 190523DL25
Make: Marlin
Model: Custom Ballard Target Long Range Target Rifle Based on a either the No. 5 Pacific Rifle or the No. 5 ½ Montana Rifle.
Serial Number: The serial number on the front underside of the receiver has come off due to wear/refinish. The only number recognizable is a “6”.
Year of Manufacture: The Pacific Rifle was made between 1876 and 1891 according to Flayderman’s.
Caliber: .40-65 Winchester Center Fire
Action Type: Single Shot Lever Operated Falling Block
Markings: The front underside of the receiver is marked “????6”.
Barrel Length: The heavy octagon barrel is 30 ¼” in length and 1.040” flat-flat at the muzzle. The barrel has a 11 degree target crown.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is globe dovetailed into the barrel. The sight has interchangeable sight inserts, with a post sight presently installed, and a built-in bubble level. The rear sight is a long-range Soule sight mounted on the upper tang. The sight has a vernier adjustment for the elevation and windage. The left side of the ladder has hash marks every .05, from 0 to 3.25. The sight has a screw-in eyepiece that is about 1.0” in outside diameter.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are smooth fancy walnut with fiddleback patterns running through both the forend and buttstock. The wood is beautiful, so please see our photos. The buttstock has a straight grip, cheekpiece and a flat shotgun style checkered steel buttplate. The forend is screwed to the barrel and has a Schnabel tip. The buttstock to receiver fit is excellent but the forend is slightly proud of the metal at the receiver (due to the large size of the barrel, the forend would have to be slightly larger than the width of the receiver to provide strength.). There are a few tiny dings and shallow drag lines in the right side of the buttstock and a few tiny handling marks in the forend. The LOP measures 13 ¾  from the front of the forward trigger and 12 7/8” from the front of the rear trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate shows thinning and light wear in the checkering. The buttplate is in about Fine condition. The stocks are in about Fine to Excellent condition.
Type of Finish: The barrel is blued and the receiver and lever are case colored.
Finish Originality: Refinished
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 85% of its metal finish. The case coloring on the receiver and lever is muted and there is pitting at the front of the lever pivot and spots of isolated pitting sprinkled over the lever and the sides of the receiver. There are light handling marks in the barrel, with thinning on its edges, light scratches with a few light drag lines in the receiver and a few tiny marks in the lever. The screw heads show light marks from a screwdriver. The markings are unreadable. Overall, this rifle rates in about Fine condition as refinished and customized.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. With the rear trigger set, the front breaks crisply at 7 ozs. The hammer does not have a safety position. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: The Soule and globe sights are included.
Our Assessment: Introduced in 1887 for the Winchester Model 1886, and available in Winchester single shots and in the Marlin Model 1895, the .40-65 W.C.F. cartridge was “a further effort to put more steam” in repeating rifle cartridges. In the modern era, the cartridge has gained favor for metallic silhouette shooting and Black Powder Cartridge Rifle matches where is serves as a low-recoil alternative to the common 45-70. Another reason for its popularity today may be its bottleneck design which helps seal the chamber against gases compared to the straight-walled .45-70. This is a custom target rifle built on a Marlin Ballard receiver used for either the No. 5 Pacific rifle or the No. 5 ½ Montana rifle, the only two models that featured double set triggers and a ring lever. The rifle features a heavy 30 ¼” octagon barrel, a globe front sight with bubble level, a long-range Soule aperture sight, double set triggers and a beautiful fancy walnut stock with fiddleback patterns throughout. The original case coloring in the receiver is only slightly muted, so please see our photos to get a better idea of how beautiful this rifle looks. The rifle is in about Fine condition with a bright bore and sharp rifling. This rifle is perfect for blackpowder silhouette matches and for long range side-matches at your local SASS club. It can also be used for hunting deer and other medium sized game.
CA Legal or CA Private Party Transferable: This Antique rifle CAN be transferred in CA. All cartridge firing firearms (even C&R’s and antiques) sold to a California resident must be DROS’d. This section does not apply to out of state residents.