doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com CGCA show

In the spirit of a more active forum, I thought I'd start this post.
Just returned from the Colorado collector gun show, and as always it was a treat to see so much great stuff there! My legs are wiped out from 3 days of walking, but it was well worth it to me!
I picked up a couple more Ballard Schuetzen rifles at the show, and seems like I always find much more there than my gun fund can bear! But tickled to be able to bring a little home for my collection.
This year I found a Stevens-Pope barreled Ballard with 30" half octagon .32-40 barrel. Birdseye maple stocks, palm rest, grip adapter, JW Fecker Cleveland 6x scope, and Schoyen style Swiss buttplate.
The barrel was never cut for either dovetail, and the Stevens-Pope rollstamp was moved to the 45 degree flat, so it was always setup to be a scoped barrel.




The other Ballard is a Marlin Ballard #6 Schuetzen. Pretty stock in every feature except the palm rest plate, and a 32" heavy half octagon barrel marked GEO C SCHOYEN. It has a couple minor stock chips on the forearm I need to repair, but otherwise a very nice gun. It's equipped with the early Ballard German style heavy buttplate, with "pick" as the top prong. These buttplates are flat bottomed, so the perch belly stock is also flat bottom. The #6 Schuetzen is a pistol gripped forged frame like the Pope Ballard is, but the #6 is the heavier flat side receiver, and Marlin put straight gripp
ed stocks on these pistol gripped frames. A nice look I think.





[img]https://i.imgur.com/1X3P1zel.jpg?1[/img]





I apologize for my poor picture taking skills!

Beautiful rifles, Vall. Top of the line makers toward the end of the 19th century.
A Ballard is a pleasure to use and operate compared to some other rifles.
Matches were/are 200 yards offhand at a 1.5" bull. Some amazing scores were posted.
Bench rest records set in the early 1900's with similar rifles were not bested until the late 1950's
Chuck

They look like great rifles, Vall!

Both have interesting palm rest features with the shooter on the Stevens Pope wanting a bit less muzzle weight, thus the adapter to move the post back about an inch or so. The base on the Schoyen reminds me of some of the muzzle loading schuetzens with non-folding palm rests. I looked in the parts pile and did not find anything to fill the hole, but I'm sure you can make one.

Thanks Chuck! They are indeed representative of the period schuetzen rifles, which is my main interest in single shots. I love them all, but those built by custom barrel or gun makers are my favorites.

Thanks Terry!
The Pope Ballard came from our friend Craig. Had to drive to Colorado to buy a gun from a friend from a few miles away!
I will go to the hardware store and grab a 5/16" x 5"-6" bolt and cut the head off it. Then turn down the shank to 1/4" and make a knob to fit the shank. Just need to decide if I go round, door knob shaped, or Schoyen shaped like Neil Rice built. Probably go Schoyen shaped since it has the Schoyen barrel. Like this Rice on my Cody Ballard:

Very fine rifles, all. Thanks for posting
I sure like to look at them but no longer have any interest in picking them up :>)

I've always marveled at these sculptural buttstocks and how they could grow from the Ballard action shape~~~

I too wondered how or why Marlin determined some models got pistol grip frames and pistol grip stocks, while other models like this #6 got pistol grip frames with straight grip stocks?
They never did put pistol grip stocks on straight grip frames at Marlin, but a lot of custom makers did! This is a custom Ballard using a straight grip frame, but a pistol grip stock adapted to it:

Another nice one. The more butt slender styling works better with the transition. I really enjoy the dished cheekpiece and use it in as much of my work as possible. Do you know the maker?

Much lighter .22LR

No, I don't recognize it as a particular maker's styling?

Got the palm rest built for the Schoyen, and mounted my Belding & Mull telescope on it also. Plus some old sights I had in my sight box.