j.m. marlin new haven conn ballards patent nov 5 1861

[david staubley]

hi, i am looking for info on a gun found in my friends farmhouse that he recently bought.it is a falling block action.on the reciever it has the words ... j.m. marlin new haven conn usa ballards patent nov 5 1861.the receiver is highly engraved,it has a schutzen stock of curly walnut with some kind of horn inlay. the forearm is of like walnut also with a horn inlay tip.it has a vernier adj. sight, and a round barrel with engraving around the entire muzzle crown.there was a loaded cartridge with the gun,bullet mics. at .368 dia.the number on the bottom of the receiver is 6024.unfortunately the receiver is cracked.we asked the former owner of the house if he knew anything about it. he told us when he was a boy in the mid fortys his grandfather used the gun to put down a large stud bull.he said his grandfather loaded a special cartridge to penetrate the thick skull of the old bull.when fired it killed the bull but also damaged the gun and his grandfathers arm.it was then wrapped in an old horse blanket and put in the attic where it was found after my friend bought the house. the man said the only reaon the gun wasn`t discarded at the time was that it was the grandfathers fathers gun and had sentimental value but was eventualy forgotten. judging from the damage the old fellow must have put a charge of the then new smokeless powder and not the black powder which was needed.obviously the guns worth has been compromised however the low number and fancy options lead me to believe it may have historical signifigance. any help on identifying this gun would be appreciated. thanking you...david staubley

[Parley Baer]

Obviously a Ballard rifle. If you could post some pictures maybe we can identify it.

[airedaleman]

David,
You might also wish to post this in the "Ballards" section here. It sounds like a high grade rifle was ruined. The value still may be fairly significant for the parts...

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

David;

The barrel sounds like a Rigby Finish barrel with the engraving at the muzzle. There should be some raised flats on the sides of the barrel and on top of the barrel. The J. M. Marlin marking indicates your Ballard was made prior to 1881. The Rigby finish barrels were used on several different models of the Ballard as was the horn inlays, so is the stock a straight grip stock or is it a pistol grip stock? Single trigger or double set triggers?
We know it is not a No. 7 A-1 Extra Grade as all of those were in .45-100 caliber. It could be either a 6 1/2 Rigby Off-Hand or a 6 1/2 Pistol Grip Off-Hand rifle.
Looking forward to yor reply.......