Ballard #2 Sporting rifle extracter ?

[Terry B]

Have yet to shoot my #2 Ballard rifle sinse i had lever fixed. My question is when i do stick a live round in the chamber, it goes in fine and the breech closes with ease, but when i open lever it takes a little effort, but shell extracter does back out the shell ok, acts like it sticks, is that natural? When shell is fired, will casing pop right out easier? Thanks!

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

Terry B;

Actually, firing it will only make it more difficult to extract the spent cartridge. When fired, the shell casing will expand making it harder to extract the shell. Look at your chamber to see if it is bright and shiny. Maybe you can take a brass brush and wrap it with some fine steel wool and scrub the chamber to see if anything comes out. Your chamber may be a little dirty causing the hard extraction.
Good luck.......I hope this helps.

[marlinman93]

It's not unusual for these old Ballard #2's to have rough chambers, due to the use of black powder in them. If your's is a little rough, Regnier's plan will help. If it's too far gone, you may have to decide to either live with it, or have the barrel and chamber relined.