My third attempt to post pictures

[dbutt]

Semper Fi. Max size of pic is 640X640...I think.










This says ".32W"





DButt
USMC

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

DButt;

Have you ever removed the forearm to see if the barrel serial number matches the receiver serial number? Your Ballard appears to be a Number 3F - Fine Gallery rifle. The only problem is, the Number 3 Ballards were made in .22 caliber only. The Number 3 Ballards, according to John Dutcher's fine Ballard book says that the Number 3 Ballards were the only model to have the top of the receiver cut in the concave shape like your rifle has for a lower sighting picture.
The .32-20 caliber was available in the Number 2 Sporting rifle only, and in later years. So, we have a bit of a problem with your gun in the style of a Number 3F - Fine Gallery rifle, but in a Number 2 Sporting rifle caliber. Most of the parts of a Ballard are serial numbered, so disassembly may be necessary to see if all the parts match. The breech block would have had to be changed out too, from a rim-fire to center-fire breech block.
Your gun may have been refinished at some time as most Ballards were case-colored. Although Marlin did offer blued guns, Dutcher states he had never seen one blued from the factory.
Looking forward to your reply.

[dbutt]

The serial numbers on the barrel and receiver group are the same (see below). As noted earlier, the top of the barrel is marked "32-W." I've had the gun completely disassembled. All serial numbers I've found on the rifle are the same: Butt stock, fore arm, butt plate, barrel, receiver...I can't remember any more.





When I acquired the rifle (40 years ago or so) it was in very poor condition. Someone had attempted to improve that but did not have the skills nor the patience to do so and, accordingly had pretty much rendered it junk. I have restored every part. Accordingly, none of the external finish, except for the sights, is original. By the way, what kind of sights are these? They are wonderful. Many of the metal parts were badly rusted - some had been filed/sanded, the wood had been sanded and both were left (for many years) without finish.

The reason I asked for help with identifying the model number is that I keep having the same problems you have noted. It appears to be a "Number 3F - Fine Gallery rifle" which as you note "should be" a .22. Being a .32, it "should be" a " Number 2 Sporting rifle" but then it has the concave shape on the top of the receiver, and, from what I can tell, this rifle is radically different in other ways from a Number 2.

As mentioned before, the butt stock is rock hard tiger maple and the forearm is walnut. Again, both of these pieces have matching serial numbers stamped in them. Here's the butt stock as it is turning out. It's not quite finished.



Semper Fi and thanks for you interest.

DButt
USMC

[dbutt]

By the way, the barrel is slightly longer than 24-1/2".

dbutt
usmc

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

DButt;

Very interesting Ballard to say the least. First the sights: The tang sight is a Mid-Range Vernier sight that would be correct for a Ballard rifle. The front sight is a Ballard Wind Gauge sight, and is also correct for a Ballard. By the way, the "clip" that holds the sight apperature is usally installed from the rear, not the front.
Now, your Ballard has a rather high serial number, so it may be possible that in an attempt to use up parts for a gun that Marlin had intentions of discontinuing (the entire Ballard line), they used a Number 3F - Fine Gallery receiver to assemble this Number 2 Sporting Rifle in a caliber that was not introduced until later in the Number 2 production. There are some pistol grip Number 2 Sporting Rifles out there, so that is not all that unusual to see a Number 2 Sporting Rifle with a pistol grip stock. The unusual thing is the schutezen butt plate on the Number 2 Sporting rifle. So, a Number 3F - Fine Gallery stock, along with it's butt plate style was used on the Number 3 receiver, too.
Dutcher states that the highest serial number observed by him for a Ballard was in the 39,000 range, and your gun is about 6,000 from that number. Some of the Number 3F guns were later guns, so it would not be ususual to find a receiver in the serial number range of your gun.
Mind you, this is all speculation as no records for the Ballard rifle exists. Since your guns parts are all serial numbered together, it must have left the factory as you have it. The breech block is a center-fire breech block, and if it is numbered to the gun as you say, then this gun was made as a center-fire rifle on a rim-fire style receiver.