Denver gun show

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marlinman93
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Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

Was at the CGCA show in Denver on the 18-19th of May. Great show as always, and much too much good stuff to purchase! Had to be selective and make funds go as far as possible with so many nice old guns available! In the end I picked up two more Marlin Ballard rifles for my collection.
The first is a full blown custom schuetzen rifle with a Pope barrel in .32-40 caliber. Half octagon, 30", and a gorgeous bore. Stocks are birdseye maple, with a palm rest, and brass buttplate similar to Schoyen style. It was built on a Union Hill Ballard made in the mid 1880's. The telescope is a early JW Fecker built when he was in Cleveland. Probably late 1920's. The barrel was never cut for iron sight dovetails, and rollstamp is on the 45 degree flat, so always a scoped rifle. There's a small brass piece added to the lever for offhand shooting when the shooter would have his three fingers under the lever instead of inside the loop.

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The 2nd one I bought later in the show. It's a factory Marlin Ballard #6 Schuetzen with a barrel by Geo. C. Schoyen of Denver Co. Done some time prior to Schoyen's death in 1916. It too is a .32-40, but a half octagon 32" heavy barrel, with a great bore also! Other than the palm rest, and barrel it's a standard #6 Marlin model. It had no sights or scope, so I added both midrange Vernier, globe front, and the Belding & Mull telescope after I got back home. It had a few chips missing from forearm, and missing the palm rest. So I made repairs to the forearm, and built a new palm rest in the correct Schoyen style. Has the very early German style stocks, with heavy buttplate and flat bottom. This is an early Ballard from around 1876 or so.

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GunnyMack
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by GunnyMack »

Boy there is nothing like fancy wood!
Great finds on your part- congrats!!
Last time I was at a Denver gun show was back in 92 or 93. I traded off a Browning Medalist .22 pistol( couldn't keep any of the screws tight short of welding!) Anyhow, I picked up a new Rem 700 in 17 Remington, a box of ammo , set of dies and a scope with a few bucks left over.
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Old No7
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by Old No7 »

Lordy, Lordy, oh my my........

Was going to say the wood gave me a woody, but why denigrate this site and those beautiful Ballards?! :wink:

Wow, nicely done.

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marlinman93
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

GunnyMack wrote: Wed May 30, 2018 4:47 pm Boy there is nothing like fancy wood!
Great finds on your part- congrats!!
Last time I was at a Denver gun show was back in 92 or 93. I traded off a Browning Medalist .22 pistol( couldn't keep any of the screws tight short of welding!) Anyhow, I picked up a new Rem 700 in 17 Remington, a box of ammo , set of dies and a scope with a few bucks left over.
I try to make the drive to Denver every year for the CGCA show! It's my one chance to pick up some really nice guns for my collection! The other show I make is local and only a 10 minute drive to make it! The OAC show here in Portland, Or. will be August 11-12 and hope to see more good stuff here at home!
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M. M. Wright
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by M. M. Wright »

Two words marlinman, stunning and awesome.
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Vall, you must have one of the best Ballard collections in the United States outside a museum. Outstanding examples!
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marlinman93
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

Thanks Bill and MM Wright!

Well my collection is still growing Bill, but probably small compared to some. It's also pretty narrow perspective with my interest being Ballard rifles, and especially target models!
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yooper2
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by yooper2 »

Your posts are always guaranteed to be interesting, what beautiful old guns you turn up!


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marlinman93
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

Thanks Yooper!

I got that big ugly globe sight off the front yesterday. I had a Ballard windage globe that would be factory for a #6 Schuetzen model, but it was missing the clip and insert. Dug through my sight box and found an MVA sight card and two clips. One spirit level and one plain. I tried the MVA insert in the Ballard globe and it almost fit, but was slightly high. I put it to my mini belt sander and removed a slight amount of the insert base and it slid right in. The clip is a perfect fit for the Ballard sight too! So it looks very appropriate on the barrel, and gives me windage adjustment too! Should be good for over 500 yds. with the midrange tang sight.
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marlinman93
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

Got a Schoyen style palm rest built for the forearm bezel. Need to knock off the shine once it is well dried in a couple weeks.

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And the original windage globe with MVA spirit level clip:

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FWiedner
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by FWiedner »

When's the last time you killed a hog with one of those beauties?

:)
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marlinman93
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

FWiedner wrote: Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:55 pm When's the last time you killed a hog with one of those beauties?

:)
I've never hunted hogs. We don't even have hogs in Oregon. Hunted and taken deer with them though. And hunted elk with larger caliber Ballard rifles. These aren't safe queens. They get shot regularly, and some get used for hunting. Haven't hunted with anything but old single shots for over a decade now.
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FWiedner
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by FWiedner »

marlinman93 wrote: Sat Jun 09, 2018 10:11 am
FWiedner wrote: Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:55 pm When's the last time you killed a hog with one of those beauties?

:)
I've never hunted hogs. We don't even have hogs in Oregon. Hunted and taken deer with them though. And hunted elk with larger caliber Ballard rifles. These aren't safe queens. They get shot regularly, and some get used for hunting. Haven't hunted with anything but old single shots for over a decade now.
They look capable. I'd sure like to see one in the field.

:)
Government office attracts the power-mad, yet it's people who just want to be left alone to live life on their own terms who are considered dangerous.

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marlinman93
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

FWiedner wrote: Sat Jun 09, 2018 1:42 pm
marlinman93 wrote: Sat Jun 09, 2018 10:11 am
FWiedner wrote: Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:55 pm When's the last time you killed a hog with one of those beauties?

:)
I've never hunted hogs. We don't even have hogs in Oregon. Hunted and taken deer with them though. And hunted elk with larger caliber Ballard rifles. These aren't safe queens. They get shot regularly, and some get used for hunting. Haven't hunted with anything but old single shots for over a decade now.
They look capable. I'd sure like to see one in the field.

:)
My hunting partners thought I was crazy when I brought my Union Hill Ballard to deer camp.
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by AJMD429 »

Beautiful firearms...!

And good they are getting used, even though they are 'museum-quality', it's always a shame to see a well-designed and made machine not get used as intended. Those look perfect for match shooting, but any hunting a single-shot rifle is good for, they would be great for.
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by jdad »

Vall,
I think we do have hogs here in Oregon. :wink:


Feral Swine Hunting in Oregon
Feral swine are listed as one of the 100 most dangerous invasive species in Oregon. According to Rick Boatner, ODFW's invasive species wildlife integrity coordinator, Oregon is at a crossroads relative to this animal classed as invasive predator.

"There are two main populations of feral swine that we know of. One along the California border and another in central Oregon, a little south of Madras, north up to Maupin and east to Condon and back down roughly to the Prineville area."
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marlinman93
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

jdad wrote: Sun Jun 10, 2018 8:43 am Vall,
I think we do have hogs here in Oregon. :wink:


Feral Swine Hunting in Oregon
Feral swine are listed as one of the 100 most dangerous invasive species in Oregon. According to Rick Boatner, ODFW's invasive species wildlife integrity coordinator, Oregon is at a crossroads relative to this animal classed as invasive predator.

"There are two main populations of feral swine that we know of. One along the California border and another in central Oregon, a little south of Madras, north up to Maupin and east to Condon and back down roughly to the Prineville area."
When I spoke with ODFW they told me there are no feral swine in Oregon that they know of. That was two years ago after I saw internet images of reported pigs taken in Madras area and SW Oregon. But ODFW said they had not had any reports of hogs here. Interesting that they now acknowledge there are pigs in both places?
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marlinman93
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Re: Denver gun show

Post by marlinman93 »

AJMD429 wrote: Sat Jun 09, 2018 10:46 pm Beautiful firearms...!

And good they are getting used, even though they are 'museum-quality', it's always a shame to see a well-designed and made machine not get used as intended. Those look perfect for match shooting, but any hunting a single-shot rifle is good for, they would be great for.
The only real difference in shooting a schuetzen rifle is how the buttplate is shouldered. If shouldered traditionally with hook on the upper arm, they work well, and actually much better for offhand shots than a traditional crescent or shotgun style buttplate.
Pre WWI Marlins and Singleshot rifles!
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