Ballard carbine action question

[kotkinjs1]

Hello all; I've got a question about a Ballard carbine action. It's an original carbine which had a broken lever so I picked up a repro replacement from S&S. I've been unable to source an original one for years now. I fitted and filed away and got it installed but the lever flops/drops down when I imagine it should be maintaining it's position closed / when pulled back. I havent yet drilled the hole in the rear loop for the stud to pass through (or filed off the casting sprues) but I doubt that's all that keeps the lever closed? There should be some tension keeping it closed like on a Maynard carbine? The problem is I don't know what provides that tension on the linking bar, the lever body, or a missing spring (I doubt it). I haven't really found any good diagrams of a disassembled Ballard beyond the original patent drawings which are no help here.

Does anyone have a Ballard they can disassemble for me so I can see if my "linking bar" for lack of a better word is shaped correctly or if it's broken or there's otherwise a piece missing? Maybe the 'ears' that the linking bar secures in when the pin is passed through are too lose or they should be angled at some point so there's the missing tension at the correct position? I'm at a loss here and I'd really like to get this working properly. Any help would be much appreciated!

9655965896569657

[Bruce Cobb 1723V]

First, Did you drill out the pivot hole in the front or was it already done? as cast? etc.......... whats the screws bearing surface size vs the holes size? let us know.
Yes, there is suppose to be some clamping done by the lever travel, but nothing like how it happens with a Maynard.

[Carolina Reb]

The part that's missing isn't a spring, it's a little ball end stud in the trigger plate. From the look of your photos, the hole at the back of the lever for the catch was filled in the casting process, so you'll have to drill it, and find or make the stud. I believe that the corresponding Maynard part will screw into the Ballard trigger plate. The hole location in the lever is critical

[Rob FreemanWBR]

Kota,

I had the EXACT same issue with my Ballard Carbine. Original lever was broken and need replacing, AND the original lever ?sagged? when the beech was closed.

To get this fixed correctly, you are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to contact:


Richard Schoenberger
1-513-574-7342 (tel:1-513-574-7342)
6080 West Fork Road
Cincinnatti, Ohio 45247-5700

You have to call him, he doesn?t email or text.

Not only is he a true gentleman, and an absolutely honest person, but he?s THE preeminent gun smith for Ballards.

He WILL fix all that?s needed in one iteration, and his workmanship if FIRST RATE. Late last year he repaired my Ballard Carbine in a little over two weeks.

So - give him a call - he makes getting Ballard?s up and running, fast and easy!

[Lou Lou Lou]

Second on Robs assessment of Richard

[John Bly]

Your link is upside down and backwards. The little projection on the front is to bring the hammer to half-cock. Install it properly and it may work but I doubt it. If your lever came from the Rifle Shoppe it is cast from an original used as a pattern with no allowance for shrinkage. Therefore it is too small. The distance between the lever screw and the screw in the breech block is critical for a proper lockup. It appears the link screw hole in the lever is oversize possibly causing looseness. You may need a longer link to get the breech block to rise far enough to lock up. Distant Thunder used to make links in different lengths but he retired and the links are no longer available. You may have to make one or several to get one to work. Good luck with it.

[ms3635v]

S&S sells the stud with the ball on the end for the Maynard carbine. It looks very similar to the stud on my Ballard. It may be worth looking into.

[ChrisWBR]

You may also want to get in touch with Al Bumford, he is now making Ballard receivers and might be able to provide you with what you need or information.