.46 long rimfire Ballard

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ndnchf
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.46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by ndnchf »

I'm a glutton for punishment.  I enjoy the challenge of getting long obsolete guns shooting again.  I just found a nice Ball & Williams Ballard sporting rifle in .46 long rimfire.  After a lot of internet searching, it seems .44 magnum or. 44 wcf brass is a good parent case.  I saw one post on the N-SSA site where are guy mentioned making his .46 rimfire cases by plugging the centerfire primer hole of a .44-40 and drilling an offset hole for a .22 blank primer.  I've made something like this for 32 rimfire, but nothing this big.

BTW, I did check with RMC, they don't make them. I have an email to Roberson too, but no reply yet. 

So I set out to see if I could make a reloadable .46 long rimfire. I made the first one yesterday using the technique described on the N-SSA site. Then made 4 more today. I modified a .45-70 bullet and cut a heel. Its a little heavy at 315gr. Original bullets were around 300-310gr. But I've located some lighter bullets that will work after cutting a heel.

Of course dropping in a centerfire breech block would be the simple way to go, but they don't grow on trees.
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cw50-70
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by cw50-70 »

That's a nifty project. I hope they all fit well in the chamber when your rifles arrives. It will be a barrel of fun to shoot.
Yellowhouse
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by Yellowhouse »

Where theres a will..........................
Sam
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kenny sd
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by kenny sd »

This just proves what I've known all along.
WE ARE ALL JUST NUTZ
and I lead the pack..

go for it...Ken
ndnchf
Posts: 258
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:03 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by ndnchf »

Yes, we must be a little nutz to go the extent we do ;-) I do enjoy the challenge of bringing them back to life when most others just dismiss them as wall hangers.
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mdeland
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by mdeland »

I love your experimental mind and inventiveness to make rim fire cases but wouldn't it be simpler,safer and more practical to move the firing pin in the Ballard breach block to center fire and not have to index loaded rounds ?
ndnchf
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Location: Virginia

Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by ndnchf »

Perhaps it would. I'm still waiting for the rifle to arrive. So I don't yet know how involved a centerfire conversion would be. I have several rolling blocks converted to CF, but they are pretty straight forward. Ive never had a Ballard before, but this looks like it would be more challenging to convert. I am open to suggestions or "how to" advice.

This will not be shot in competition. It's just another historical piece for me to play with. So I don't mind the challenge, in fact I enjoy the challenge of making the ammunition. Yeah, I am a little nutz :-)
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mdeland
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by mdeland »

I'm no Ballard expert but I have worked on several. I've never seen one with the firing pin in the hammer and the exposed pin tunnel in the top of the breech block. I'm wondering if this is how they were made for early rim fire cartridges. I've only seen and worked on the convertibles (both rim and center fire pin) enclosed in the breech block.
mdeland
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by mdeland »

Oh I see what's wrong it's not a regular Ballard that I'm thinking of. I had forgotten the first part of the name and only remembered the Ballard.
ndnchf
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by ndnchf »

Ok, I should have explained it up front. This is a Ball & Williams Ballard sporting rifle of the 1862-1865 period. I found this photo of a similar one on the net.
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mdeland
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by mdeland »

Thanks for the very interesting thread and pictures, love to learn new things, especially gun stuff!
I wouldn't recommend converting a good original in perfect working order even if it were possible. Neat little gun you have there!
ndnchf
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by ndnchf »

mdeland wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:52 am Thanks for the very interesting thread and pictures, love to learn new things, especially gun stuff!
I wouldn't recommend converting a good original in perfect working order even if it were possible. Neat little gun you have there!
I agree. Unless I came across a spare breech block and hammer to play with, but that seems quite unlikely. I wish Roberson made .46 rimfire cases. He makes quite a few obsolete rimfires, but not this one. So it seems I'm on my own.
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John Bly
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by John Bly »

Those early Ballards came in both 44 and 46 rimfire. The one you have pictured most likely would be a 44 rimfire. The 44 Special and magnum cases cut to length can be used in those. They use 45 Colt cases in the 46 rimfire. I agree if it is in nice shape to not convert it to centerfire. In the N-SSA they shoot them rapid fire so taking time to orient cases is not feasible. They convert them to centefire for shooting there.
"Perfection consists not so much in doing extraordinary things as in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well"
ndnchf
Posts: 258
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2003 4:03 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by ndnchf »

John Bly wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 6:28 am Those early Ballards came in both 44 and 46 rimfire. The one you have pictured most likely would be a 44 rimfire. The 44 Special and magnum cases cut to length can be used in those. They use 45 Colt cases in the 46 rimfire. I agree if it is in nice shape to not convert it to centerfire. In the N-SSA they shoot them rapid fire so taking time to orient cases is not feasible. They convert them to centefire for shooting there.
I don't think this is a .44. According to the seller (and he seems pretty knowledgeable), this is a .46 and was confirmed by the .456" groove diameter and test fitting an original .46 rimfire cartridge. I don't think it would have fit if it was a .44. There are several posts on the N-SSA site about shooting .46 rimfire Ballards. They use both .44-40 brass blown out, and .44 mag brass. The .44 and .46 are very similar cartridges. The .46 long is slightly longer than the .44 long and uses a slightly larger bullet. But once it arrives, I'll measure it myself to be sure.
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John Bly
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Re: .46 long rimfire Ballard

Post by John Bly »

I've never had a 46 rimfire, only the 44 ones. I see you've been to the N-SSA site and read the info on the 46 rimfire. A lot of info there from knowledgeable people. I wish you well shooting your rifle when you get it.
"Perfection consists not so much in doing extraordinary things as in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well"
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