Ballard No. 4 Perfection

About the Ballard No. 4 Perfection

The Ballard No. 4 Perfection is a single-shot, breech-loading falling-block rifle built on Charles Henry Ballard's 1861 patent and produced by Marlin Firearms of New Haven, Connecticut from about 1876 to 1891. A hunting and general-purpose model in the Marlin-Ballard line, the No. 4 used a lever-operated falling-block action with a centre-hung hammer for fast lock time, a straight-grip frame, and single- or double-set triggers operated by an S lever or ring lever. It carried an octagon barrel of 28, 30 or 32 inches and was chambered for a wide span of black-powder cartridges from .32-40 up through .50-90, with the .38-55 becoming one of the standard offerings by the early 1880s. The rifle wore a blade front sight, a Rocky Mountain rear sight, and a plain walnut stock available with a rifle or shotgun butt.

Marketed as the 'Perfection' of the Marlin-Ballard family, the No. 4 aimed to be the all-round single-shot for the hunter and shooter who wanted falling-block accuracy without the heft of the buffalo-class No. 5 Pacific.

Ballard No. 4 Perfection specifications

Chamberings ranged from .32-40 to .50-90; in 1883 Marlin trimmed the standard offerings to .32-40, .38-55 and .40-65. Barrel weight, butt style and trigger arrangement varied from gun to gun, so individual examples differ considerably.