Ramping up for a new caliber

[marlinman93]

Hi Marlinman!! I didn't realize you were on here too. I didn't think you would be shooting the Pope set, but I am glad to see you plan to. Im still looking for my first Ballard. No luck yet.

Hi pull the trigger! Yes, nothing is sacred, or beyond shooting for me! Especially something like a single shot Pope barreled rifle! How often do we get to shoot something like a Schoyen, Pope, etc., and see what all the hoopla was about? I'm excited about shooting it, but unsure when it might happen, as way too much going on around here! But I like staying busy!

[OlDeuce]

Hi Marlinman!! I didn't realize you were on here too. I didn't think you would be shooting the Pope set, but I am glad to see you plan to. Im still looking for my first Ballard. No luck yet.

There is a couple Ballards for sale in Bozeman!!! Ol Deuce

[pull the trigger]

There is a couple Ballards for sale in Bozeman!!! Ol Deuce

Do tell. My dad lives in Montana.

[marlinman93]

Do tell. My dad lives in Montana.

Sounds like it's time for a family visit!

[nekshot]

All I can say is WOW! Thanks for sharing those pics and your thoughts with them. I really admire someone who can buy these historic guns and keep them alive! Maybe someday I might get in the right place at the right time and end up with a 14 1\2 action.

[marlinman93]

All I can say is WOW! Thanks for sharing those pics and your thoughts with them. I really admire someone who can buy these historic guns and keep them alive! Maybe someday I might get in the right place at the right time and end up with a 14 1\2 action.

Thanks nekshot! Did you possibly mean a 44 1/2 action?

[marlinman93]

In the last week I received all the brass from the seller, who obtained it from the previous owner's estate! Walt was an engineer by trade, so he kept immaculate loading and ballistic records for all his guns!
Along with the brass and ammo, I received 2 binders of all sorts of load data, paperwork, and tons of receipts, inventory records, ballistic charts, for a period from the 1960's to 2016 when Walt passed. The two binders weighed 20 lbs. alone, and are an amazing testimonial to Walt. They also speak volumes about how he approached shooting with an engineer's mindset!
Top of his inventory list was the Pope 3 barrel set, but numerous other very interesting guns too! Like a 1866 Henry in .44 Rimfire. A couple drillings, some double rifles, and a Westley Richards SxS! A few old Colt SAA, and a Great Western SAA clone!
Some of the math he shows on ballistic documents he wrote up is way over my head. Papers also show number of clicks needed for various distances and loads he calculated. Very neat stuff, and it will take me weeks to browse through it all!