Less than 50 of the early Brown Manufacturing Co. Ballard rifles manufactured c. 1869 are estimated to have been made with the manually operated extractor with knurled grip pads on the sides of the frame at the breech. These are very hard to find and are a rare sub-variant of the already limited Brown Ballard rifles which only totaled around 1,700 rifles in 1869-1873. The rifle also features the dual ignition system (rimfire and percussion), a blade front sight with steel dovetailed base, notch and folding leaf rear sight, matching serial numbers on the top of the octagonal receiver and barrel, the three-line Brown and Ballard patent markings on the left side of the frame, and smooth stock and forearm. Provenance: The Milan J. Turk Collection

Very good with mostly mottle gray and brown patina on the barrel, 40% plus original case colors, brighter case colors in the protected areas, smooth smoky gray patina on the balance, and minor age and storage related wear overall. The refinished buttstock is very good and has minor edge wear and several scratches and dings, and most of the glossy finish remains on the forearm. Mechanically fine.