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Got lucky after over 30 years of hunting and hoping, and was able to buy a Marlin Ballard #6 1/2 Rigby Model Offhand Rifle last weekend! A very rare 1st model that JM Marlin only offered from 1878-1880, and the 1st model used Marlin's pistol grip receiver, but with German style straight grip stocks.
All these various Rigby Models were very expensive when new, and all were factory engraved versions. This one is chambered in the .40-65 Ballard Everlasting cartridge, which is as rare as the guns, having only been used for a couple years before it too was replaced by the later .40-63 Ballard Everlasting cartridge! Bore on this rifle looks like new, probably because the cartridges were unobtainable as they went obsolete early on.
The engraving is by LD Nimschke, and has a buck and doe on the left side, and running buffalo on the right side. The buttplate is the German style, and is unusual in it's silver plated, not nickel like others I've seen. It was nearly black with tarnish when I bought it. The scope is a 32" Stevens Ideal 6x long eye relief scope, with dovetail mounts for this rifle. The buttstock has an inlay of a crescent moon made of abalone shell. Likely a lucky piece the owner thought might help his shooting? I was able to polish out the silver tarnish, and bring it back to near new condition. We'll see how long until it tarnishes again?
All these various Rigby Models were very expensive when new, and all were factory engraved versions. This one is chambered in the .40-65 Ballard Everlasting cartridge, which is as rare as the guns, having only been used for a couple years before it too was replaced by the later .40-63 Ballard Everlasting cartridge! Bore on this rifle looks like new, probably because the cartridges were unobtainable as they went obsolete early on.
The engraving is by LD Nimschke, and has a buck and doe on the left side, and running buffalo on the right side. The buttplate is the German style, and is unusual in it's silver plated, not nickel like others I've seen. It was nearly black with tarnish when I bought it. The scope is a 32" Stevens Ideal 6x long eye relief scope, with dovetail mounts for this rifle. The buttstock has an inlay of a crescent moon made of abalone shell. Likely a lucky piece the owner thought might help his shooting? I was able to polish out the silver tarnish, and bring it back to near new condition. We'll see how long until it tarnishes again?