How do they compare to other BPMC rifles of the era?
Well, to start with they are uglier...
The rifle is the invention of Henry O. Peabody and dates back to the 1860s. It is basically a side lock Martini action. More accurately, the Martini is a box locked Peabody. Martini patented a striker fired modification to the Peabody action and somehow his name stuck.
Actually, I believe most of the Peabody rifles were centerfire. They were adopted by the State of Conneticut, and Canada bought a lot of them as well. If I recall correctly the Turkey adopted the rifle for their army and was a highly regarded battle weapon.
As for value, that is tough. Yours being a rimfire it is undoubtedly an early post Civil War gun and, depending on its condition and configuration may have collector's value. If not a particularly special piece I would guess, from what I have seen in the past, that it would sell for about $1000, plus or minus $200. Probably on the lower side being a rimfire. You will find them for sale on some of the web sites and you should be able to find something comparable.
I have never examined a rimfire Peabody block, but I expect it could be converted to centerfire. However, if you want a shooter you would probably be better served to start with a centerfire action. It would be cheaper in the long run.
Glenn
