Thanks for the re-visit and follow-up! Neat gun, although I prefer the .22 WRM for such projects, partly because I have a bunch of handguns that also use that round.
I realize that the manual ejector on these early Ballards could be seen as kinda "clunky". But it's a marvel of simplicity, and in an era of brittle copper rimfire cases, may have saved a few bucks (both the venison and the gunsmith fee kind) and maybe a few guys too, since these guns were made in a time of real frontier and "border state" violence.
The only negative thing here, as you mention, is that it makes me sad to read Joe's usual kind, literate, and helpful comments. But it's nice to remember him as well.
