Finally arrived 7 hours late, and couldn't setup as the show closed. Set up Fri. before opening, and did a quick run around. Picked up a couple gorgeous Ballards, and a couple Rolling Block Sporting rifles too. But the highlight for me was Saturday midday when I came across a cased Pope Ballard rifle and shooting kit! I've wanted a Pope barreled Ballard for several decades, but they're always too spendy. Finding a 3 barrel cased set seemed out of my pay grade, but was shocked to see a price cheaper than a well worn Ballard rifle! I grabbed it quickly, and very excited to get it!
The case has the name LG Pridy on a brass tag, and the 3 barrels are .32-40, .28-30 (based on a necked up .25-35) and .22WCF. It came with the Pope bullet starter, lube pump, re-decapper, and a Winchester B5 scope. Each barrel has it's own globe sight, and the .28-30 is windage adjustable. It also has a Ballard midrange sight on the receiver. Stocks are a typical schuetzen and a benchrest shotgun type buttplate. All three barrels have their own forearm wood also.
LG Pridy was a member of Denver City Gun Club in 1919 that won the top team honors for the USA in 1919. He was also the top shooter on the team that year. He was a barber in Denver, Co., and puzzling a barber could afford to own such a set as this? The takedown system is the finest fitted and engineered system I've ever seen! The barrels each have an adapter, as does the receiver. And each barrel is indexed to the receiver bushing to ensure they return to zero when changed.
This gun set is listed in Warren Greatbatch's book on the Hartford Pope rifles, and was last seen in 1974. No telling where it's been since then!
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