BALLARD RIFLE & CARTRIDGE COMPANY, Inc.
113 WEST YELLOWSTONE AVENUE
CODY, WYOMING 82414
(307) 587-4914

OWNERS INFORMATION - 1885 MODELS:
*Caution*
Obey all safety rules for proper handling of firearms

• Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction
• Be sure of your target and impact areas beyond
• Load your gun only when ready to shoot
• Use proper ammo of correct caliber
• Always use eye & ear protection
• Finger out of the trigger guard until the sights are on target

Operating your rifle:
Rifles with 1885 actions are operated much like any other single shot Falling Block Action. Movement of the under-lever in a downward direction causes the breech block to lower, rotates the extractor to the rear, and exposes the breech face and chamber. Raising the under-lever closes the action and the rifle will be in a cocked, ready to fire state (as per originals). In a hunting situation where you may choose to carry the rifle with a round in the chamber-After closing the action: Hold the hammer with your thumb while pulling the trigger, gently lower the hammer to its fully down position, them move it back, rearwards to the half cock position. This should not be relied on as a safety!

Shooting your rifle:
Follow all Safety Rules

1. Lower under-lever and open action. Check the bore for obstructions and push a dry patch through the bore if the rifle was cleaned and oiled previously.
2. Insert an appropriate cartridge in the chamber.
3. Close the action by raising the under-lever. The rifle will be cocked and ready to fire. Rifles with standard, single set, or close-coupled set triggers can be fired at this point by pulling the trigger. Both the single set and close-coupled set triggers are placed into the set mode by pushing forward on the rear surface of the trigger. Wide spaced or Schuetzen double set triggers are placed into set mode by pulling rearward on the rear trigger. The set function greatly reduces the trigger pull weight. Follow all safety rules!
4. With the rifle loaded, and your target and sights aligned, gently pull the trigger to fire.
5. To reload, go back to step one. Once the action is opened the fired cartridge case will be partially removed from the chamber by the extractor. Remove the fired case and inset a loaded round.

Routine Cleaning:
Make certain the rifle is unloaded
Black powder fouling must be cleaned immediately. Push a patch with solvent through the bore from the breech, alternate wet patches with dry patches until clean. If jacketed bullets were used, a bronze brush may be required to remove copper fouling. Use solvent sparingly so that excess doesn’t get into the action. After the bore is clean, run a patch with oil down the bore. Wipe off the exterior metal surfaces with an oily rag.

Major Cleaning:
If you shoot competitively or otherwise a large amount, you should give your gun a more thorough cleaning on occasion. This will require a minor amount of disassembly.

• Remove the Forend
• Remove the mainspring located on the bottom of the barrel near the receiver
• Loosen the small screw on the bottom of the action that retains the lever pivot pin
• Open the action, this rotates the extractor out of its cut in the barrel and takes tension off the lever pivot pin.
• Push the lever pivot pin out.
• The lever, breech block and hammer may be pulled out the bottom as a single unit – do this slowly. The pins, which holds the lever to the link and the link to the breech block, can sometimes fall free. The extractor will come out independent of the other parts. Further disassembly is not needed.
• Clean the breech block mortise in the receiver, and the parts your removed. Before reassembling lightly oil the hammer pivot, and put a thin coat of gun grease on the sides of the breech block.

To Reassemble --- Start the breech block, hammer and lever assembly into the mortise from the bottom. Some find this easier if the rifle is upside down. The extractor must be placed into position after the other assembly is started into the mortise, but before the breech block is too far in to allow clearance for the top end of the extractor to clear the top of the breech block. This process often requires a bit of parts “jiggling” to get the extractor in place and the breech block assembly all the way up. Align the hole in the extractor, lever, and receiver and put the pivot pin back in place. Make sure the groove in the pin is on the same side as the small retaining screw. To install the mainspring the hammer must be in the down position. Put a small amount of grease on the small end of the spring where it contacts the hammer and insert it through the front of the action. Replace and tighten the mainspring screw. Replace the forend to finish the re-assembly. Any further disassembly is not required nor recommended.

Triggers are adjusted at the factory. Adjustment of set triggers can lead to unsafe conditions. Turning the adjustment screw in lightens the set pull, backing the screw out increases the set pull. Unset the trigger pulls are not adjustable.