Bullard Small Frame Repeating Rifle
Bullard Repeating Arms Company · Rifle · Discontinued · 1884
Also known as: Bullard Small-Frame Rifle, Bullard Repeating Rifle (Small Frame)
Overview
The Bullard Small Frame Repeating Rifle is a 19th-century American lever-action repeating rifle designed by James H. Bullard and built by the Bullard Repeating Arms Company of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built on the company's lighter small frame, it was chambered for mid-power cartridges such as the .32-40 Winchester and the proprietary .38-45 Bullard. Like its large-frame sibling, it used Bullard's distinctive rack-and-pinion gear-driven breechbolt, widely praised as one of the smoothest and strongest lever actions of the 1880s, fed from a tubular magazine through a loading port on the bottom of the frame.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4082 g (144.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1130 mm (44.49") |
| Barrel Length | 717 mm (28.23") |
| Action Type | Lever Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Type | Tube |
| Muzzle Velocity | 435 m/s (1427 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1011 J (746 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .32-40 Winchester · primary — also known as .32-40 Ballard, .32-40 WCF, .32-40
- .38-45 Bullard — also known as .38-45, .38-45 Bullard
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Rack And Pinion Lever Action, Tubular Magazine, Bottom Loading Gate, Octagon Barrel, Small Frame
Service history
Operators
- Civilian sport and hunting market
Production
Estimated total produced: 12,000 · Production years: 1884-1891
Approximately 10,600 to 12,000 repeating rifles produced across all frame sizes combined; small-frame .32-40 and .38-45 models were a subset of this total.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: James H. Bullard
Discontinued: 1891
Notes
Bullard rifles were renowned for their craftsmanship and slick gear-driven action but cost roughly double a comparable Winchester, which contributed to the company's commercial failure and closure around 1891. Total repeating-rifle output across all frame sizes is estimated at only about 10,600 to 12,000 units.
Background
James H. Bullard, a former Smith & Wesson machinist, patented his rack-and-pinion lever action in 1881. Collectors still regard the Bullard as having the slickest lever action ever made, yet its high price kept it from competing with mass-produced Winchester and Marlin rifles.