Ball Stuck

[BennyMac]

:surrender:
Help I have a ball stuck stuck down the barrell of my .50 cal Shenadoha(sp).
There is no powder behind it.I have already tried pulling it out with a bullet puller. Any suggestions.
Thanks for any help

 

[smokehouseman]

Co2 discharger. If that doesn't get it, pull the nipple and powder it up and fire her off. I'm confident the discharger will do it for you.

 

[gunner2292]

Well what I did one time is use an air compressor and put the nozzle in the flash hole. Than I used the air to propell the ball out the barrel. But it didnt work too well.

 

[54ball]

Try picking some powder through the touch hole. Pour some powder in the pan, turn the rifle on it's side and pick it into the touch hole. Put in as much powder as it will take. When it wont take any more make sre the ball is seated prime and shoot into a safe spot such as thesoft not rocky ground several feet in front of you. It should shoot out. If it is not all the way out repeat again. Place as much powder in the hole, reseat ball and shoot.

Another method is one of those rubber tipped mechanic shop copressed air blowers. seal the rubber tip over the touch hole and blow it out with compressed air. The ball needs not be seated. A CO2 discharger does the same.

Some have luck with a grease gun. Put the nipple of the grease gun over the touch hole and pump the ball out. This is messy.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Those CO 2 thingys are ok for the field.

Use 160lbs of compressed air. It will fly out real good so point it into something solid

 

[Many Klatch]

Pour some thin oil down the barrel and let it sit for a while so the patching around the ball can soak up the oil. If your ball puller pulled out of the lead ball, find a larger screw that will fit on your ramrod, the second screw will usually do the job, once the first one has made the hole. It should pull out easily. I carry three graduated sizes of screws in my shooting pouch for those times when I dryball.

Many Klatch

 

[Halftail]

If it were me I'd use any of these suggestions here.Except maybe the greese gun.Just sounds plain messy.
If I couldn't pull it with a Ball Screw I take out the vent hole liner and drive as much fine powder in there that I could and discharge it out that way.I must admit that the rubber tip compresser thingy sound like a good idea if you have one.

 

[roundball]

Just remember to try shooting it out BEFORE trying any of the suggestions of pouring oil or liquids down bore as they will just contaminate any powder you put in there afterwards.

And if you don't remove the nipple or vent liner first, an air compressor usually won't work because you can't get enough instant volume of air through the tiny vent hole...remove the nipple or vent liner first.

If pulling, or air pressure, or shooting it out won't or can't work for some reason, the grease gun method actually works well and is not bad at all like I had also first thought it would be.

I've personally done it and yes, after forcing out whever is stuck, the bore is full of grease...BUT...simply using a cleaning patch on a jag forces 99% of it right back out of the nipple or vent seat on the first pass. Then a couple dry patches for any remaining excess and its ready for a normal cleaning no different than if you had just returned from the range...really wasn't a problem after all.

 

[Birddog6]

I have used compressed air to blow allot of them out, but coupld of things makes a dif. 120# or more ari pressure. Rubber tip on the air nozzle to seal good against the removed nipple/vent hole. Large dia. hole in the air nozzle, 3/16" or larger does best.
A meytal tips lets too much air escape & a small hole in the tip doesn't give you enough volume to make up for the air escaping as it pressurizes.

But the first & best way I have ever found is to put powder behind the ball & shoot it out if at all possible.

Larger screw/puller in the ball usually just swells the ball & wedges it into the barrel tighter, plus you end up with a hole Thru the ball & now ya can't blow or pressure it out..

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

If all of this fails you must take the barrel out of the stock and remove the breach plug. Then drive the ball out with a range rod. I hope the easier methods work for you!!

 

[Harold1950]

When I first got my Hawken I took it to the range and an old timer told me about "dry balling" under his direction, I "dry balled" a ball and patch. I removed the nipple and put in as much powder as I could and put the nipple back in and then a cap, I fired the small charge (after seating the ball down onto the powder charge) It took three tries but worked well, I was getting nervous but the old timer just kept telling me to put more powder in and try again.........got me over the fear of "dry balling".....just point the muzzle at a good backstop, comes out really fast and hard......Harold

 

When I first got my Hawken I took it to the range and an old timer told me about "dry balling" under his direction, I "dry balled" a ball and patch. I removed the nipple and put in as much powder as I could and put the nipple back in and then a cap, I fired the small charge (after seating the ball down onto the powder charge) It took three tries but worked well, I was getting nervous but the old timer just kept telling me to put more powder in and try again.........got me over the fear of "dry balling".....just point the muzzle at a good backstop, comes out really fast and hard......Harold

:thumbsup:

 

[reddogge]

Never seen a ball yet that couldn't be shot out or pulled out (you need a stout rod and stout friend). The grease gun seems to me.....well....just very untidy.

 

[nw_hunter]

All good tips! My method for pulling a stuck ball with the rod is this.........Half hitch a small nylon rope several times around the rod.A good idea to wrap tape around to help it get a good grip. Tie the loose end of the rope around a tree, or similar strong object.(Bumper of your truck)Get a firm grip on the rifle and just back away from the tree. This way your not looking at the business end, and if the gun should discharge, it will only kill a tree! :grin:

 

[mudd turtle]

MannyKlatch: Where do you buy -get -or what ever the screws in differwnt sizes to do the pulling job for stuck ball.If I had be able to get those type of screws I would not have had to pull my breech plug. What do you ask for when you go to buy them? Mudd turtle.

 

[Bill Bryan]

Get a ball puller tip with the longest screw head you can find. Press as hard as you can as you screw it in. Really put your weight into it. If possible use a range rod. A little lubricate can help. It may take several trys. If your range rod has a wide enough handle try hooking it over something substantial and give it a good jerk to start it.

 

[LFC]

Man, I'd get the CO2 discharger first, and use that, and ONLY go to another method if it absolutely will not work, after several tries.

The CO2 discharger worked for me the first time I used it right (which was the second time--it took me 4 or 5 seconds to get the hang of it.) No mess, no grease, no need to remove any parts of the gun. If I'd messed with the ball by drilling holes through it trying to get a ball puller screwed in, it might not have worked. Ditto if I'd filled it up with grease. The CO2 discharger will cost you maybe 25 dollars--and then you'll have something you can carry around with you wherever you shoot and hunt, and can help out all your buddies who have the same problem. In this way, the CO2 discharger is much better than an air compressor, which will be harder to carry into the mountains on a hunt.

 

[Mountainman56]

What roundball said. :thumbsup:

 

[reddogge]

My puller has a round brass spacer around the wood screw smaller than bore size so it stays centered in the bore and makes starting it in the ball easier. Don't know where I bought it but I've owned it a long, long time. I also pin all of my rods and put a groove around the upper end to catch some wrapped leather or cord to pull a ball.

 

[Mulebrain]

Get powder in behind that ball and shoot it out! Done! I have never had this system not work yet!