ball stuck

[doglake]

I was given a rifle which has a ball stuck about halfway down the barrel. My local dealer told me the tool (screw that go on cleaning rod) he sells will not work and that I should pay him $20.00 to remove the ball. My question: How would you all proceed with this repair. I don't know if there is powder in front of the ball, but must assume there is. I don't know if it is a ball, but assume it is. What I do know is that it isn't a wad. I did get some styrofoam out, but don't know why that would have been put into the barrel.

 

[Tom Compton]

First I would try blowing the obstruction out of the barrel using compressed air.

1. Remove the barrel from the stock
2. Remove the touch hole liner
3. Pour a good amount of a good penetrating
oil down the bore and allow it to work for a
couple of hours
4. Increase pressure on the compressor tank
to 125 or more
5. Get an air gun with a rubber tip
6. Mount the barrel securely where you can put
firm pressure on the air gun when placed in
the hole where the liner was.
7. Rig a trap to catch the material blown out
of the barrel. A box filled with rags will
do. This serves 2 purposes. One is safety
and the other to determine what was in the
barrel.
8. Wear safety glasses.


Good luck,
TC

 

[Birddog6]

Lets go back a step or two. :wink:

1: What brand of rifle are we dealing with, full or halfstock & caliber ?

2: If it is not a mass manufactured rifle, does it have a removable
vent liner of a non-removable vent liner ?

3: Can you shine a small mag light down the bore & see the obstruction ?
And if so, how far from the breech is it ?

Keith Lisle

 

[nchawkeye]

I just pull them out...Have you got a range rod???
If so, take it to Lowes hardware go to the area where they sell screws...There is a screw with wood threads on one end and machine threads on the other...Match this to your range rod...A common size would be #10 threads on one end and a 1/4 inch wood screw on the other...

Simple screw the machine thread into the range rod, slide down to the ball and screw the wood screw into the ball and pull out...

 

[hockeyref]

I...... My local dealer told me the tool (screw that go on cleaning rod) he sells will not work and that I should pay him $20.00 to remove the ball......

My FIRST QUESTION to him would be "WHY WOULD IT NOT WORK, DID YOU ALREADY TRY IT?"

Then I would consider proceeding as suggested here. I suspect that he's trying to sell you a $20 screw without benefit of a kiss.... :nono: :shake:

 

[hanshi]

A caliber specific ball puller is only a couple of bucks. If you have a range rod you should be able to pull the ball after you squirt some penetrating oil into the breech and let it sit for a while.

 

[wattlebuster]

i have never had any trouble pullin balls from my guns with a caliber specific screw type puller but if it dont work try the oiled barrel compressed air method good luck

 

[Zonie]

Many of us face this problem once in a while when we dry-ball (load without powder).

Those of us who have a CO2 ball discharger use it to blow the ball out of the barrel.

Those without such a device revert to either using a ball screw or to blowing the ball out with a light powder charge.
This has its dangers because even with a 4 or 5 grain powder load the ball will damage anything it hits.

Of course the powder charge method doesn't work if someone has put water or oil into the chamber behind the stuck ball.

Being a flintlock, it will work poorly or not at all with the synthetic black powders so be sure to use real black powder in the gun for shooting, priming and for blowing out "dry balls".

 

[spudnut]

And if you try blowing it out with powder you have to drive it all the way down onto the charge first. I don't reccomend it without knowing what all has been put in there.Might be smokeless powder,Who knows?.Soak that thing in penatrating oil and get a screw.Or the air gun.

 

[buzz]

last ew balls i pulled either my own or others
i used a screw jag wonder why that wont work???
one a 46 cal i went to the hardware store got
a thing that is like a wood screw on one end and was 8/32 on the other end
compressed air or co2 works good to

 

[Eterry]

Maybe we werent using the right equipment, (it was a long time ago and someone else's gun and equipment), but my one effort trying to pull a ball was a huge pain in the you know what! The bore was heavily fouled, he thought he could load it one more time then go clean it. The ball got about half way down and stopped! He had a jag, I think it was in the patch box and maybe came with the rifle. We spent the next 3-4 hours trying to pull the ball, but the jag would strip out. We finally gave up, far as I know its still in there...heck it may be the gun you bought !!! :rotf:

I would try compressed air first, then go from there.

My .02
Eterry

 

[doglake]

I didn't buy it, but rather it was given to me by a dude with red hair, bushy eye brows, and lots of hair growing out of his ears and nose. He said he bought it from a cowboy in North Texas for $200.00 that told him it had never been fired. :surrender: :rotf:

I am going to work on getting this ball out using the suggestions from this forum concerning the extractor screw on a rod and the air if needed. Thanks for all you help. :thumbsup:

 

[Zonie]

cody
You've probably already read this but if your going to use the ramrod that came with the gun check out the metal rod ends attachment to the wooden rod.

Almost all factory made guns either press the metal end onto the wood or glue it in place.

Neither one of these methods is sufficient to keep the end from pulling off of the ramrod if any force is used to try to pull out a stuck ball or a stuck brush or a stuck patched jag.
In other words, pulling hard on factory made ramrods is a good way to have the metal end pull off of the rod.

If you have an unpinned metal end on your wooden ramrod follow this link to find out how to fix the problem before you try pulling the stuck ball. http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...p?tid/249111/post/886982/fromsearch/1/#886982

If your using a solid steel cleaning rod to mount the ball screw and your going to be pulling on it to remove the ball or whatever is stuck down in the barrel you won't have a problem. Brass cleaning rods also will work but I really wouldn't trust an aluminum rod.
Aluminum is a weak metal that is easy to pull the threads out of.

 

[ohio ramrod]

If it has a 1/4-28 threaded vent liner, just remove the liner and put in a 1/4 28 grease fitting and use a grease gun to push out the obstruction with hydraulic pressure.Messy but safe and effective.

 

[Birddog6]

And quite fast if you go to a auto or truck shop with a air operated grease gun.

:thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

 

[buzz]

your right just pulled a friends ball he broke his rod trying to unscrew it and i remembered reaing it his wasnt flint but i pulled the nipple this way realy works
we pulled the barrel chucked it the vise and used my harbor freight air grease pistol
once the ball is out i took a rag on a dowell rod and pushed the bolck of the grease back out the nipple hole then we plugged it and soaked if in mineral sprits
i tell you it works

 

[Dane]

If the ball has been there a long time, it could actually be dried in place, and even have damaged the barrel.

Like all have said, before you try to pull it, wet that sucker down REALLY well. Some kind of liquid lube, let it sit for a day or two, pour some in the touch hole as well. (if percussion, remove the nipple , and pour some in behind the ball as well. Then try your screw again. It should come out.

Once it's out, clean really well, make sure the barrel isn't damaged.

 

[doglake]

Ok guys, the project has begun. The rifle is taken apart and the barrel has been soaked for three days with lube. I got a hanger bolt and went down the barrel, well out came a plastic object that is concave on both ends. It is hard plastic about .5" long. Now I am hitting a second one and am still trying to get it out. Who knows what is behind all this junk. Anybody know what this plastic thing is?

 

[flattail]

Sounds like someone put a "sabot" round in backwards, to me. :cursing: :idunno:
The projectile behind the plastic may be copper coated and a little harder to get the screw into. I think you are on the right track, just keep with it. :v

 

[Zonie]

It could be a sabot or several sabots or who knows?
If there were children in the house of the previous owner it could be anything.

Kids have a great fascination for things with holes in them like a muzzle loaders barrel. :grin: