I was doing OK, and according to plan, until the rod broke. When the tools you rely on to work like they're supposed to work, don't, and break instead, who's got a backup plan for that?
wanna bet the rod and the attachments were made in China?
Bullet stuck in barrel - with a twist
- Thread starter wiscoaster
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
- Status
wanna bet the rod and the attachments were made in China?
Spillikins
.451
So your plan was to dry ball?
Welcome Wiscoaster, you have become an official member.
This thread will go on for 9 pages and awaken people who have not posted in over a year. The "How do I remove a stuck ball" thread brings them all out and in furry. Get ready for the "use the search button" replies and the "this has been covered 100 times " and the "I gave you the answer" replies.
It's all good though, relish the moment .
My advice since you say you can't shoot it out with some 4f in the drum, is try an air compressor with a rubber tip air gun; but be careful it will shoot out with force so point in safe direction.
This thread will go on for 9 pages and awaken people who have not posted in over a year. The "How do I remove a stuck ball" thread brings them all out and in furry. Get ready for the "use the search button" replies and the "this has been covered 100 times " and the "I gave you the answer" replies.
It's all good though, relish the moment .
My advice since you say you can't shoot it out with some 4f in the drum, is try an air compressor with a rubber tip air gun; but be careful it will shoot out with force so point in safe direction.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2005
- Messages
- 7,128
- Reaction score
- 5,429
This thread belongs firmly in the 'I wonder what would happen if....? category.
A bit like 'if I stick my head out of the car window far enough, would I hit a telegraph pole?'
And 'does removing facial hair with a blow-lamp REALLY hurt that much?'
A bit like 'if I stick my head out of the car window far enough, would I hit a telegraph pole?'
And 'does removing facial hair with a blow-lamp REALLY hurt that much?'
Stick a bucket of sand under muzzle n fire it. Well technically making ball or bullet come out the muzzle is also firing it ! I doubt anyone would hear it in the basement. You need to move where you can actually live without dealing with jail time then. Now i am curious if its against the Law to fire it, why did you load it ?
Spillikins
.451
That's what I've been asking. He makes it sound as if he dry balled deliberately so that he could practise removing the ball.
If he doesn't want to shoot it out in his basement, why not go to his local range to do it?
None of this makes any sense whatsoever.
If the Kentucky has a drum and nipple, I expect it does, either remove the drum or clean our screw and get a small amount of BP behind the ball. No more than 5 or 10 grains. Then cap it and shoot it out, either in the woods or that bucket sand mentioned. In the future, don’t put the barrel of your pistol in a vise. Screw in the ball puller, then secure the end of the pulling rod on a square edge or ball puller jig, (a local BP club will have one) and pull, sometimes it’s necessary to pull in sharp strokes to get the removal started. Oh yeah, don’t intentionally dry ball again!
No need to get a grease gun & fittings.
Although this one focuses on a rifle.....
this works practically every time tried:
Although this one focuses on a rifle.....
this works practically every time tried:
Yes, of course, as posted above, intentional.
I didn't "load" it. "Load" implies a powder charge. There was no powder involved, nor any intent to fire.
Yes. The intent was two-fold: 1) practice with a patch and ball involving only the patch and ball, a starter, a ramrod and a barrel. 2) practice removing a stuck ball using a ball puller.
My plan was working fine until the rod broke off in the barrel. That was the unexpected part and wasn't supposed to happen.
I'm sorry, but you kidding? Show up at a range with just an unmounted pistol barrel, a vise and a hammer?
I think it's better to learn how to do something by attempting it, and practicing it multiple times under controlled conditions, than having to deal with it for the first time in a real-world scenario, where an adverse outcome might have serious consequences. Now c'mon and fess up: how many of you long-time muzzle loader shooters have had to deal with a stuck ball? What would you have done had your rod broke off in the barrel? Better to have this happen in my basement without a powder charge. And be able to learn how to deal with it via posts in a forum thread. I know myself: I learn by doing.
My profession was as a pilot. The above reason is why we learn to deal with emergencies in simulators. You might get a kick out of the story "My First Time In the Box I Crashed" from my personal website at https://www.logbookstories.com
Last edited:
Yes, we do that intentionally, so we know what will happen, and that is why we do that in a simulator, as noted above. It's how a professional pilot expands the envelope of his knowledge, skillset and proficiency: by doing what he hasn't done before in simulated and controlled conditions, where the outcome can be experienced in a virtual world without adverse real world consequences.
The gun isn't finished and not ready to be completely assembled.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2022
- Messages
- 1,230
- Reaction score
- 1,543
All I have to say is we are being catfished right
OK, You are officially one of us <G> . Regardless of how you got there you are - He Who Has Dry-balled. There are hundreds of pages on the forum on dryball removal. Which means many, many , people here have done it before you..
I suggest picking a method suggested, my favorite for the basement would be the grease fitting and gun. For about $5 at Harbor Freight you can pick up a metric assortment of grease fittings and around $15 more one of the small grease guns with cartridges. It shouldn't take more than one cartridge for a pistol barrel. Don't ask me how I know.
When you are done you will have the tools and the skill for when you do it again
There is also a lesson here on how to choose sturdy accessories, jags, ball pullers, patch pullers, rods, as there is a lot of junk out there.
Thanks,
O.R.
I suggest picking a method suggested, my favorite for the basement would be the grease fitting and gun. For about $5 at Harbor Freight you can pick up a metric assortment of grease fittings and around $15 more one of the small grease guns with cartridges. It shouldn't take more than one cartridge for a pistol barrel. Don't ask me how I know.
When you are done you will have the tools and the skill for when you do it again
There is also a lesson here on how to choose sturdy accessories, jags, ball pullers, patch pullers, rods, as there is a lot of junk out there.
Thanks,
O.R.
Last edited:
Well, I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that ALL pilots for ALL airlines and ALL commercial operators for ALL air transport operations of ALL types train their pilots by the methods I described above. Because they work.
Happy driving.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2005
- Messages
- 7,128
- Reaction score
- 5,429
I didn't post any kind of link.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2005
- Messages
- 7,128
- Reaction score
- 5,429
I understand that. What they DON'T do it to deliberately screw up with a REAL airplane - which is what you did with your pistol.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2005
- Messages
- 7,128
- Reaction score
- 5,429
Deliberately?
Possibly, I haven't read all of the dry-ball posts in the forum.
Thanks,
O.R.
No, I'm sorry, you're still wrong. A REAL gun without a powder charge also functions as a gun simulator. I have dummy rounds for all my guns. 17 different rifle calibers and all the pistol calibers from .17 HMR to .45 ACP. I make my own dummy rounds when commercial snap caps aren't available. Operating the firearm with dummy rounds is a kind of firing simulation without having to fire. I can run the firearm through its full range of functions at home without actually shooting it.
This is the thought process behind doing what I did. Not sheer stupidity or impetuosity. Ignorance, yes. It's that my lack of experience with this particular type of firearm didn't lead me to consider a broken rod. Stupidity and ignorance are not one and the same, even though they often lead to similar consequences.
Last edited:
Well we’ve all done dumb things in life. Lesson learned. When you get your gun finished remember this incident every single time you go to load it. You may never have a dry ball again lol. You made a dumb dumb but at least it wasn’t something that could get you hurt. Move on and learn from it. On the other hand I’ve never had a dry ball I wasn’t able to shoot out with a little powder trickled in the drum or touch hole (flintlock). Anytime when trying to remove a stuck ball with a puller can result in a nightmare. Remember that once you get your gun finished. I avoid pulling one until it’s my last resort.
- Status
