Bullet Stuck in TC Hawken. HALP

[OKAxeTosser]

I have a 50 cal. TC Hawken that I took out to the range yesterday and I can only assume there was some moisture down at the bottom of the breech (I know, rookie mistake) and the shot would simply NOT go off. Well I tried the screw-type ball puller and I'm pretty sure my well-meaning uncle who I was shooting with wound up stripping the hole I drilled into the ball. Anyway, now I can't get the ball puller to "bite" anymore, and it is STUUUUUCK. How can I get it out?

*Edit* Forgot to mention this was the percussion Hawken. Thanks TFoley!

 

[TFoley]

Flint or percussion?

Your answer has relevance to the method used to get that ball out.

 

[OKAxeTosser]

Flint or percussion?

Your answer has relevance to the method used to get that ball out.

Percussion. My bad, I forgot to mention that.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

There are at least a million threads here dealing with a "stuck ball" that will give you dozens of methods to use to get it out. All you have to do is search "Stuck Ball" & every answer you could ever dream of will be at your fingertips. This forum gets asked this question at least weekly so I see no reason for it to not be a "sticky". How about something like "If you have a stuck ball, please read this first before starting a new thread". Should apply to "stuck brush" as well. Just my two cents.

 

[nkbj]

Pull the nipple, trickle in some powder, securely thread the nipple back in and quickly pop a cap.
If the main powder charge doesn't ignite, wait a little while to avoid embers, introduce a trickled in charge again, reseat the projectile, pop the cap.
Keep at it until you can trickle in enough powder to get the projectile all the way out of the barrel. But be certain and always reseat the ball before popping a cap.

 

[jdw276]

Pull the nipple, trickle in some powder, securely thread the nipple back in and quickly pop a cap.
If the main powder charge doesn't ignite, wait a little while to avoid embers, introduce a trickled in charge again, reseat the projectile, pop the cap.
Keep at it until you can trickle in enough powder to get the projectile all the way out of the barrel. But be certain and always reseat the ball before popping a cap.

If the ball has a hole in it, put the ball puller back in to plug the hole some. Probably lose the ball puller but ya plugged the hole to shoot it out. Others will chime in shortly. Get a bigger screw is another option. I have several sizes and ya, from experience.

 

[TFoley]

FIRSTLY - ensure that the ball/bullet is set down on the charge!!!!!

Do NOY leave ANY gap whatsoever between the ball and whatever powder there might be in there.

 

[ohio ramrod]

My advice that is worth exactly what you paid for it, is to take a screw slightly larger than the one you had on the ball puller and fasten it to a wooden dowel ( drill out the end of the dowel and hold the c screw into the dowel with epoxy) screw it into the ball to plug the hole you made in the ball make sure the ball with the screw and dowel attached is all of the way down, than remove the nipple sprinkle in some powder, replace the nipple and fire into the ground.. The screw will plug the hole and the wooden dowel will protect your bore from the screw being shot out.

 

[deerstalkert]

preemption. screw yer extractor back in the ball, get a grease zerk that fits yer nipple hole, get a grease gun and pump that puppy out.

 

[William Lincoln]

deerstalkert has the easiest solution and it does work. No grease gun
available? Then the wood screw glued to end of dowel works too. Run
it down screw further into ball and slowly pull. Or shoot out with 4f = aim
safely-- just remove nipple clean out with q tip and fill with as much powder
as you can get in- replace nipple and fresh cap. Aim safe and let rip.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Yes, there are many methods described in many threads. Try the Search function.

 

[Winchester97]

Hole or no hole in the ball, put some 4f,3f,2f under the nipple and "Just choot it Elizabeth"- Troy Landry

 

[OKAxeTosser]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I can't get back out to the range for quite a while so trickling in powder isn't an option. I'll look around for an inexpensive grease gun. Any luck with the CO2 methods?

 

[William Lincoln]

Pull out the nipple,take to autoparts store for matching with grease nipple-zerk threads.
If needed, make an adapter to fit threads. Get cheap grease gun , best gun uses
a lever to build pressure. Or get grease fitting on it a see buddy at garage and he will
push it out. Get some diesel to wash the grease out or capture it for re-use.

 

[Zapadach]

Pull the nipple, trickle in some powder, securely thread the nipple back in and quickly pop a cap.
If the main powder charge doesn't ignite, wait a little while to avoid embers, introduce a trickled in charge again, reseat the projectile, pop the cap.
Keep at it until you can trickle in enough powder to get the projectile all the way out of the barrel. But be certain and always reseat the ball before popping a cap.

I have used this method a few times years ago and it works just fine. This is sage advice.

 

[Rusty_1969]

I tried everything but the zerk/grease gun did the trick for me.

 

[FishDFly]

"Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I can't get back out to the range for quite a while so trickling in powder isn't an option. I'll look around for an inexpensive grease gun. Any luck with the CO2 methods?"

Do the search function, the many many answers are there. It make take you days to read all of them, but there are there and they do work.

 

[Boatncamp]

I have found that a rubber tipped blow gun hooked up to my compressor is the easiest way to do this. Percussion, remove the lock and nipple, flintlock, remove the lock. Push the rubber tip against the hole, point the barrel in safe direction and hit the trigger on the blow gun. Most times the ball will go flying out the barrel. No concerns about making sure it is seated after adding powder or being at the range.
Don't have a compressor, ask some friends if they have one. The blow guns are very inexpensive.

Woody

 

[Mike]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I can't get back out to the range for quite a while so trickling in powder isn't an option. I'll look around for an inexpensive grease gun. Any luck with the CO2 methods?

Tried the CO2 method on my first stuck ball and it did nothing after 3 cannisters worth! But I'm a newbie so that may be part of the problem.