Damp, FITP, dry ball - what a great day!

[mooman76]

Yes you are in the club now and by the way, you need to send me you $20 club dues! :rotf:

 

[greysmoke]

Next time- and there will be one-- just work some 4F thru the touchhole, you can use a pick to help, you don't really need to remove the liner. It takes only 4-5 grains to get the ball out of the barrel. ----Not that I've ever done it of course.

 

[bpd303]

I've never dry balled any of my flintlocks, but have the percussion guns. Just pulled the nipple, a little powder under it and shoot the ball out.

One day I was shooting a new under-hammer pistol made by Charlie Caywood and the cap snapped, no boom. Pulled the nipple added powder, cap snapped no boom. Shucks... a few incantations while pulling the nipple again, added more powder, cap snapped, no boom. About that time my wife came out to see what was turning the air blue and I explained I had dry balled and was going to get the ball puller.

She took the pistol and dropped the ram rod down the barrel. It made a metallic clink when it hit the breech plug (I cringed). She pulled the rod out holding it where it went in at the muzzle, laid the rod alongside the barrel to measure how far it went into the bore. It went past the nipple so she handed the pistol back and said, add some powder & ball and have fun.

To this day I haven't figured out how I was trying to shoot an empty pistol. :slap: :idunno:

 

[silly goose]

Now that right there, is funny!

 

[coloradoclyde]

Improvise, adapt and overcome.....
I like to think the Marines got that from shooting flintlocks. :grin:

 

[tenngun]

Been shooting ml since 1974. Just got home from the southwestern reginoal rendezvous where I dry balled a shot. Ran a wad nested ball down my trade gun. Went down about 4 inchs when I reilized what I did, siar words to the effect of oh darn

 

[M. De Land]

Oh you think that's bad! I happen to be the all time and still reigning Alaskan "Dryball" Champ and I don't mind bragging as it's the only record I ever held so long. :rotf:
Five,yes count them five, in one timed 10 shot Silhouette match.
I was so rattled in my first ever Silhouette match trying to get off five aimed shots in seven minutes for the first relay and then five shots in five minutes for the second five animals.
It just got so ridiculous all I could do was laugh at the end of the match.
Must have been my life time quota as it almost never happened again in the following 25 years but now that I've shot my mouth off it probably will again. :rotf:

 

[jamieorr]

bpd303 - That was truly an inspirational tale. So much so, that I went out and did something similar today. I had a series of about six FITPs, finally the light went on and I dropped the ramrod down the barrel, sure enough, it went in too far. Although I deviated from your experience by finding a dry ball at the bottom of the hole.

At this rate I'll be an expert soon!

And the results? Today's "group" was still pretty big, about 5" in diameter, but better than last time.

Cheers,

Jamie

 

[Billnpatti]

Oh yes, dry balling gets you into an elite club. I think I may be the president. :haha: Next meeting, I will show you the secret handshake. :rotf: :rotf:

 

[rr11]

Well I guess its like when I was in primary flight school. The instructor told us that there were two types of pilots those who had landed gear up and those who will. I have dry balled a rifle a few times, had buddy dry ball on a reload during a Canadian bear hunt a few years back. Luckily he did not need the second shot. :hmm:

 

[RonRC]

I have dry balled when someone distracted me. I should say I was distracted because I am so susceptible to that.
It doesn't help that my wife says I have the attention span of a schizophrenic Hummingbird.
Ron

 

[Captjoel]

I have never dry balled in over 30 years of muzzle loader shooting. signed Captjoel, aka Jacob the Liar aka, Long Nose Pinocchio :rotf: Darn! my pants just caught on fire!

 

[steved]

Now that you are hooked on shooting black powder and already experienced a dryball, it's only a matter of time before you experience another faux pas, as others said, like a double charge. Heck, I know...um...a guy who shot his ramrod down range at the first shooting station in the Shandaken Primitive Biathlon. Oh, yeah, that was me. :redface:

 

[tom deinek]

Oh yes, dry balling gets you into an elite club. I think I may be the president. :haha: Next meeting, I will show you the secret handshake. :rotf: :rotf:

Ain't noting elite about the club hereabouts. Seems like everybody who is honest claims member ship.

 

[jamieorr]

Geez, so much to look forward to, thanks?

Back at the range yesterday, and NO DRY BALL!! had a pretty good day, added 10 grains to my powder charge, now at 70 FFg, and found my group down to 4" - still shooting at only 25yds, though, so a long way to go.

I was wiping between shots, patch dampened with alcohol, followed by a dry one. The effort to load was consistent until after maybe 15 shots, then the alcohol patch stuck in the bore. I had to clamp the handle of my (steel) range rod to the bench so I could pull the gun off off the rod. Then I went through the wiping process again to remove more fouling, but the next ball was hard to load, had to really work at it. A couple of shots later the patch jammed again, had to clamp the rod again. After I got that done, I called it a day, went home and gave everything a good cleaning.

So why would a barrel suddenly foul? There was no sign of fouling building up, everything felt the same until it happened, same patches and method. I'd like to avoid this in future.

Cheers,

Jamie

 

[CrossXstix]

Your patch/jag combination may be to tight for the bore. Try chucking the jag in a drill and hold a file to the side. Do a little at a time and try it, untill you get it like you like.

 

[bpd303]

Another reason for patches sticking is they are too big, try a smaller patch.

 

[jf19451]

I have to ask, what does FITP stand for?

 

[azmntman]

flash in the pan