Yep, that's what I'm talking about but the screw itself gets weak and what happens when you've used it too many times is it will just strip the threads you've screwed into the ball making it nearly impossible to get that ball out.
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Field Cleaning When Hunting ??
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luie b said:
No, they don't wear out...what you're doing is screwing it in too far...once the brass collar bottoms out on top of the ball, the next turn strips the lead out and you no longer have a hold on the ball...soft lead is not going to wear out that steel screw puller in your lifetime.
:wink:
Just turn it in3-4 half turn max and they'll slide right out
longcruise
70 Cal.
Thats the kind I have. Only have one caliber though.
Only used it twice. Even for a dryball I put some powder behind through the nipple hole and shoot it out. Not so easy to do with a flinter I guess.Those are actually called "Treso". They are made at the House of Muskets in Pagosa Springs CO (Think Cash McCall :haha: ). The guy who owned House of Muskets has a daughter named Theresa. When she was a little girl she called herself Treso. He named that line of products after her. Treso is their own line but they make many other things for other wholesalers and retailers under their own name. They might even make stuff for TC. :shocked2:
The store boughten CVA ones DO INDEED wear out because you could clearly see the threads were getting weak. And on the CVA ones on a .50 cal roundball. The brass collar on those can shifts around making it very possible to screw through a roundball. Because it happened to me. The guy I took it to who fixed it tried shooting it out with blackpowder under the nipple first. That didn't work. Then he tried using a bigger ball puller screw which got broke off in the barrel. Then he used that as an oppurtunity to shoot it out which it did, with the ball and screw attached.
Black Hand
Cannon
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Go to the hardware store with your ramrod and find the bin containing the wood-screw/machine-screw combination thingies and buy a few that fit the threads of your ramrod. Make a bore-size leather disc with a hole in the center and screw the entire thing on your rod. Voila, a ball screw for 25 cents.
I've been using the same one for 10 years now, pulled dozens of balls and it still works like new.
The problem that some seem to have is that they don't screw it into the ball enough before pulling the ball, which strips a bit of lead. Repeated enough times, you end up drilling a hole through the ball. Get it in there good before pulling the ball....
I've been using the same one for 10 years now, pulled dozens of balls and it still works like new.
The problem that some seem to have is that they don't screw it into the ball enough before pulling the ball, which strips a bit of lead. Repeated enough times, you end up drilling a hole through the ball. Get it in there good before pulling the ball....
paulvallandigham
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Its more about technique than equipment. If you have been jamming a wood screw into a metal Breech plug face, SURE its going to get blunt and dull. You need to dress up those teeth or threads with a file to get it working again. Once you screw through the ball, putting powder behind the ball will simply send flames and gases out that same Hole in the ball.
Here's the choices in the order they have to be made, when you dry ball:
1. Use a CO2 discharger to force the PRB out the barrel, if you own one, and have it with you! :shocked2: It won't work either, if you have first pushed a hole completely thru the ball with a jag screwed in too far!
2. If you don't have one available, " Plan B" is to remove the nipple, or the TH liner( if the ball is blocking part or all of the hole thru the liner), and pour some me powder down the bolster under the nipple, and force it into the flash channel with a wire pick, or once you have removed that TH liner, use a small screw driver to lever the PRB forward enough to open up space behind the PRB to pour the powder in. Then reinstall the nipple, or Th liner, Prime and fire the ball out of the barrel in some safe direction.
Go ahead and laugh, about having it "with you". in 1985, I was hunting with 6 other members of my BP club on the same farm. At the end of a long, damp, miserable day in the field, we all gathered around an equipment shack, and open fire, while the member who managed the club asked us all to unload our guns by firing at a badly damaged apple tree he was going to have to cut down anywhat. We had 5 percussion rifle shooters, and two flinters. None of the percussion guns would fire, while both flintlocks went off the first time their triggers were pulled.
NO one there except me( hunting with my flintlock) had a Nipple wrench to remove those percussion nipples. I not only pulled the nipples, but supplied my 4Fg priming powder and a wire pick to get as much of the powder down into the flash channels under the nipple as possible. I then put their nipples back in their guns. Every gun fired when a new cap was placed on the nipple and the trigger pulled.
At the time, Illinois law required that MLers be unloaded for transportation from the field- and defined that by requiring that the barrel must NOT have powder and ball present during transportation.
A few years later, the rules were changed to consider a MLer to be "unloaded" if there was NO percussion cap on the on the nipple, or no powder in the flash pan, and the hammers were lowered. Today, you CAN leave that gun loaded for the entire season, and transport it legally to and from your residence- temporary or permanent--- by any vehicle as long as its "unloaded" and encased. That include autos, trucks, motorcycles, or bicycles, and boats. if you want to carry a gun on a public road on foot, however, you need to have it unloaded and encased, also.
3. If you don't have that nipple wrench, or the tools needed to remove the TH liner, then go to your Ball-Pulling Jag.
I have not dry-balled "in the field", but have done it numerous times at the club range, when I have been distracted while loading my gun by other members interrupting( I swear they used to do it on purpose!)with questions.
Use a good solid range rod to screw that jag into the ball. It has, and can be done with a hickory ramrod, but its a lot harder to do.
Pour some water, or cleaning fluid, or oil, down the barrel to dampen that patch, and lube the barrel to help the PRB come out. This may be the MOST IMPORTANT STEP in the process, as it takes so much less muscle power to remove the ball, and you reduce the likelihood that the soft lead ball will strip off the steel wood screw when you reduce the friction between the barrel and that PRB.
If there is a powder charge behind the ball, For safety, Pour water, or oil, down the nipple, or into the TH to "Kill" the powder, and prevent it from accidentally igniting for any reason when you are working at pulling the ball out the muzzle. You can't do this easily without at least some time having that muzzle pointing at some of your body parts. :shocked2: :idunno:
4. Pulling the ball out after you have screwed that jag into the ball sufficiently, involve choices.
A. I have done it by hooking my handle on my range rod( I had a machinist replace the thin wood handle on my Treso SS rod with a solid Brass "doorknob-shaped" handle) over the fork of a tree, and simply pulling back on my rifle's stock. It worked well.
B. I have had one man hold my gunstock, while I pulled the ball out towards me. It works well, and lets you repay the favor when he Dryballs HIS gun!
C. I have pulled the ball out all by myself laying on my kitchen floor so that the stock was supported on the floor, and I could then use one foot against the front of the trigger guard, and my other foot against the rear sight, while I pulled the rod and PRB out of the barrel towards me. That was the hardest work, and I doubt I could have done it without first putting cleaning fluid down the barrel to moisten the patch around the ball.
D. I suppose that if you are alone, you could tie the gun to some support, to free up both your feet and hands, to pull the rod and ball out of the barrel.
Adapt. Innovate( Improvise). Conquer( Overcome).- or something like that.= SOLVE THE PROBLEM! :v :bow: :hatsoff: :hatsoff:
Like several other members have already commented, I have the same ball pulling jag I bought more than 30 years ago. It doesn't "dull". It has the brass collar as shown above. The collar does work to help center the jag on the ball, and that helps run the screw straight into the center of the ball, rather than drift over to one side, and scratch the soft steel of the barrel.
I am trying to remember if I bought a new jag when I sold my .45 and bought my .50 cal. rifle. I must have, as I have pulled a couple of balls out of the new gun, and I would have noticed if the collar on the smaller caliber jag were used. :hmm: And, on my list of gear to buy is a new jag for my .36 cal. rifle. :hmm: I suppose I ought to buy a new jag for my .62 caliber fowler, too, while I am at it. I don't plan to shoot many RB out of that gun, but it might happen that I will need a ball puller jag for that gun, too, some day....... :idunno: :grin:
Here's the choices in the order they have to be made, when you dry ball:
1. Use a CO2 discharger to force the PRB out the barrel, if you own one, and have it with you! :shocked2: It won't work either, if you have first pushed a hole completely thru the ball with a jag screwed in too far!
2. If you don't have one available, " Plan B" is to remove the nipple, or the TH liner( if the ball is blocking part or all of the hole thru the liner), and pour some me powder down the bolster under the nipple, and force it into the flash channel with a wire pick, or once you have removed that TH liner, use a small screw driver to lever the PRB forward enough to open up space behind the PRB to pour the powder in. Then reinstall the nipple, or Th liner, Prime and fire the ball out of the barrel in some safe direction.
Go ahead and laugh, about having it "with you". in 1985, I was hunting with 6 other members of my BP club on the same farm. At the end of a long, damp, miserable day in the field, we all gathered around an equipment shack, and open fire, while the member who managed the club asked us all to unload our guns by firing at a badly damaged apple tree he was going to have to cut down anywhat. We had 5 percussion rifle shooters, and two flinters. None of the percussion guns would fire, while both flintlocks went off the first time their triggers were pulled.
NO one there except me( hunting with my flintlock) had a Nipple wrench to remove those percussion nipples. I not only pulled the nipples, but supplied my 4Fg priming powder and a wire pick to get as much of the powder down into the flash channels under the nipple as possible. I then put their nipples back in their guns. Every gun fired when a new cap was placed on the nipple and the trigger pulled.
At the time, Illinois law required that MLers be unloaded for transportation from the field- and defined that by requiring that the barrel must NOT have powder and ball present during transportation.
A few years later, the rules were changed to consider a MLer to be "unloaded" if there was NO percussion cap on the on the nipple, or no powder in the flash pan, and the hammers were lowered. Today, you CAN leave that gun loaded for the entire season, and transport it legally to and from your residence- temporary or permanent--- by any vehicle as long as its "unloaded" and encased. That include autos, trucks, motorcycles, or bicycles, and boats. if you want to carry a gun on a public road on foot, however, you need to have it unloaded and encased, also.
3. If you don't have that nipple wrench, or the tools needed to remove the TH liner, then go to your Ball-Pulling Jag.
I have not dry-balled "in the field", but have done it numerous times at the club range, when I have been distracted while loading my gun by other members interrupting( I swear they used to do it on purpose!)with questions.
Use a good solid range rod to screw that jag into the ball. It has, and can be done with a hickory ramrod, but its a lot harder to do.
Pour some water, or cleaning fluid, or oil, down the barrel to dampen that patch, and lube the barrel to help the PRB come out. This may be the MOST IMPORTANT STEP in the process, as it takes so much less muscle power to remove the ball, and you reduce the likelihood that the soft lead ball will strip off the steel wood screw when you reduce the friction between the barrel and that PRB.
If there is a powder charge behind the ball, For safety, Pour water, or oil, down the nipple, or into the TH to "Kill" the powder, and prevent it from accidentally igniting for any reason when you are working at pulling the ball out the muzzle. You can't do this easily without at least some time having that muzzle pointing at some of your body parts. :shocked2:
:idunno: 4. Pulling the ball out after you have screwed that jag into the ball sufficiently, involve choices.
A. I have done it by hooking my handle on my range rod( I had a machinist replace the thin wood handle on my Treso SS rod with a solid Brass "doorknob-shaped" handle) over the fork of a tree, and simply pulling back on my rifle's stock. It worked well.
B. I have had one man hold my gunstock, while I pulled the ball out towards me. It works well, and lets you repay the favor when he Dryballs HIS gun!
C. I have pulled the ball out all by myself laying on my kitchen floor so that the stock was supported on the floor, and I could then use one foot against the front of the trigger guard, and my other foot against the rear sight, while I pulled the rod and PRB out of the barrel towards me. That was the hardest work, and I doubt I could have done it without first putting cleaning fluid down the barrel to moisten the patch around the ball.
D. I suppose that if you are alone, you could tie the gun to some support, to free up both your feet and hands, to pull the rod and ball out of the barrel.
Adapt. Innovate( Improvise). Conquer( Overcome).- or something like that.= SOLVE THE PROBLEM! :v :bow: :hatsoff: :hatsoff:
Like several other members have already commented, I have the same ball pulling jag I bought more than 30 years ago. It doesn't "dull". It has the brass collar as shown above. The collar does work to help center the jag on the ball, and that helps run the screw straight into the center of the ball, rather than drift over to one side, and scratch the soft steel of the barrel.
I am trying to remember if I bought a new jag when I sold my .45 and bought my .50 cal. rifle. I must have, as I have pulled a couple of balls out of the new gun, and I would have noticed if the collar on the smaller caliber jag were used. :hmm: And, on my list of gear to buy is a new jag for my .36 cal. rifle. :hmm: I suppose I ought to buy a new jag for my .62 caliber fowler, too, while I am at it. I don't plan to shoot many RB out of that gun, but it might happen that I will need a ball puller jag for that gun, too, some day....... :idunno: :grin:
Luie, I'm convinced that you're convinced you can only use a ball puller 3 times.luie b said:
But there's something wrong with that picture...you've probably had 200-300 years of experience repeatedly tell you they don't wear out...there has to be something else going on in your scenario
:v
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:haha: I have and still use the same ball puller I bought in 83' when I bought my T/C Renegade. :idunno:
nchawkeye
58 Cal.
I too buy my ball pullers from Lowes hardware like Black Hand mentioned, but I do something different...
Take you brass cleaning jag, drill and tap for the thread size on the ball puller...This gives you added length to your rod and also helps keep the screw centered...
I honestly don't know why cleaning jags don't come threaded already...
Take you brass cleaning jag, drill and tap for the thread size on the ball puller...This gives you added length to your rod and also helps keep the screw centered...
I honestly don't know why cleaning jags don't come threaded already...
Rhett Griffith
40 Cal.
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As far as field cleaning goes, I seldom hunt more than 3 miles from the house, so I just reload after I've shot game, discharge it into my shooting berm when I reach the house, and clean it in the kitchen. (I got my wife hooked on BP hunting so I'm allowed to do that! :wink: ) If I were to stray far enough afield that it became necessary to camp, I think a little pouch of cleaning supplies as shown above would be just the ticket.
As far as ball pullers, I live out in the country so I can always discharge my piece to unload it. The few times I have pulled balls with a ball puller were less than pleasant. :cursing: (If you are all alone, a shop vise does a good job of holding the ramrod while you writhe around with the gun, but it sure is hard on the ramrod :redface: ) God save me from ever having to pull enough balls to wear out a ball puller!!!!
As far as ball pullers, I live out in the country so I can always discharge my piece to unload it. The few times I have pulled balls with a ball puller were less than pleasant. :cursing: (If you are all alone, a shop vise does a good job of holding the ramrod while you writhe around with the gun, but it sure is hard on the ramrod :redface: ) God save me from ever having to pull enough balls to wear out a ball puller!!!!
Actually some do...North Star West sells some glue/pin on flat faced shotgun cleaning jags that they drill & tap if you want.nchawkeye said:
But in general, I can only assume its for companies to hold down item cost and remain competitive...dunno.
But you could easily buy a few and stop in at a machine shop, they'd probably drill & tap them while you waited.
On ball pulling, I use strong 3/8" brass ramrods and I'm able to just pull a ball straight out...but I never go hunting without a strong brass T-handle just in case...and of course, as a result of always having one with me I've never needed one.
I carry a length of tarred marline and a rolling hitch on the end of the rod with the other end tied around a branch always works to pull a ball. Sometimes just a fold of leather is all the added grip I need.
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