Gaaah! Help! Can't get stuck ball out

[Carbon 6]

Ball was stuck because Black MZ, a .015 patch, or prelubed wonderlube patch?

Yep, He fired Black MZ once with old wonderlube then tried to reload That stuff is god awful at leaving a really dry bore and hard fouling. G-Damn ascorbic acid and dextrose powder, stuff should be outlawed.

 

[Carbon 6]

Frankly, Black MZ fouls a lot less than real black.

But it's a harder fouling and it is harder to clean.
The powder is not designed to be used with a lubricant. It's designed for use with plastic sabots. Read the literature.

 

[brewer12345]

But it's a harder fouling and it is harder to clean.
The powder is not designed to be used with a lubricant. It's designed for use with plastic sabots. Read the literature.

I know I am swimming upstream here in the temple of the holy black (which I use as well), but I like and have used a lot of Black MZ and never shot a single sabot. Typically I swab after every 3 shots regardless of the powder I use, but I have shot a dozen times with Black MZ without the need to swab. This is with modest charges and PRB as well as with heavy charges and sizable conicals. I am not speaking out of a lack of experience with this powder.

 

[Carbon 6]

Was the patch freshly lubed or had it sit for a year ?

 

[brewer12345]

Was the patch freshly lubed or had it sit for a year ?

The first shot was from last fall, the second was a fresh patch recently acquired. Think it was the first patch?

 

[Carbon 6]

The first shot was from last fall, the second was a fresh patch recently acquired. Think it was the first patch?

That and the powder sitting in a speed loader that's what I've been trying to say,
But i also wonder if you cleaned the gun before you started shooting since it had sat for a year.

The literature says use a clean dry bore with black MZ .

 

[brewer12345]

That and the powder sitting in a speed loader that's what I've been trying to say,
But i also wonder if you cleaned the gun before you started shooting since it had sat for a year.

The literature says use a clean dry bore with black MZ .

The powder is unlikely to be an issue. Speedloader was sealed and my climate is EXTREMELY dry. I understand that in more humid climates people have all kinds of issues with various kinds of powder/substitutes. Not really an issue here.

I left the bore squeaky clean and lightly oiled in October. Prior to loading the first shot, I dud what I always do: run a couple dry patches down the bore, stick a pipe cleaner in the nipple, and snap a couple caps to make sure everything is clear.

 

[Carbon 6]

Still going back to my original assessment.

I've shot a lot black mz too, in a lot of different guns and loading combinations, muzzleloader and modern guns..

Hope your ball comes out OK .

 

[brewer12345]

Thanks, me too.

 

[Carbon 6]

Ya know I got to thinking,
With all the pulling and yanking you've done I can't believe you haven't pulled the puller out of the ball.
Are your balls pure lead or an alloy ?

 

[brewer12345]

Ya know I got to thinking,
With all the pulling and yanking you've done I can't believe you haven't pulled the puller out of the ball.
Are your balls pure lead or an alloy ?

Cast out of stick on wheel weights, very soft. If there is anything besides lead in them, it is a fraction of a percent. I managed to yank the screw out of the ball a few times along the way.

 

[fourbore]

I maybe missing somehting, so; let me pose this as a question. if the ram rod can be removed, why not continue to drive the ball down? If it can be pulled with great force it can probably be driven home with a lot less. That is once it moves down a few inches. That job would call for 1/2" diameter metal stock rod. Could be anything steel, brass or aluminum. Maybe put a little concave in the rod end. If the ball puller stays in the ball, then I dont know - maybe thread the end of the metal rod and drive the puller down with the ball. Then shoot it out. That would be handy to have around and should be available at any industrial supply. I would go for brass.

 

[theoldredneck]

The grease gun has enough pressure to push it out. The grease isnt that hard to clean out. It is easy enough to clean out that instead of using a ball puller I use it. I'm old and too lazy for all the work involved in a ball puller.

 

[toot]

two choises-take a heavy stout steel rod and with a two pound hammer and pound it down onto the powder with an amount of 4 FG in it and re install and fire it or take it out side and very slowly run a BERNZ A MATIC torch in the area where it is stuck. and put a wet towel below the area to keep the heat from traveling down the barrel and when it cools down strike it with a steel rod. got to try something.

 

[jager43478]

I gone shot off this afternoon and the second ball stuck halfway down the barrel I broke the ramrod, tried a CO2 discharger, anchored the ball pulling screw in and pulled until I saw stars with the range rod when I got it home. Poured some ballistol down the barrel to try to grease the skids. It won't budge. I have been trying different things for hours now. Any suggestions?

Sounds like u got some rust in the barrel. Pulling like u said u are eventually going to pull out the center of the ball. If you can get to an air compress and use a nozzle with a rubber tip that may do it. A compressor will put out more pressure than a co 2. Good luck

 

[Capnball]

I am extremely reluctant to fire it. Ball is halfway down the barrel and there was a large powder charge put in first.

Yeh, do NOT try to fire it out. At least you can hurt the gun, at worst you can hurt yourself.

 

[KC Clem]

I'm no expert, but if it were me, I'd pull the barrel, remove the breech plug, and see if I could push it through. You might need to clamp the barrel in a vise (with soft jaws) and use a heavier steel rod with a bottle jack or a floor jack to push the ball out. In any event, I agree with a couple comments that said do not try additional powder to shoot it out. Then I'd look the barrel over real good, deep clean it, and see if there's anything that might have caused the issue in the first place.

 

[fourbore]

OK, how hammer about 1/2 wood dowel cut with 2" exposed and a heavy hammer? It is pure lead? How hard can that be?

 

[rescuemike]

Cast out of stick on wheel weights, very soft. If there is anything besides lead in them, it is a fraction of a percent. I managed to yank the screw out of the ball a few times along the way.

Most all wheel weights these days are zinc, not lead. That might be part of the problem.

 

[87TT]

I'm no expert, but if it were me, I'd pull the barrel, remove the breech plug, and see if I could push it through. You might need to clamp the barrel in a vise (with soft jaws) and use a heavier steel rod with a bottle jack or a floor jack to push the ball out. In any event, I agree with a couple comments that said do not try additional powder to shoot it out. Then I'd look the barrel over real good, deep clean it, and see if there's anything that might have caused the issue in the first place.

This^^^^^^^^^^