Had trouble using the ball puller? Try this!

[Cosmoline]

If I'm at the range I've found it much easier to just slip in some 4F behind the ball and shoot it out. Works every time. Is it considered a no-no to do it that way or something?

 

[roundball]

If I'm at the range I've found it much easier to just slip in some 4F behind the ball and shoot it out. Works every time. Is it considered a no-no to do it that way or something?

I've found its faster to just pull the ball...I have 4 range rods rigged up all the time with a:
Jag
Ball puller
Patch retriever
.270cal brush
(which I use to slide a patch down into the patent breech to wipe/lube it for the drive home)

I just lay the rifle down on the padded bench, slide in the ball puller rod and slide the ball out...its quick, I don't needlessly foul up a bore I probably just cleaned, and I still have the ball to shoot

 

Ron,
You've received a lot of good advice from the fellows but I thought I'd add my 2 cents. Our club put a piece of flat 3/8" steel plate with a notch cut out on one of the posts holding the shooting shed roof. Put your ram rod handle into the notch and pull away. I also make my rods, not range rods with handles, with tips pinned on both ends. One is drilled for 8X32 the other for 10X32. I carry a short piece of 3/8 bar with a hole through the center of it and a hole at each end drilled for 8X32 and 10X32. I put a screw of each thread size into the respective hole for storage and if they are needed place them through the center hole and into the rod tip. Instant "T" handle for loading or pulling.
Mark

 

[lonehunter]

(roundball said) and I still have the ball to shoot.
Please explain, What kind of ball puller do you have? I use a worm screw and it messes the ball up pretty good. :v

 

[Tumblernotch]

That's a good idea. My problem is, my ramrods only have one threaded end.

that's purty easy to remedy. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(d...catId=6&subId=49&styleId=164&partNum=RT-5-8-B
you can get'm in brass or iron for most standard ramrod sizes. just file the end to fit, a bit of epoxy, and drill a hole through it for a small brass rod from the hardware store or a small nail for iron to pin it.
I try to get one of the different thread than the existing one,,then I have 10-32 on one side and 8-32 on the other,,I like the idea's here of a antler t-type handle with a through bolt! darn good idea!

I only use a tip on one end because I prefer them to be like the ones on old rifles. I make my own tips, jags and adaptors, so getting them is no problem. I use a SS range rod at the range and if I dryball there, I use a split hook fastened to the shooting shed to pull the ball. Despite the years of experience at this, I still dryball at the range every now and again because, well, I get to talking or helping somebody and forget where I'm at in the process. I've been working on that though and I'm getting to where it don't happen much. But I know it will happen again sometime. As for in the woods, there's less distractions and dryballing ain't a problem.

As the old saying goes, "There's two kinds of people shooting muzzleloaders, those that have dryballed and those who air a going to".
:grin:

 

[roundball]

(roundball said) and I still have the ball to shoot.
Please explain, What kind of ball puller do you have? I use a worm screw and it messes the ball up pretty good. :v

Typical ball puller...a caliber size brass disk with a threaded screw through the middle of it.
Yes, there is a large "hollow-point" where the screw augered in, but you will be shocked at how accurate they still are at 25/50 yards.

I just seat it right back down like I'd seat a cast ball that had a spru sticking up and the seating pressure flattens a lot of the "erupted" lead back down that rises up around the augered hole...certainly there is still a void in there, but with it facing forward and the effects of the rifling twist, they go right through the bullseye like a new one at only 25/50 yards...

 

[lonehunter]

I see, thanks, I thought I was missing something.
I guess it would be a hollow point roundball :wink: :v

 

[Tumblernotch]

And that "hollowpoint" can be an asset when deer hunting. A few years ago, I was using .41 Mag conicals in my .40 for deer. I only had a couple and didn't want to waste them by shooting them out when putting in a fresh load. So I pulled the same one out several times. When I finally shot the deer, the hollow point made by the ball screw really made a difference in the expansion. I've never experimented with pulled roundballs, but if centered in the barrel I'm sure they'd do well at at least close to moderate ranges. :hmm:

 

[roundball]

First time I tried then was one January after the fall / winter deer season was over...I had saved every patch & ball that I'd pulled after 25-30 day hunts and took them to the range just for plinkers...was shocked at how accurate they were

 

[Tumblernotch]

I'd say that as long as you don't mangle them with the screw too bad and you center the hole well when you reload they oughta do pretty good. I think I have a few around here that I've not recast. Might just try some meself! :grin:

 

[roundball]

I think I have a few around here that I've not recast. Might just try some meself! :grin:

And to me, that's really a good approach to keep enjoying this hobby and preventing it from becoming boring by go to the range often and trying all sorts of new things.

This forum is actually a great spawning ground for ideas to go prove or disprove because of all the posts...and getting the actual hands on experience is not only rewarding, it sometimes shows up theory and speculation for what they are...

 

[ronrryan]

Just another thought...previous post said put some oil down. I have put water down, waited a lil bit for it to soak the patch, makes the pulling easier, whatever method you use. Then clean bore well, dry, go back to shooting. Good smoke, Ron in FL

 

[wildeagle]

Now, trying to live up to my wife saying I'm a smart a$$, how traditional is a brass range rod. Does anyone have any documentation of any? There are iron ramrods, but aren't they usually military. It seems that civilian use dictates what could be traditional, although just about anything firearm related starts out as being military. Because almost any ml has a ramrod can we talk about them no matter what material they are made of. If this is the case then what about projectiles? I guess this rant came about by way of the copper projectile on another thread. I think that bullet should have been discussed in a more appropriate section, but none the less it is a bullet and projectiles go hand and hand with firearms. With the possible lead bans , it could be a viable alternative, albeit, it should be discussed in the appropriate section. It just seems that traditional is handy to hide behind if it ruffles someones feathers but easy to forget at other times. Now being the smart a$$ I am , I have nothing against traditional, in fact I try to stay on the traditional side of things, but sometimes on this forum the interpretation of it is a little confusing.

 

[Tumblernotch]

Well, I don't know how everyone else thinks about it, but as far as ramrods go at the range, use whatever works safely for you. I'm a traditionalist myself, but for shooting at a range, whether plinking or competing, I generally use a SS range rod with a plastic grip. And so does almost everybody else I've shot with at various ranges. Most of the time, these shoots are strictly for the shooting, unlike living histories or rendezvous' where historical accuracy is sought. There, emphasis is placed on using period correct equipment in a period/historically correct manner. Some on here like to use brass ramrods when hunting because of their strength and added weight to a short/light barrel. Nothing wrong with that. If they're at a historical event, they may have to prove use of that type of rod in the historical period they are representing.

As for copper bullets or copper jacketed bullets, from what I've seen, read and heard over the years, they pretty much belong to the smokeless age. In 1883, Major Rubin of Switzerland invented the copper jacketed bullet. Shortly afterward, the Germans invented the spitzer type jacketed bullet. In either 1884 or 1886, depending on who you believe, Paul Vielle invented smokeless powder which was introduced in the French Model 1886 Lebel. The copper jacketed bullet was designed for velocities higher than what could normally obtained in a black powder weapon, although alloyed lead bullets can handle pretty high velocities. Of course these bullets were primarily used in BP cartridge arms and some powerful ML target and hunting rifles. And the all copper bullet has only been around a few short years, thereby missing any possible use in a BP weapon of any kind in history.

And aside from the historical aspect, a jacketed bullet, as said earlier would rapidly wear out the rifling in most modern ML barrels unless made of a steel designed for them, and in an original rifle with a wrought iron barrel, the effects would in all likelyhood be catastrophic. Also, unless sabotted, accuracy would be terrible as there is no way the bullet could expand to engage the rifling.

I'm not against experimenting with different types, but I believe that the composition of the bullet should be of the material in use at the time when the type of rifle I'm shooting it in was made and used. And in the case of muzzleloaders this means lead. Simply stated, neither solid copper nor copper jacketed bullets are traditional. If one wants to use them in their traditional rifle (which I don't recommend) or their inline, that's up to them. But since they didn't exist during the period that this Forum covers (up to 1865 I believe), they have no place in discussion except maybe the Non-Muzzleloading Forum.

I'm sorry if this was a bit lengthy :snore: and maybe bordering being off-topic, but I believe a little history and explanation was in order.
:thumbsup:

 

[wildeagle]

Nothing to be sorry about Robert. I agree that safety is paramount. Good info to boot also. I'm not sure where to discuss also. A brass rod being stronger also makes things easier. You don't have to worry about as many things going wrong, ends coming off, pulling a stuck ball is easier, nothing to shatter and impale your hand.IMO a wooden rod just looks better on a smokepole. If I pay attention to my components and don't dry ball, a wood rod works fine for me. But then again I'm sure I don't put as many rounds down range as most other members here do.

 

[Tumblernotch]

While I don't use a brass rod at this time, it's a good idea to have one for the simple reason that it doesn't scratch the bore. I'm like you in that I like a wooden rod better. One positive thing about having only a wooden rod in the woods is, it should make the shooter a little more careful when loading if he knows that pulling a ball will be harder if not impossible. If you look at old photos of hunters and other shooters back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, you'll often see ramrods at least a foot longer than the barrels. That makes it possible to grip a rod and pull a ball, and I've done it that way. But there's two objections I have with this. One is if there is the least bit of run-out, you'll likely twist the rod in two and after a while, even a sound rod will weaken if you pull very many loads. The other is the rod snagging on branches and stuff while you're moving around, and that has also happened to me.

The way I have my wooden rods in my rifles, when I'm hunting I screw the jag onto the tip which is flush with the end of the barrel. That gives me a couple more inches. You can also make an extra long jag or worm. Or, you can make a brass (or wood) extension to keep in your pouch or haversack. Since we've been talking about brass ramrods, I've been thinking of making a sectional rod with a tee or ball end that I could keep in my pouch or haversack. It would be in 8 or 10 inch sections and wouldn't take but a little room and weigh no more than a pound or so.

I shoot a lot and I've gotten where I don't dryball near as much as I used to. But I have those days from time to time where it seems nothing goes right. One day about a year or so ago, I was talking while loading (the number 1 cause of dryballs), and of course...you guessed it, I dryballed. I pulled the ball and started reloading griping all the while about what I just did and it being a sucky day in general, and guess what? Dryballed again I did! Two shots in a row. But I survived.

Anyhow, we all gotta do or use what works best for us. I've enjoyed it and it's the one hobby I've stuck with for most of my life. And learning new things and experimenting with loads, tools and different weapons keeps it fresh. It's a good thing I'm not loading a rifle now because I'm sure I would be dryballing! :yakyak:

Just thought of something to keep in mind if using a ball puller. Whether using a range rod or ramrod, keep a small pair of pliers or a Leatherman tool or something handy. If you have to really honk down on it when screwing the puller in, you probably won't be able to unscrew the puller from the rod without something to grip it with.

 

[wildeagle]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[Mulebrain]

A famous quote:

"Dry balling, is like lighting the wrong end of a cigarette"

By Mule Brain :grin:

Have never done it myself yet, but pulled plenty while getting my son up and running!

 

[Tumblernotch]

A famous quote:

"Dry balling, is like lighting the wrong end of a cigarette"

By Mule Brain :grin:

Have never done it myself yet, but pulled plenty while getting my son up and running!

Well hang in there and don't give up! You'll do it some day! :grin:

 

[lonehunter]

Have never done it myself yet
dont jinx yourself, I could have said the same thing until about a month ago. Then one day 3 yes 3 times in one day :redface: guess i was making up for it all at one time. :v