how should i remove my patch/ball?

[jamie]

what is the best way to remove a charged gun??
i dont have a screw thingy. :hmm:

 

[bob1961]

point it in a safe direction like a dirt mound or a old stump and shoot it out....then go and buy a ball puller or c02 discharger :v ...........bob

 

[yooper]

I always dump my charges into the ground before I head back from the hunt...Sounds like you may need to get a puller and or a co2 discharger...

 

[roundball]

what is the best way to remove a charged gun??
i dont have a screw thingy. :hmm:

Ya just gotta get a screw thingy...and if you're going to hunt a lot, get a couple of them cause sure as you need one in the field, you'll drop & lose the first one in the leaves...fortunately, they're cheap.

Another reason a ball puller is a good thing is that I have a particular patch/ball combo in a .62cal smoothbore that is so tight my 30 gallon tank / 140psi Sears air compressor won't blow it out, so I have to pull the load every time (and I save save the balls for plinking at the range).
Also, shooting them out just causes an unnecessary cleaning chore.

 

[walruskid1]

i agree with the others, your kit isn't complete until you have all the little things that make life nice. ball puller included.

 

[mckutzy]

if u can, remove the breach plug. on some guns that maby more hassle than worth.

 

[Birddog6]

NO, don't remove the breechplug. This is a Common thing & ya don't discombuberate the rifle cause ya need to pull a ball.... :shake: Needing to remove a ball, charged or dryballed WILL happen again, unless you park it on the shelf or in a closet. But if you shoot much at all, you WILL dryball it eventually & this will come up again.

Options:

1: Shoot it out. It is the easiest.
2: Blow it out with compressed air. Remove vent or nipple (if removable) take a air nozzle with a Rubber Tip, turn the air on full blast, seal the rubber tip against the flash hole & blow the ball & charge out into the ground. (Note: lots of times a steel tipped nozzle will leak too much around the hole & not have the pressure to blast the ball out)
3: Blow it out with a CO2 discharger.
4: Pull the ball with a ball puller. If the rifle is unfouled, it will usually pull quite easily. If it is fouled I suggest you lube the bore with a jag & patch with some lubricate like Ballistol, WD40, any penetrating oil, motor oil, patch grease, whatever.

 

[Halftail]

The easiest way..Shoot it and clean it.The whole deal takes minutes after boiling the water.
C02 Discharger costs around $20us but is the real fast way.
In my opinion a ball puller is a pain in the Butt.Too often the screw will pull out of the ball and you end up re-seating and shooting it out.

 

[ronrryan]

The procedure I was taught by an old timer was to pour water or your liquid of choice down on top of the ball, let it soak a bit, then use the screw thingy and pull the ball. You might have one guy hold the gun dowm, t'other pull the rod, but I have done it alone OK, at a bench that allowed for having the triggerguard over the far edge. Needless to say, the first thing to do is uncap or deprime and plug the vent. Then you have a messy cleaning job, relax and enjoy it. I have never had this procedure fail. The thingy costs about two bucks, I think, so get a couple, as advised above. Good smoke, ron in FL

 

[Shudy]

Michiganbow guy,

The easiest for me is just to point in a safe direction and shoot and then clean it. For me when you pull the bullet the powder doesnt come out good and you have to clean it. I once spent more time cleaning my gun after pulling it that I would have by shooting it one time. I do not have any experience with a CO2 discharger. Seems like several here has one and I may now look at getting one also.


Shudy

 

[Pork Chop]

This has been said before, but for safety's sake it bears repeating. If you shoot it out, make sure of your backstop - the best being the vital areas of a nice whitetail buck!

 

[renovato]

Buy yerself a screw thingy or co2 discharger. I usually shoot out a load rather than pull it, but it's good to have them handy in case you dry ball.

 

[mbw907]

Porkchop, Great advice , as usual. Nothing beats a whitetail buck as a backstop for unloading a gun. Now then, if I could just get a chance to prove your theory....Too much work and not enough play makes much dust collect on your muzzleloaders...Not a good thing to do. :haha:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Definately the screw thingy. I carry one in my pouch and one in my patchbox. Never tried a CO2 discharger (I'm too cheap) but they look like a grand idea.

If you're hunting the next day it's a four patch clean up after shooting the gun. Damp (Moose Juice, of course), dry, alcohol, dry and then use B.C. Sheath on the dry patch to lube the bore. Before reloading the next morning wipe with an alcohol patch to remove the Sheath and then a lightly lubed patch. If you're leaving the gun until the next weekend wipe again the next day with Sheath and then do the pre-load alcohol wipe & lube brfore loading. Pretty simple.

 

[mckutzy]

ok, that was the first thing that came to mind, if buddy doesnt have the screw to pull the ball well i thought next best thing. on my bess the barrel had a siezed breach plug (i think it was heat shrunk on?) it was the first thing i had though of being i had no screw. 4 hours later of exausting thought and crafting, i did.

 

[mckutzy]

probably the best thing is to get a screw. like if u got a nipple/flint wrench with the gun.

 

[Birddog6]

Why didn't ya just shoot it out ? Work some powder in the vent hole or remove nipple & work powder behind it, put the nipple back & shoot it out. Only takes about 5 grains of powder to remove a dryball.

 

[snagg]

I also use a scewy thing.
I use it for the end of the day after hunting. And a couple of times for forgetting to put the charge in. I hate when I do that.
I don't have a co2 discharger, but it is on my list of things to get someday.

snagg

 

[Adirondackman]

I hunt about 4-5 times a week during deer season and always prefer to shoot my gun at the end of the day. I pick out a dead tree or stump at about 50 yards and let her fly. I have noticed that this extra practice has helped me shoot my gun more accuratly. The cleaning from 1 shot isn't that bad either - plus I just enjoy shooting the dang gun. Have Fun

 

[Arrowstorm]

Shoot it out! that is the best way and actually, sometimes, the easiest way, because a ball puller can really be a PAIN, especially if the ball is way down in there and you get little to no grip and leverage on your rod.

You might need to remove the touchhole liner and stuff a few grains of powder down into the breech. It's a pain, but if you get at least 5-10 grains down there, you should be able to point the gun in a safe direction and just.... shoot it right on outta there.

I'm sure co2 chargers are easier... but uhm.... my forefathers didn't have that luxury, so I won't be needing it either. :thumbsup: