Need ideas

[buckleymarka56]

As usual people giving solutions when they haven't asked any questions to find out where the ball is. Nice to see someone who is actually trying to get the info needed to actually be able to offer the correct solution for the problem.

The ball was stuck. I tried a ball puller, no luck. I will let my trusted gunsmith fix it. And YES he knows there's a charge behind it.
I have since bought a patch puller and 2 ball pullers.
You can be assured, that will Never happen again.
My biggest concern I'd damage to the barrel from the 4 shots I took before it got stuck. And the rust.
She's my favorite gun.

 

[OldSmoky1967]

The other day I get a ball stuck in the barrel of my colonial long rifle.
I tried to get the ball out with a puller, to no avail. Had to take it to my gun smith and leave it there for him to get it out..
Problem is there's a load of powder behind the ball..
I know what happened, a patch got stuck in the barrel, and I thought I blew it out. But I guess not, it was plugging the flash hole I think.

You guys have ideas?

Thanks
Mark

Pull the nipple put in about 10 grains of powder, It will ignite the main charge and shoot out the ball...

 

[wiscoaster]

I'm not stupid.

OK, sorry, it's a common mistake when not enough detail is given in the OP.

 

[stephenprops1]

I agree with @Notchy Bob. It sounds as if this is more of a failure to fire than a stuck ball. Well, there's several 20 page threads with some helpful and lots of not so helpful information.

The CO2 dischargers should work. But the ball puller should have worked also. The gunsmith should have been able to get it out in less than 5 minutes. Maybe a little longer if he took a break.

I know those CO2 dischargers don't always work. I once tried that several times to no avail. I took the gun (pistol) to a gunsmith and was told that the CO2 dischargers are not always successful. I could not get that ball out, so I let the gunsmith do it.

 

[kyron4]

The ball was stuck. I tried a ball puller, no luck. I will let my trusted gunsmith fix it. And YES he knows there's a charge behind it.
I have since bought a patch puller and 2 ball pullers.
You can be assured, that will Never happen again.
My biggest concern I'd damage to the barrel from the 4 shots I took before it got stuck. And the rust.
She's my favorite gun.

You can still clean and lightly oil the bore down to the ball if your concerned about rusting.

 

[kyron4]

Also, stuck balls, cleaning methods, new shooter questions, etc. are not to be discussed here , what do think this is a muzzleloading forum

*Disclaimer

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Take the barrel out, pull the breech plug and push the ball out with a ram rod. Put it back together and go shoot.

 

[LANEY REECE]

Yes it was seated all the way down.
I'm not stupid.

Bud, they did not say you were stupid, they are trying to help you out with info. you are giving them.

 

[KevinC]

A short note on pulling a stuck ball;
It sometimes really helps a lot to drizzle a little water (or solvent, like Thompsons 13) in the barrel to help soften the fouling. The ball usually will pull much more easily then.

 

[Mike in FL]

I've stuck too many round balls. When one is REALLY stuck, I have at least twice soaked the barrel with lots of WD40 and let it stand a while. Then use the screening puller. Another thing is to screw the puller into the ball and wedge the handle of the rod into something to where I can pull on the rifle and not pull on the rod, thereby being able to give you more pulling power. Trying to hold both the rod and the rifle does not allow you to pull very hard but being able to grasp the stock with both hands allows way more pulling power. I was the OP 50+ years ago when I took a Jack Garner .36 to a gunsmith to get the ball out.

 

[Mike in FL]

I've stuck too many round balls. When one is REALLY stuck, I have at least twice soaked the barrel with lots of WD40 and let it stand a while. Then use the screening puller. Another thing is to screw the puller into the ball and wedge the handle of the rod into something to where I can pull on the rifle and not pull on the rod, thereby being able to give you more pulling power. Trying to hold both the rod and the rifle does not allow you to pull very hard but being able to grasp the stock with both hands allows way more pulling power. I was the OP 50+ years ago when I took a Jack Garner .36 to a gunsmith to get the ball out.

Not screening. Stupid auto correct!

 

[Hammond79]

The ball was stuck. I tried a ball puller, no luck. I will let my trusted gunsmith fix it. And YES he knows there's a charge behind it.
I have since bought a patch puller and 2 ball pullers.
You can be assured, that will Never happen again.
My biggest concern I'd damage to the barrel from the 4 shots I took before it got stuck. And the rust.
She's my favorite gun.

I don't think 4 shots will ruin your rifle by rusting if the ball is removed soon and a thorough cleaning is done as soon as you get it back.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I was at a shooting range once and the fellow in the next shooting cubicle got his ball stuck bad. There was a hole in the plywood wall between my shooting cubicle and his that we could get the pulling rod through. We ran the pulling rod with the ball puller on the end deep into his lead ball. He put the muzzle against the wall on his side and I grabbed onto the rod on my side and put my foot on the wall and started pulling. That gave be better leverage helping to bring the ball out of his barrel.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Sam squanch]

I swab the bore after every shot. Once I started doing that my stuck ball problems went away. With the exception of my new englander, every muzzleloader I own has a fairly easy to remove breech plug. Just in case the problem happens again. Tip - DON’T loan your gun to people who don’t know anything about loading a muzzleloader properly……..

 

[waksupi]

There are several very dangerous suggestions offered here.

 

[Mogadishu Meanderer]

There are several very dangerous suggestions offered here.

 

[Mogadishu Meanderer]

You can be assured, that will Never happen again.

That’s exactly what I told myself back in 1988 when I first dry balled my TC Hawken!!!…oh boy, was I wrong!!!

 

[wiscoaster]

I know those CO2 dischargers don't always work.

I agree. I bought one once. Tried it and it didn't work. Threw it in the garbage. Then successfully used the grease gun method.

 

[TonyC]

Dry balled once. Couldn’t pull it out. It was seated all the way down with no powder charge. Go my air compressor, removed the nipple and that ball flew out of there like it was shot!

 

[waksupi]

If you try the CO2 dischargers, the ball must be at the breech to make it work. Otherwise, if there is too much bore volume for the CO2 to fill, too much pressure is lost before the ball can be expelled.