OK....I did the idiot load....

[garandman]

Nice round 0.490 ball, with a perfect fitting 0.015 patch.... and no powder.

I got a stuck ball.

I tried the "wood screw" threaded ball remover, but it would not budge.

I'm wondering if I could pour a little powder into the port, and blast the thing out..... any other ideas?

 

[robtattoo]

Pull the nipple & dribble a couple of grains of powder in there. You may have to winkle it in there with a pin, but you'll get enough to cap & shoot clear the ball.
BE CAREFUL though, you'd be amazed at the power the ball carries with only a grain or two of powder!

 

[roundball]

And if that doesn't work, a CO2 discharger, and finally even a grease gun using a 'Zerk' grease fitting from an auto supply store with the same threads.
(no BS, have personally used the grease gun approach...and to be honest, it is simple and effective)

 

[Bruce H]

Welcome to the club!! I am a fairly new member, having joined the end of May. There were lots of responses/help when I joined, just look for the post "I'm an idiot!!". Lots of help there.

 

[nkbj]

A little powder behind the ball will probably bring it right out. Go ahead and trickle all you can, keep at it. One thing though, be sure and smack that ball well down upon the powder before setting it off. An air space back there can ruin a barrel and maybe even more.

 

[meanmike8665]

Please remember to make sure the nipple is seated back where it was, if there is to much powder and you don't use a pin or something to force powder in the hole the nipple won't reset properly and I have seen one come out. I even recheck the nipple after the load is cleared before reloading. Welcome to the art of blackpowder shooting.
Michael

 

[hanshi]

Over my career I've dry balled so many times and ended up trickling so much 4F in the nipple/vent hole that at times Ive thought about just working up a plinking load with 4F :rotf: . Got to say, though, I never had much trouble pulling prb as long as I used my range rod. In fact, if I used rb's grease gun solution I'd probably be guilty of supporting the oil companies :td: .

 

[AllenHawken]

I also did an idiot load today. Must be something about the 4th of July.

I have a .54 Hawken, and on my 12th load today I rammed home a .535 ball on .018 spit lubed pillow ticking patch, but I had forgotten "first the powder, then the patch." [forehead slap].

Fortunately, I was able to extract the ball using a screw-threaded ball puller I had the foresight to buy at Bass Pro Shop near Richmond, VA a couple of months ago. I then had to use my patch puller to get the patch out becaue it didn't come out with the ball. I screwed them both onto the end of my ramrod with the ramrod tip removed.

After screwing the puller into the ball, I clamped the end of the ramrod into my Black & Decker Workmate bench, gripped the rifle stock, and pulled with all my might to get the thing out. I had to get my wife to sit on the bench to keep it from moving. It worked, thank goodness.

Did you try clamping the ramrod into a bench vise or something similar and pulling on the gun?

Good luck, and I hope neither of us does that again.

 

[gearheart]

Next time you are at the Doc.'s and get your ears look into, ask for the little funnel that goes on the end of the 'scope tool. It's a throw away item. It is perfect for getting powder into the nipple hole.

 

[garandman]

Tried dat.

Ball puller ripped a hole in my 0.490 ball, so that I cant thread it back in now.

 

[William O.]

Since you've got a patch around the ball it will probably fill in the hole you've make in it well enough to allow you to shoot it out, although if you are using 2f powder you may find it a little difficult to get that into the hole. If you know someone who shoots a flintlock ask to borrow their pan primer (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/497231/traditions-flintlock-pan-charger-primer-brass) which will hopefully have 4f powder in it (3f works too). Using one of these will make it easy to get 5-6 grains into the chamber and get that RB out of there. As has been stated earlier, do this in a safe direction because the ball is coming out of there fast enough to be fatal or cause serious injury. Oh, and welcome to the club. There are two types of people who shoot ML's; those who have dryballed and those that will- :grin:

 

[junkman_01]

"This the rule above all....first the powder then the ball"

I have this quote on the outside of my range box. Everyone I shoot with looks at it. :bow:

 

[Shooey]

Sometimes I think roundballs should be made with a threaded hole in them! Just load with the hole centered. :thumbsup:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Tried dat.

Ball puller ripped a hole in my 0.490 ball, so that I cant thread it back in now.

And that is exactly why ball pullers are a last resort desperation measure to get a dry ball out. The powder dribbling behind the ball and shooting it SOP. But, these days the CO2 discharger, while not PC is the easiest and safest way to go.

 

[cynthialee]

If ya don't have 4f, take your 2f and carefully grind it in a mortar and pestle. Be sure to use only 5-10 grains at a time and go nice and slow. You don't wanna flash it from friction, but if you do then having only a few grains in an open contanier like a morter and pestle it won't be a major issue.
You will end with a very fine powder.

 

[Mike 56]

What an idiot you fool i can't understand how someone could forget the powder. :stir: :grin: How much powder do you put in the nipple hole? :grin:

 

[Rifleman1776]

How much powder do you put in the nipple hole?

Actually, there are nipple primers available. They are brass things with a spring nozzle that inject a small amount of fine powder into the nipple. Useful just for situations like this.

 

[StewartLeach]

Having dry balled more than a few times, I am considering getting a tee shirt that reads

Powder
Patch
Ball

printed upside down on the front.

A bit more seriously, pulling a ball, or pushing it out with powder or a CO2 discharger, goes much more easily if you dribble a little water or solvent or whatever down the muzzle to lubricate things. Many things in life go better with a little lubrication.

White Fox

 

[Mike 56]

Good idea,I would like one of those shirts better put i need one of those shirts!

 

[David W.]

Nice round 0.490 ball, with a perfect fitting 0.015 patch.... and no powder.

I got a stuck ball.

I tried the "wood screw" threaded ball remover, but it would not budge.

I'm wondering if I could pour a little powder into the port, and blast the thing out..... any other ideas?

I guess were're all idiots, since everyone here has done it, except those who lie about it, and those are the lying idiots! :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

Pull the nipple and put about 5 gr in the hole, screw the nipple back an, check to see if the ball is all the way seated, and fire it in a safe direction. Even a ball with a small gr charge will come out the barrel quickly.

Geez, not only am I dumb, but an idiot too! :shake: :wink: