Pulling a round ball
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Dry-balled an ITX ball a few weeks ago (iron/tungsten alloy) In my Traditions Woodsman. There's no removing that ball via screw as I'm pretty sure the screw is softer than the ball. I had a CO2 with me but figured I'd try the "shoot it out" method first. Removed the clean-out screw on the drum, dribbled as much 2F Pyrodex as I could in there, replaced screw, capped the nipple, pointed downrange & fired. A little pop lobbed the ball downrange. I confirmed a clear channel with my ramrod and by popping another cap while watching the ground in front of the muzzle. Done.
Shortly after I got my first BP rifle a few years ago, I intentionally dry-balled it with a lead ball to test how the screw puller works & practice getting one out. Figured it would just be a matter of time before I did it so I might as well learn how to fix it at home rather than in the field. I have a screw puller fit for my range rod. It takes some pressure to get the screw into the ball. But it was pretty easy to remove.
I take my rifle pretty far into the backcountry to hunt sometimes. I've carried a CO2 with me for a couple of years but I think I'll leave it in the truck going forward & just use the "shoot it out" method when in the field.
Shortly after I got my first BP rifle a few years ago, I intentionally dry-balled it with a lead ball to test how the screw puller works & practice getting one out. Figured it would just be a matter of time before I did it so I might as well learn how to fix it at home rather than in the field. I have a screw puller fit for my range rod. It takes some pressure to get the screw into the ball. But it was pretty easy to remove.
I take my rifle pretty far into the backcountry to hunt sometimes. I've carried a CO2 with me for a couple of years but I think I'll leave it in the truck going forward & just use the "shoot it out" method when in the field.
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Have we got to Britsmoothy’s favorite the “stick the gun underwater to render the powder safe” yet?
Many it seems cannot read a entire post lol, putting powder on wet powder seems to create more problems right.If the chamber is wet or damp, it won't work well or not at all...
hanshi
Cannon
I've removed several dry balls by trickling powder in the vent. I've also pulled several with a ss range rod that has the ball, rather than "T" handle, and it seemed to always work. A "T" handle is best but a good ball handle works as well. I BUY the screw-in ball pullers and have them in every caliber. I load tight prb and a wood ramrod just won't cut it. Never try ball pulling with a homemade screw setup. A scratched bore is the result of not having a puller with a bore guide.
I've used one successfully on other shooters firearms but have never successfully used one with my own evidently my patch, lube, ball combination is too snug. I have yet to have a failure to remove ball when adding 4f in nipple channel
Crow-Feather
32 Cal.
Use electrical tape above the screw until the rod is centered in the bore
I totally 100% concur and advocate for putting black powder in a dry gun only. Never in a wet one. So, make sure the chamber is dry, then add that 4F and let ‘er rip! Don’t tell anyone, please, but I’ve had to do it myself.If the chamber is wet or damp, it won't work well or not at all...
Back in dinosaur days I dryballed my newly built kit rifle at my first black powder range session. Pulled the nipple, put in as much powder as I could, replaced the nipple and fired it. I saw the ball come out of the barrel and hit the ground about five yards short of the 25 yard targets. That was over four decades ago and I can still see that ball in mid-air after it left the barrel.
To the OP, that ball puller will also double as a patch puller. Sooner or later you will need that when a patch comes off the cleaning jag. I have separate shooting bags for each caliber. All bags contain the proper size jag, ball puller and wire brush to scrape breech plug fouling for that caliber. They have been very handy to have at hand over the years.
To the OP, that ball puller will also double as a patch puller. Sooner or later you will need that when a patch comes off the cleaning jag. I have separate shooting bags for each caliber. All bags contain the proper size jag, ball puller and wire brush to scrape breech plug fouling for that caliber. They have been very handy to have at hand over the years.
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get the proper ball remover that fits your rod and bore.
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Next time at the range Don’t Wipe an empty barrel.
If you feel you Must wipe, run the patch After it’s loaded.
You’ll find most all of the fouling gets pushed down onto the powder charge by the wet patched ball and the barrel isn’t really dirty.
Minies in muskets without a patch is a whole different dirty mess, but they were designed to shoot for hours with no wiping.
If you feel you Must wipe, run the patch After it’s loaded.
You’ll find most all of the fouling gets pushed down onto the powder charge by the wet patched ball and the barrel isn’t really dirty.
Minies in muskets without a patch is a whole different dirty mess, but they were designed to shoot for hours with no wiping.
Making my own ball puller out of a 7/16 coldrolled Rod concerned me, about this very issue of scratching the bore, but there is enough room in a 50 caliber to completely wrap the 7/16 Rod with electrical tape which makes the Rod fit rather nicely in a 50 caliber. I'm sure a 3/8 Rod would work the same way in a 45 caliber.
Squint
Squint
I have been pulling PLRB’s out of my muzzleloaders using a ball puller on hickory rods for decades with no issues. I make sure that the end cap is well fitted and pinned on the hickory rod, the ball-puller jag is fitted with a brass disc(made for caliber) in back of the screw to center the screw on the ball, and of course, there is sufficient grip area on the end of the rod to pull the ball out. I use a long rod at the range and carry a short, brass extension if needed for my shorter rifle rod when hunting. On the rare occasions that I’ve had a stubborn ball that was difficult to pull, a few squirts of Ballistol down the.muzzle and a couple of minutes of soak time has always enabled easy removal. I rarely, if ever, use dry lubes on my patched round balls preferring Mink Oil or or similar lubricity. This aides easy removal with a puller. Over the years, I’ve learned to avoid the operator errors that have usually been the most common reason for stuck balls. Of late, I use a puller to unload my rifle between hunts/seasons.
Since you know what kind of powder is in the gun, you can pull the nipple, put fresh powder in the bolster, screw the nipple back in & shoot it out. I've demonstrated below for a percussion gun:
Flintlock guns below;
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Drywall screw? Wood screw? Glue? Ain't no way! Get a rod with a threaded end. Spend a couple bucks on a ball remover screw that is made just for this. The right tool for the right job.
Wood screws have too fine a thread. Dry wall or deck screws have a corse thread that’s very sharp. I wager our ancestors used screws hammered out by the local black smith who then mounted them to a wooded rod.The one I made replaced a “proper” one that pulled off the rod leaving not only a ball but now a ball remover screw in the bore also.
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Don’t be a ball jerk - zero! A 45 cal rifle that a friend brought me had an old full load caked and stuck in it. I was able to get the nipple out after soaking with oil. I bought a brass zerk grease nipple. It was a tad oversized so I turned it down in a drill with a file and then threaded it. Attached my grease gun an pumped hard. Load patch and ball slid out the muzzle. Dirtiest part was disposing of a barrelful of grease.
Step one buy a grease gun. 
Crow-Feather
32 Cal.
Very well done and and instructed. I wonder, if it has a stainless steel touch hole liner, would you take that out (removing the lock) to drop in powder? I realize that there are more small parts to lose, but wouldn't it prevent powder slipping tween the barrel and the lock to the rifles interior? Again, very well done,
ps. Why did you turn your face at the shot? (chuckle) I would too.
Purchased a cleaning rod intended for Browning's unmentionable Ma Deuce. Welding a couple of nuts a couple inches under the swiveling T handle for wrench or plier purchase when getting the ball puller into the ball. Thinking of getting another one to cannibalize for rod sections to braze puller and cleaning jags on. Would not want to lug this on a hunt, but it breaks down and is easy to tote to the range. Need to find some sort of rubber or fiber or plastic washers to keep the rod centered in the bore.
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