really really stuck ramrod

[flm_shooter]

:surrender: Well, I did it this time. Had a great day at the range (sunny and 78 here), then zipped home to do a good cleaning. Without thinking clearly, I wrapped a patch on the jag and ran the rod down my smoothbore. But this wasn't my fancy cleaning rod, this was the one under the barrel. Now the patch and rod are jammed solid at the bottom, and I have less than 2 inches of rod to grab. I tried using a rod puller, but it slips off the tapered end. I've tried putting the short end of the rod in a bench vise and pulling, only to succeed in mangling the end of the rod. Compressed air from a shop compressor sprays around it. I took the barrel out of the stock to look at the breechplug, but I don't think I have the capability of pulling it.

Right now the barrel is sitting in a bath of kroil, and I'm fresh out of ideas. Anybody have more suggestions?

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Is it a percussion capper? If so don't try removing the nipple drum or breechplug until all other methods are tryed. since you've soaked it in kroil you might try heating it up with a torch and try pulling it again.

 

[roundball]

:surrender: Well, I did it this time. Had a great day at the range (sunny and 78 here), then zipped home to do a good cleaning. Without thinking clearly, I wrapped a patch on the jag and ran the rod down my smoothbore. But this wasn't my fancy cleaning rod, this was the one under the barrel. Now the patch and rod are jammed solid at the bottom, and I have less than 2 inches of rod to grab. I tried using a rod puller, but it slips off the tapered end. I've tried putting the short end of the rod in a bench vise and pulling, only to succeed in mangling the end of the rod. Compressed air from a shop compressor sprays around it. I took the barrel out of the stock to look at the breechplug, but I don't think I have the capability of pulling it.

Right now the barrel is sitting in a bath of kroil, and I'm fresh out of ideas. Anybody have more suggestions?

Try a solid brass or steel T-handle screwed into the end of it...should come right out, particularly now that it's all wet/lubed up

 

[spottedpony]

:surrender: Well, I did it this time. Had a great day at the range (sunny and 78 here), then zipped home to do a good cleaning. Without thinking clearly, I wrapped a patch on the jag and ran the rod down my smoothbore. But this wasn't my fancy cleaning rod, this was the one under the barrel. Now the patch and rod are jammed solid at the bottom, and I have less than 2 inches of rod to grab. I tried using a rod puller, but it slips off the tapered end. I've tried putting the short end of the rod in a bench vise and pulling, only to succeed in mangling the end of the rod. Compressed air from a shop compressor sprays around it. I took the barrel out of the stock to look at the breechplug, but I don't think I have the capability of pulling it.

Right now the barrel is sitting in a bath of kroil, and I'm fresh out of ideas. Anybody have more suggestions?

Try a solid brass or steel T-handle screwed into the end of it...should come right out, particularly now that it's all wet/lubed up

Be sure to let us know the outcome, it can be a learning experience for all of us :hmm:

 

[Parzifal]

I have done the same damn thing...seems the only solution is to bugger the ram rodand just give er.


I have tried soaking the barell and all that in the end its just Pliers and cuss words as a solution.

Damned wooden ramrods.

 

[skunkskinner]

Also try turning the ramrod clockwise,it might help to compress the patch to the jag some.Be careful not to use so much presure that you twist off the threads.
Good luck

 

[Raynor]

Drill a hole through the end to the ramrod that sticks out, just big enough to get a piece of rawhide through. That'll give you something to grab on to or wrap around your wrist will pulling.

 

[buzz bait]

i had that problem before i sprayed rem oil down the bore and heated up the barrel thinking the heat would expand the metal abit it worked.

 

[roundball]

Since my MLs are TC Hawkens with their brass furniture, a solid brass ramrod looks great with them...and I don't know of a ramrod that's any stronger than a 3/8" solid brass rod with no tips to pull loose and a matching brass T-handle in the pouch.

And naturally, since converting all my Hawken rods to brass ones years ago, I haven't had a stuck patch since...

 

Make sure the patch is well lubricated with your choice of lube. The two inches of the ramrod that protrude from the barrel are clamped in the jaws of a bench mounted vise and you pull on the rifle. This works for me every time. And, -- I hate to admit it -- but I do this about once a month. I have no clue how our ancestors coped with this problem when they were alone in the frontier. Surely it happened to them too. :hmm:

 

[Stubert]

I turn all of my jags down to fit the barrel. A jag has to fit the bore properly. Loose going down, snug pulling up. If you take 3 50 cal. barrels, they will have 3 differant bore diameters. but the jag is the same. You have to fit it just like your patch/ ball combo. Mine are loose with one patch for swabbing at the range, and tight with 2 patches for cleaning. I like the idea of a brass rod, Where can they be gotten from?

 

[MSW]

Stubert, thanks for the idea... gotta give that a try. there are three kinds of ML shooters: those who haven't stuck a rod yet, those who have stuck a rod, and those who are trying to unstick a rod.

 

[davy]

I got my custom lenght brass ramrods from Thunder Ridge, last one a year or more so ago .. but I understand they have gone to new mgmt .. so I dunno if they still handle them. :surrender:

Davy

 

[roundball]

I like the idea of a brass rod, Where can they be gotten from?

I get mine from October Country...they'll make any size you want and drill/tap the ends whatever size you want. He also adds a nice touch which is about 1.5" of a non-slip crosshatch pattern at the end under the muzzle so your fingers can get a good grip.

90% of mine are solid brass because I like the extra weight out front and the rifles I have them on are rifles I use while sitting on stand deer hunting...you probably wouldn't want a solid one for a rifle you'd do a lot of walking/still hunting with due to the extra weight...or on a small caliber barrel which is already heavy due to the small bore.

In those cases I get hollow brass tubular rods from him...very strong because he uses brass tubing that has .060" thick walls...and glues/pins the ends...finishes them so smooth at first glance you think it IS solid...and same crosshatch on the ends...they're a tad heavier than wood but noticeably lighter than solid brass rods.
[url] www.octobercountry.com[/url]

 

[ed1958]

If you can stuff some 3f or 4f into the flash hole or into cleanout screw of a cap gun, then prime and shoot the ramrod out. I have done this with my smoothie also. If it does not come the whole way out, at least you will have more rod to hold onto. It once took 2 people on each end to get it out.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Too late for after the fact, but, FWIW, I have found most stuck RR & jags come from improper usage. If one wets up the patch, inserts and pushes it all the way to the breech, chances of getting it stuck go up.

I never insert patched jag more than a couple of inches, then withdraw, rewet patch, going a few inches more at a time, repeating process until reaching breech.

Keeping that patch fully wetted and lubed through heavy fouling can save a lot of grief.

 

[Chugalug]

A newbie to this forum and muzzleloading in general, but there's not many things I haven't unstuck in 30+ years of aircraft maintenance. Remove the nipple from the sidelock and pour some of your oil into the barrel behind your patch and ramrod. The oil will greatly help seal the patch into the barrel surface and then try again with compressed air, still with the nipple removed. The tiny orifice in the nipple will limit the amount of air volume going into the barrel. If all else fails, take the rifle to the nearest aircraft maintenance facility and ask a mechanic to help you remove the problem with a blast of nitrogen. Nitrogen is a 100% dry, inert gas that is used for a variety of things needing pressure, primarily because it arrives in a compressed bottle with anywhere from 2000 to 4000 psi. Your shop compressor will give you a maximum of 150 - 200 psi, which is not sufficient to force out that stuck ramrod. Obviously, make sure the barrel and ramrod are pointed safely when you pressurize it. That ramrod may travel a bit.
An additional thought is to make sure and point the barrel downward while trying to pressurize and blow out the ramrod. Gravity will tend to keep the oil down in the patch material better that way.
Good luck

 

[MikeC]

I did that once and blew mine out with the SAF-T-Unloader. A must have item for anyone that owns a MZ.
[url] http://www.possibleshop.com/unloader.htm[/url]

Good Luck.

 

[flm_shooter]

SUCCESS! :grin: Following the great advice from this board, I decided to blow it out as a last resort. This was all I had left to work with:

I clamped it in a vise and put a 50lb bag of mortar mix on top(it was nearby).

Stuffed some 4F down the touchhole (about 40 gr I think), cleared non-combatants from the area, and ducked. The surprising thing was how much direct flame it took to finally light the charge. There was a totally wimpy poof and this appeared:

A couple quick yanks and it was out.

Now I need a new ramrod...

 

[wulf]

YOU CERTAINLY KNOW YOUR STUFF. GREAT ADVICE.