Safety considerations when pulling a ball?

[rlehman]

What safety consideration should be observed when pulling a ball from a load that won't fire?

What considerations should be observed when at the range or firing line? In the field?

What is thought of tieing the butt to a table or post to enable two hands on the rod? Good? Bad? How to stabilize the rifle during the process?

I've struggled every which way and thought it about time to ask the pros. Been shooting less than a year and want to shoot for many more without doing something really dumb.

 

[jim gray]

I would remove the flint from the jaws, at least. Once I tried to get flintlock to fire with out any priming powder in the pan; it took 2 tries. The only time I ever pulled a ball, I took the barrel off of the gun. There is no such thing as being too careful when you are working on a loaded firearm.

I don't think that I would try it on the firing line unless nobody else was anywhere nearby.

What is thought of tieing the butt to a table or post to enable two hands on the rod?

The only way I can picture you doing that would leave your body directly in front of the muzzle. I'd say it's not worth the little bit of leverage you may gain.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I go to most any length to avoid having to pull a ball. When you run a screw into the ball it expands even tighter to the bore. Most commercial ball screws are just crummy woodscrews which expand the ball even more than need be. I've had some I just could not pull with both hands on a large range rod, sitting on the ground with both feet holding the rifle! Pouring some water down the barrel will help but I recently had one I couldn't pull with the barrel in a vice.
It is generally easier to work a bit of powder down the nipple hole or in the touch hole (4f is very good for that) and fire the ball out. In the above mentioned barrel I pulled the touchhole liner, worked 30gr. of 3f in, reinstalled the liner, pounded the stuck ball down to the powder and fired it off with a slowmatch! No harm done.

 

[Finnwolf]

Hi Cat,
I've only had to do this twice, so I'm no expert. Both times it was a T/C rifle with a hooked breach and both times it happened at the range. First, pick the vent - maybe the touch hole is just blocked. If your not sure there is powder in the barrel, you could try removing the liner and handfeeding a few grains in to see if you can clear the ball.
I removed the lock, put the rifle in it's case, put it in my car and took it home. There, I removed the barrel and took the touch hole liner out. I placed the barrel in a bucket of water for a good half hour. Then I placed the barred in a vice with padded jaws to keep from marking the barrel. Only then did I feel comfortable placing my body on the muzzle side but even so, I kept away from the bore as much as possible. Then I threaded up my ball puller on the ramrod and threaded it into the roundball. With a small vicegrips attached to the ramrod, I slowly pulled the ball out of the barrel.
Just make sure there can be no spark until you soak the main charge completely wet. Be careful.
Finnwolf

 

[vradin]

What safety consideration should be observed when pulling a ball from a load that won't fire?

What considerations should be observed when at the range or firing line? In the field?

What is thought of tieing the butt to a table or post to enable two hands on the rod? Good? Bad? How to stabilize the rifle during the process?

I've struggled every which way and thought it about time to ask the pros. Been shooting less than a year and want to shoot for many more without doing something really dumb.

Biggest safety consideration is to keep the muzzle in a safe direction while you wait out a hangfire for a minimum of [what your instructor told you] minutes. On my range we wait for 2-3 minutes for BP misfires before moving the gun anywhere, but still keeping the muzzle safe.

First- verify if powder has been loaded. Check depth of ball with marked range rod. You DO have a marked rod right? If not, then next range visit mark for empty, typical powder charge but no ball, and loaded.

Second- in your kit do you keep a short length of rope? You might want to consider it. I tie a loop in one end, and then a timber hitch around the gun wrist and 1/2-hitch 2-3" up from the butt. Put your foot in the loop, and when you're ready to pull the ball the gun is upright, muzzle SAFE. The rope is short enough that the butt rests on my foot. The barrel is usually resting on a table edge or against a tree.

Third- use a grip of some sort for the rod. Two hands ia always better than one. Leather strap, old tap&die die holder, rod grip tool, etc. Better grip and keeps your body away from the muzzle just in case.

If you need more leverage to get the ball out, a shot of wd40 down the barrel may help, otherwise tie off the ROD GRIP and use your leg muscles to PUSH the gun down rather than arms to pull up.

DO NOT tie the gun to a post or tree or table. That puts the muzzle pointed directly at your belly or chest, and might get any observers a mite nervous. Besides, with the gun just hanging there, as soon as that ball comes out, the gun hits the dirt and dings up. Yes, I tried it that's how I know

It boils down to 1-keep the muzzle in a safe direction and 2- anatomical physics is your friend .

vic

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Always stay behind that muzzle.

I should qualify by saying the following worked for me, being unaware of all the circumstances and particulars of your problem, I am not advising you to do likewise.

I had a similiar situation, ruined my wooden wiping stick, (range rod to some) but it worked out. I poured soapy water down the barrel and let it soak in for a few minutes. Installed the ball puller, tapped WS hard to make sure it started and threading BP screw deep into the ball. I then took a pair of vice grips and clamped the WS right at the muzzle, then took a heavy hammer (didn't want to beat on it with a lighter one) and began lightly tapping the vice grips out ward, (letting the stored energy in the slow moving heavy hammer do the work). it started moving on the second tap, a few taps later and it then pulled out by hand.

 

[Pasquinel]

I find the safe way to get the job done is to use a CO2
ball discharger. You can purchase this item from Cabelas
or Bass Pro( Pro Bass) for under $30 I'm pretty sure. One
it's totally safe, two it's entremely easy and three it's
never failed me. It's also small enough to carry in possible bag and range box. Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

What safety consideration should be observed when pulling a ball from a load that won't fire?

What considerations should be observed when at the range or firing line? In the field?

What is thought of tieing the butt to a table or post to enable two hands on the rod? Good? Bad? How to stabilize the rifle during the process?

I've struggled every which way and thought it about time to ask the pros. Been shooting less than a year and want to shoot for many more without doing something really dumb.

I pull my hunting loads at the end of every day's hunt, probably 30-40 times a season...

Seal the nipple or vent to eliminate any possible external ignition source;

Put the brass collared ball puller attachment made for this purpose on the ramrod;

Screw it into the ball then simply slide out the lubed patched ball;

If you have compresed air handy, it's even easier.

IMO, there's more risk loading a muzzleloader than there is pulling a load from one

 

[musketman]

What is thought of tieing the butt to a table or post to enable two hands on the rod? Good? Bad? How to stabilize the rifle during the process?

Extremely bad idea, that's a good way to get shot in the chest if it should go off...

A better way would be to tie the ramrod to a tree branch using half-hitch knots (they pull tight) then use both hands on the stock, if it goes off, all you will shoot will be a branch...

Better yet still, get a "T" handle rod and hook the "T" between the fork of a stout sappling...

 

[aragorn]

I had to pull balls three times when I was a very beginning beginner, before I even got on this forum to ask about it, and it was nerve-wracking. Here's how I'd do it again.

1) Remove the lock. This takes away the slight chance of accidental sparking from flint or even the hammer hitting the steel. It also means the inside of the lock doesn't get messy from the next step,

2) Introduce enough water into the touchhole to soak the powder. I know this isn't what everyone would do, but it just made me feel safer. It makes a messy soup of the powder left in the barrel after you've pulled but it's easy to clean out.

3) Screw in the ball puller till its really embedded in the ball. To me it was surprisingly easy to do this with a bit of pressure - lead is soft stuff - but if you don't embed it well you'll pull out the screw and have to start again, making a new thread deeper in the ball. It's especially nerve-wracking when the screw pulls out of the ball after you've got it half way up the barrel and you have to push it all the way back again to get any purchase.

The first time I had to pull a ball was because I failed to swab out the lube I'd put in the barrel the previous time I'd cleaned it, and the lube gooed up the powder (it even came oozing out of the touchhole when I rammed it down). Never again. The second time it began raining and wetted the touch hole while loading the main charge (now in threatening weather or snow I always tied my leather cover around my lock in between shots). The second time was in perishing cold when I dripped snot into the touchhole while priming. Never again. Maybe.

 

[2172]

we use a co2 ball ejector, if that doesn't work as happened recently, we try and work in enough powder to blow it out..if that doesn't work, we have a tree, a big ole one at the end of the firing line that has a permanent line looped over a branch...we do a timber hitch around the part of the rod sticking out of the bbl, and then one or two of us hang on to the stock...there is no way that any of us will get in front of a muzzle to pull a ball..Hank

 

[bob1961]

i have a good way of doing this....i've had much practise....and we'll leave it at that....if ya look at my rig in the picture ya should see how it works....if not here 's how it works....take a ball puller and run it in a pilot hole down as far as ya think into yer short starter like this....

it should be the same treads as yer ram rod ends....so that ya can screw your short starter to it like this....

and yer other end of the rod will have yer second ball puller in the ball....at least at m the range i go to has some sort of crack show some where in one of the benches so there's a hook to hook your short start in and pull yer ball out with the gun facing the opp direction :thumbsup:....................bob

 

[Stumpkiller]

I stuck a cleaning patch last weekend and used Vic's system of the rolling hitch between ramrod and tree while pulling the gun back towards me. That's a great trick!

For pulling a load, I pour solvent into the vent or remove the nipple and pour a bit in that way with a percussion.

 

[B.Habermehl]

Our club allways has a metal range rod available with a substantial handle. We simply use a brass collared ball screw in the rod. Hook the rod over one of the rafters of our range roof and pull down. Our range is in a verry rural area and the muzzle would be pointed at several square miles of state forrest. A simple hook affair could be made from a piece of wood with a half inch slot cut into it and fasten or clamp it to your bench pointing down range. Hook your range rod and heave ho! No need ever for some one to ever pull a load and stand in front of the muzzle of a gun! Easy and safe! BJH

 

[aragorn]

Great idea Bob!

 

[aragorn]

I meant to add that Pedersoli as I recall does a ramrod with a handle that pivots 45 degrees like this, but your idea is a lot cheaper and you don't have to lug anything extra with you - we have enough kit as it is. Thanks!

 

[horkeye]

I find the safe way to get the job done is to use a CO2 ball discharger. You can purchase this item from Cabelas or Bass Pro( Pro Bass) for under $30 I'm pretty sure. One it's totally safe, two it's entremely easy and three it's never failed me. It's also small enough to carry in possible bag and range box. Good luck. :thumbsup:

:agree: I have one (i think it is made by TC) and it works every time! Pedersoli also make one but the silly thing uses a whole Co2 cartridge whereas the TC can be used several times before requiring a new cartridge. They are very quick & easy to use! :results:

Take care when using the discharger, as it has enough force to send the ball etc through a pillow! No you can't ask me how I know! :redface:

:thumbsup:

Lehigh County, propa longarms.

 

[Tahquamenon]

Always make sure that your nipple or vent is clear along with the flash channel if your rifle has one.

I've seen many folks give up the ship on a charge only to have me clear the nipple and flash channel and discharge the round with the fresh cap.

Thankfully, I've only had to do this a few times, but only once because I could not get the charge to fire.

Mostly because I forgot to charge the rifle in the first place.
:redface:

I use a solid brass range rod with a long solid "T" handle attachment. Using a ball puller attachement, I thread the the ball puller into the projectile, turn the rifle upside down with the "T" handle on the ground, I put both feet on the handle and "lift" up on the rifle.

The one time the charge would not fire (damp powder), I pulled the nipple, squirted some water into the flash channel to soak the main charge, and used the same procedure as mentioned above. Before I did this though, I tried several times to fire the charge.

:m2c: