Simple tool for retrieving a balled up patch

[sundog]

I don't know if this has been discussed before, if it has my apologys.
I lost a cleaning patch in the barrel of one of my rifles, I tried a regular patch puller to no avail, just couldnt get it. Next I tried a ball puller, no good. The next try was with a small 22 cal bore cleaning brush. That too failed.
The patch had wadded up into a ball down in the powder chamber. I could feel it but could not grab it.
Desperation led me to try and make a tool. Realy simple. Took a spring out of a ball point pen, cut the first coil off one end, sharpend the end really to a needle point with a file. Then screwed the unsharpend end part way on to the ball puller screw. Worked first try the balled up patch was extracted.
OK I know some one is going to ask for pictures and I would love to post pictures but photo bucket seems to be unusable to me my computer thinks it is a hostile entity.
I hope you can figure out the pen spring trick from my description, it works like a charm.

 

[leserz]

had that happen to me. you got a good idea might need to keep a few springs handy .

 

[Goldhunter]

Is it percussion? I'm assuming there is no powder charge. Can you pop a cap or blow it out with CO2?

 

[paulvallandigham]

They do make a patch pulling jag that looks like a corkscrew, for pulling corks out of wine bottles, only it has a threaded fitting on the end to screw into your ramrod. It works on the same priniciple as the spring you used from the ball point pen, only it is larger in diameter.

 

[sundog]

It is a flintlock but since then I have had it happen with a percussion rifle and the mini cork screw worked then too

 

[sundog]

Oh I have one of those but it didnt work. The reason the ball point pen spring works is it is a really small diameter and the wire of the spring is so thin compared to the ones sold to us. The pen spring dosent push the wadded up patch around it just penitrates and grabs it.

 

[mckutzy]

here's something i made, same idea and ya it works great for getting lost stuff from down the bore.
show us what u made. :thumbsup:

 

[twotoescharlie]

straighten out a large fishhook, fasten to your cleaning rod , the barb will catch the patch every time. most times you will have to cut the patch off after it is removed.

TTC

 

[roundball]

Took a spring out of a ball point pen, cut the first coil off one end, sharpend the end really to a needle point with a file. Then screwed the unsharpend end part way on to the ball puller screw. Worked first try the balled up patch was extracted.

That's great ingeniuty !!
:hatsoff:

 

[MikeC]

Spring For Ramrod

Scroll to the bottom of the page

 

[roundball]

Oh yes...there are lots of ramrod attachments made for that purpose...but the significance of his fix was figuring out what he could use without any of those attachments on hand :wink:

 

[ameling]

The classic "gun worm" that shows up on so many trade lists and archy digs is pretty similar.

It is a simple length of wire with one end sharpened, and then spiral bent around a tapered rod out to the length you want - around 1 to 2 inches long. To use it, you twist the wide end onto the end of your wooden "wiping stick" (extra ramrod, but for cleaning). Then you twist a little hank of flax tow into and around it, wet it down, and then clean your gun barrel. When you pull it back out, just rinse the gunk off of it, and run it back down the bore. You can also twist in a length of cleaning patch instead of flax tow.

Gun worms were one of those very common trade items. Generally they were used for cleaning the smoothbore "trade" muskets. Cleaning a rifle barrel takes a bit more attention.

Some gun worms even ended up being used to "pin" together the front of a capote - as recorded in several original journals. They just "twisted" it through the two layers of wool.

So you created a "new" version of that old gun cleaning tool.

But snagging a lost patch is just ... difficult. That small spring would act a lot like a needle to pierce the cloth and then hook it. Same with that straightened out fish hook. Those original gun worms were made from thicker wire. (Kind of like the thickness of that old baling wire, or barb wire)

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[MikeC]

but the significance of his fix was figuring out what he could use without any of those attachments on hand :wink:

I understand that. Just showing the boys an extremely cheap and effective item that can be added to a TOTW order. I got one of each with my last order. They will last a lifetime for under $2.00 each.

 

[Claude Mathis]

but the significance of his fix was figuring out what he could use without any of those attachments on hand :wink:

I understand that. Just showing the boys an extremely cheap and effective item that can be added to a TOTW order. I got one of each with my last order. They will last a lifetime for under $2.00 each.

Yep, this has always worked for me and it won't flex or bend.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

take ye a worn-out .30cal bore cleaning brush - the type that has the wire passing through the shank and has threads that match those on the bolster of your ramrod and unwind the wires a bit - that's what I use. you have to bend the wires a bit to get the correct angle on 'em to snag the patch when rotating to the right hand. never failed me yet, and I loose some patches off the jag since I use a loose-fitting patch to dry wipe the bore after each shot (when plinking, target shooting etc.).

 

[roundball]

Yep, this has always worked for me and it won't flex or bend.

Those are the ones I use...particularly good for getting down into the tapered part of TC's patent breech design. Two ramrods stay in the back of my vehicle..one with that attachment, and one with a .22cal bore brush.
Then depending on what caliber I take to the range, I grab a pair of rods with that caliber's ball puller and cleaning/seating jags attached and take them along.

 

[bingo1952]

Looks like a cannibalized cork screw to me but they do work.

 

[Claude Mathis]

Looks like a cannibalized cork screw to me but they do work.

Yep, the inclined plane has many uses. :wink:

 

[mazo kid]

I lost a cleaning patch down the bore one time when I didn't have my patch puller handy. I used a coil spring about the diameter of a screen door spring (if any of you are old enough to remember those), threaded one end over my ramrod and just stretched out the first couple of coils...worked like a charm.

 

[Old Sarge]

Blizzard...I made one of those you describe and I use it all th time. Was that you who had the post on the 30 bore brush retriever about six months ago? If so thanks for a very functional tool!!! :thumbsup: