Stuck ball in a charged rifle

[TomV]

My go to for this for over 30 years was work some powder behind nipple then fire it out.
I was then told about the co2 ball discharge so I bought one. I have yet to successfully remove a ball from any of my muzzleloaders with it and every time have had to put powder in behind nipple for success. I have used it on others rifles successfully so I know it does work but apparently not on my patch and ball combination

Real tight ball/patch seems to resist the CO2 tools from my experiences. At the range there are two slotted pulls wide enough for the rod not the handle put it in and pull down.

 

[TomV]

Patched and lubed should pull easily.

 

[TrapperPete]

I have a “ T” handle that I screw into my range rod and turn rifle upside down, hold the “ t” handle with my feet and pull rifle in an upward motion .

yes , that would work but if you already have something like the all brass multi section rod with alumunum handle as may have or a creedmore range rod this is an alternative you may also have in a drawer at home. and not more kit to buy

to be clear the purpose of a handle on a range rod is really to pull and not to push , pushing should be done in short stokes only about 6-9 inches form the muzzle at a time , pushing form the end of a rod is a bad habit to be in and comfortable handles can encourage this poor form.

the loop can also be put under your foot and pull like you do the T-handle

many ways to do the same thing , the one that works for each person with less new purchase is all I was pointing out

 

[.36Rooster]

***And as a side note - I noticed a few snarky comments. Some of you should just keep those to yourselves. As an RSO I am certain if I watched most of you shoot I would cringe at the safety violations that you are unaware you are committing. But I would not make a snarky comment...I would teach you how to avoid such mistakes in a respectful manner. Try that sometime.

Hey don't let them bother you bud. Just remember their usernames and take note for future, I'd rather have them pop off so I can see what kind of person they are and know who I'm dealing with, then have them keep it to themselves, and then i make the mistake of thinking they're respectful. Better for them to just let it out so i can mentally write them off as who they are and devote my time towards giving respectful and helpful posts and responses to others ...

 

[S.Kenton]

yes , that would work but if you already have something like the all brass multi section rod with alumunum handle as may have or a creedmore range rod this is an alternative you may also have in a drawer at home. and not more kit to buy

to be clear the purpose of a handle on a range rod is really to pull and not to push , pushing should be done in short stokes only about 6-9 inches form the muzzle at a time , pushing form the end of a rod is a bad habit to be in and comfortable handles can encourage this poor form.

the loop can also be put under your foot and pull like you do the T-handle

many ways to do the same thing , the one that works for each person with less new purchase is all I was pointing out

Most of my aluminum or brass cleaning rods I have aren’t long enough to reach my breech, even if they were long enough I wouldn’t trust them to do some serious pulling. Being multi sectioned, the weak point would be the threaded ends. If you had one of those sections fail, you’d have even worse of a mess to contend with.So I had a fiberglass range rod made with a muzzle protector. It’s 50 inches long and all one piece...it’s worked like a charm for a very long time.

 

[S.Kenton]

I think have left some Ballistol (which ended up pooling in the breach) in the barrel of my .45 T/C Hawken percussion rifle. I loaded 30grs of powder and a patched .440 round ball to test the accuracy of that load at 25 yards. My ram rod is marked for that same load and it lined up so I know I did not forget anything. I believe the powder got saturated with the left over Ballistol so it will not ignite. I tried firing it 3 times (before firing I of course tried to reseat the ball but it still lined up with the 30gr mark on the rod which tells me it is not at all igniting) but only the primer pops and nothing else. So how can I get out the ball? Co2 discharger? Or try to add some dry powder behind the nipple which has worked for me in the past with an uncharged ball. Sorry for the long winded post but I wanted to include as much info as possible. Thank you.

Let us know how you make out. Good luck!

 

[TrapperPete]

Most of my aluminum or brass cleaning rods I have aren’t long enough to reach my breech, even if they were long enough I wouldn’t trust them to do some serious pulling. Being multi sectioned, the weak point would be the threaded ends. If you had one of those sections fail, you’d have even worse of a mess to contend with.So I had a fiberglass range rod made with a muzzle protector. It’s 50 inches long and all one piece...it’s worked like a charm for a very long time.

the threads are typically much larger on the brass sections than the 10/32 that holds the ball puller , I would expect that the smaller finer threads would give before the larger coarser threads.

I use a one peice SS rod with a brass bore guide from track of the wolf the Creedmoor rod most any time I need to pull I also have mostly 24-34 inch barrels
as some one else mentioned most balls are no harder to pull than they were to push especially if you put a little moose milk down on top of them it is more a case of needing more hands farther apart than you have them. thus you create a third hand tool and pull against something else easier for you to pull the gun and the rod be secured to something like a loop around your foot. if you really dislike the idea of pointing the muzzle at your foot a board that you stand on with the cordage around it could be used then you can lift with your knees

 

[Howard Pippin]

I have been using CO2 dischargers for 25 years and never had a problem with them. Most ranges I shot competition had a good sized tank to safely remove a problem load. Cheap safe solution for caplocks. Flint a little more difficult. Just my experience.

George

I too Have one of those CO2 dischargers, and they work very well. They don't work very well at all on a ball stuck halfway down the barrel, especially if the ball is stuck. I've used it several times to remove a ball from a flintlock That was dry balled and in order to do so we had to take the lock off and unscrew the barrel insert for the touch hole in order to get enough quick pressure. 90% of the time it seems to be a good choice, especially at the range with a flint lock. It was equally as quick to use 4F powder under the nipple on the percussions, as you had to remove the nipple To be able to get enough quick pressure. Never tried getting enough 4F powder behind the ball on a Flintlock, But I think you might be able to if you have an insert you can take out to put powder in. I never loaded a dry ball as long as I hunted by myself. It's when I joined the club and had others around me that I discovered how easy it is. The one time I stuck a ball halfway down the barrel, I doused it with WD-40, taken out the nipple and squirted some more in there to try to kill the powder. I assume I did, I wasn't interested in trying to get out a stuck ball with powder below. If the ball would've been bottomed, I would have attempted to use F under the nipple. jtlancer, Welcome to the club, we have lots of members.
Squint4

 

[Mad L]

Like B P Maniac Shooter points out: you have to really work it to get enough powder in.
I have had to to this for a couple friends now and I found the TC was much more difficult getting powder in then the other guy's CVA...then, just a few weeks ago - They Jinxed Me! And I dry balled my flintlock!#?!# ....not wanting to pull the lock and vent sleeve, it took almost 20 min to work a suitable amount through that hole!

But the point is: you cant just 'pour some in', you have to tap and turn and tap...work it into the breach chamber (I even use a vent pick myself)

But, OP, as you are not working a dry ball, yes you will have to 'pick' out as much bad powder as you can.
**Do you have a 'Drain plug' (??) on the side of your lock?? (A screw you remove when cleaning) if so then pull that and between the nipple hole and that hole you should be able to clean it out better**
(if not, then scratch that tip - my TC and a friend's have one but the other guy's does not)

Also check your Nipple itself, be sure you have clear passage.

 

[Josephg]

What would Jeremiah Johnson do?

 

[PaJerry]

Okay, I'm a blockhead. Headed down a trail and didn't stop to think at a fork in the road.

Not a ball stuck in a barrel...it's even better. A flat ended bore scrapper. Accepted an old TC Renegade in a trade. Bore scoped it later. More rust than I'm comfortable with....so, started working steel wool on a cleaning jag for a half hour or so. Wiped out pretty clean using bore butter. Next day started wiped again and got black, like just after a shot black, fouling on the patch. So, I decided to use a brass brush. Worked it for another half hour or more... getting better, but my arm was tired, so I used a trick I saw at basic training when getting my M16 ready for turn in...the DI brought a drill and started brushing the heck out of our bore. a few turns with patches in between waiting for our turn again and the bores were shinny as all get out. Yeah, I broke out a drill and hit the barrel with a brush. Patches were coming out clean. Used the bore scope. bore looked a lot better except it still looked rusty at the bottom at the breech, so, I decided to "scrape" it. didn't think about it being a patent breech. Put it in. It got stuck. twisted back. It unscrewed. Twisted it clockwise. It wouldn't budge. Twisted and pulled really hard...and, of course the brass threads of the scrapper broke off. If I wipe the barrel with bore butter, I get a good suction on pulling the rod out. It's sealed pretty tight. Can't see if the brass somehow inbedded into the barrel steel.

Now, why post here instead of a new thread? Is it this same principle as a stuck ball? I can't use a ball puller...even with a harder metal screw, there is a stub of threads sticking up. Can I shoot it out? Is that a safe operation with a piece of brass firmly stuck in the entrance of the patent breech? Air compressor at my max (120 PSI) didn't budge it. It is a TC with 1/4 X 28 thread. Zerk fitting with a manual grease gun? What are your thoughts?

 

[Josephg]

Jeremiah Johnson would shoot it out!!

 

[Grenadier1758]

JJ isn't here, after all he couldn't tell the difference between a 30 bore rifle and a 54 caliber rifle, but I would shoot it out. CO2 first of course. The chambered breech has a lot of room for powder and once it is loose from the reduced chambered breech, that scraper will fall out.

 

[nhmoose]

Zerk fitting and pump it out. Cleared many in my shop that way when the C02 didn't work. Cleanup is not bad as you push 85-90 percent back out the way it went in after removing the fitting. Few shots of brake clean it is gone.

For those who put a screw thru the ball and can't get a seal put the screw back in with some steel wool around it then pump it out.

 

[jtlancer]

Well... Shooting it out did not work. I even managed to get 10grs of powder into the beach but no go. Im going to buy a Co2 discharger and try that before using a ball puller.

 

[Professor flintlock]

A stainless steel range rod with muzzle protector is a messing. Pulling a ball is the quickest way to unstick a ball. One with a T handle or a ball work just fine. Stay away from cigar and cylinder shaped handles. Use a spiral ball puller with a barrel guide on it specific to each caliber. Squirt a little Hopped Nine Plus down the barrel. Then screw the ball puller into the ball Eight twists usually will do the job. Hook the handle over a corner of a joist notch of a tree , edge of a shooting bench . If you have a buddy have him push down on the handle so it doesn't slip. Then pull away. Haven't seen a ball that wouldn't come out yet. If your hunting and don't have a range rod (a necessary item for ML shooting as is a ball puller. 8-32 threads will hold just fine. This is not a difficult thing to do. You don't have to disassemble your rifle or carry an air compressor with you. Used too carry one but as I became older it got too heavy. If you don't try to set a worlds record on how many shots between cleanings will help too. Everybody I shoot with cleans between shots. Unless the Ingun's are on top of you you'll have time. Only pilgrims shoot through a dirty bore. You will be amazed at how much more accurate a clean bore is. Shooting a dirty bore also shortens the life of a barrel. Just like running sandpaper down the bore everyone you shoot.

 

[Professor flintlock]

A stainless steel range rod with muzzle protector is a messing. Pulling a ball is the quickest way to unstick a ball. One with a T handle or a ball work just fine. Stay away from cigar and cylinder shaped handles. Use a spiral ball puller with a barrel guide on it specific to each caliber. Squirt a little Hopped Nine Plus down the barrel. Then screw the ball puller into the ball Eight twists usually will do the job. Hook the handle over a corner of a joist notch of a tree , edge of a shooting bench . If you have a buddy have him push down on the handle so it doesn't slip. Then pull away. Haven't seen a ball that wouldn't come out yet. If your hunting and don't have a range rod (a necessary item for ML shooting as is a ball puller. 8-32 threads will hold just fine. This is not a difficult thing to do. You don't have to disassemble your rifle or carry an air compressor with you. Used too carry one but as I became older it got too heavy. If you don't try to set a worlds record on how many shots between cleanings will help too. Everybody I shoot with cleans between shots. Unless the Ingun's are on top of you you'll have time. Only pilgrims shoot through a dirty bore. You will be amazed at how much more accurate a clean bore is. Shooting a dirty bore also shortens the life of a barrel. Just like running sandpaper down the bore everyone you shoot.

Not a messing but a necessary

 

[S.Kenton]

10 grains and it wouldnt come out? Man I would have thought that would have done the trick. Try an air compressor.. with a rubber tipped air nozzle

 

[jtlancer]

10 grains and it wouldnt come out? Man I would have thought that would have done the trick. Try an air compressor.. with a rubber tipped air nozzle

Yeah too much gunk in the beach. The one time I forget to do a thorough cleaning after the range and I sure paid for it.

 

[S.Kenton]

Yeah too much gunk in the beach. The one time I forget to do a thorough cleaning after the range and I sure paid for it.

Don’t beat yourself up too bad. It happens, try an air compressor with rubber tipped nozzle. Then if that don’t work you’ll most likely have to pull it