Stuck ball in a charged rifle

[Rudall]

I typically unload my gun after hunting when I haven't shot it using a ball puller and have never had Any problems from that.

What is the advantage to doing that rather than just shooting it?

 

[Rock Home Isle]

What is the advantage to doing that rather than just shooting it?

I'm guessing...fewer holes in the ceiling?

 

[wb78963]

FIRST remove the cap and wipe any residue on the cone.

 

[SmokepoleSam]

Rudall, then you don't have to clean the gun because it hasn't been fired. Just a quick wipe with alcohol patch and then lube and you're done.

 

[Woody Morgan]

I'm guessing...fewer holes in the ceiling?

I hope he doesn't live in a bottom floor apartment. That would kinda piss off the neighbors.

wm

 

[rrebuck]

What is the advantage to doing that rather than just shooting it?

It's a lot quicker cleaning.

 

[Flintlock]

You do realize that once the ball is stuck in the barrel...all that preventative stuff kinda goes out the window pretty quickly.

The few times that I've actually dry-balled, I just seat the ball and shoot it out anyways...works best.

You can still wipe some of the crud out of the barrel if it's dirty before you lube the barrel and pull the ball, you realize this might help the ball pull easier.

 

[SamTex1949]

As much as I and others have dry balled, you should market them dispensers!

go back and look at #25 panel

 

[SamTex1949]

Then clean the barrel a bit before pulling the ball, also use a tad undersize ball so one can pull it easier.

YUP ! been using one (with brass plumbing fitting for muzzle protector) since 1980s


Military Issue M2 .50 Cal Cleaning Rod NSN# 1005-00-653-5441

 

[Howard Pippin]

go back and look at #25 panel

On Making a cheap dispenser.
I use Sweet and low sweetener in my coffee, so I have many empty 8 ounce containers. Experimenting to find something that would work for dispatching gunpowder Into my powder measure, I discovered I could bore the lid out to about 5/32 and it made a perfectly good container and a plus was it has a small cap that screws on and this keeps it sealed, and you can see how much powder is in the container and you can see the shadow inside on how full it is. I have four different nice brass powder holders, but I'm one of them fellows who carries Pyrodex P, 7772F, 7773F, 2F black, 3F black, 4F black, all in my range box, along with all the other paraphernalia that we seem to gather. I never know when I'm going out target shooting, if I'm going to take my flintlock or percussion and if I decide to take both, I've got whatever it takes to make them operate. Anyway I fixed him up one of these Handy dandy little plastic bottles with enough 4F For a couple hundred times of adding powder under the nipple In case he was by himself.
Squint

 

[chuck u farley]

Try the easy way first c02 then go for the other way if it wont come out

I use my air compressor and blow gun with rubber tip, just make sure that the muzzle is safely pointed away from anything you don’t want to destroy

 

[Dude]

Ok - now there's something else I need. The list goes on...

As to removing the unfired ball, why not just leave it till next time? I've read that BP doesn't corrode the gun, it's the byproducts after ignition. Just wondering since there are stories of guns left for years or decades loaded with no harm done. Remove the cap, of course.

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Dude, usually the dry ball happens after the rifle has been shot several times and there is fouling present in the bore. You are at the range. It takes very litle time to clear the breech of the dry ball and you can continue shooting. Leaving it be until the next time? I won't recommend it.

 

[Dude]

I was thinking more in the case of having loaded the gun (it's clean and not shot this session) found nothing to shoot at, and now returned home.

I can understand the situation you describe. Either the ball is stuck or dryballed, or the bore is dirty and the gun is loaded unfired. It needs to come out for one reason or another, if for nothing else, to clean the gun.

 

[Flintlock]

Ok - now there's something else I need. The list goes on...

As to removing the unfired ball, why not just leave it till next time? I've read that BP doesn't corrode the gun, it's the byproducts after ignition. Just wondering since there are stories of guns left for years or decades loaded with no harm done. Remove the cap, of course.

Dude, never ever leave things to be done later, the OP was sure he put powder in the gun but it wouldn't fire due to contamination. Doing manure later could be a safety hazard for others who may have this gun after you've been run over by cattle or killed in a drive by or.

 

[S.Kenton]

Things happen and now you gotta clear the load. consider one of these handy devices in you shooting box to help charge the nipple with some 4F powder .

So do you still remove the nipple and dribble powder into drum, replace nipple and fire? Or are you simply putting powder into the nipple? Maybe I’ve lived under a rock these past few years, but I’ve never seen one of those

 

[TrapperPete]

if you can't pull well enough with your normal range rod , a little cordages around the handle then you can loop that over a tree limb or many other things to get good pull on the gun.

a heavy boot lace with loop in each end slip the loop over the handle around the rod so that it tightens around the rod

 

[S.Kenton]

if you can't pull well enough with your normal range rod , a little cordages around the handle then you can loop that over a tree limb or many other things to get good pull on the gun.

a heavy boot lace with loop in each end slip the loop over the handle around the rod so that it tightens around the rod

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 .

 

[HatchetJack95]

Yeah everybody has pretty much said it already, but if you can't shoot it out, you're gonna have to pull it. My advice, to make sure you're as safe as possible when pulling the ball:
1. Take the barrel off the stock so that you can fix it into a vice, and make sure you put wood/ padding between the vice and the barrel so you don't mark up the barrel.
2. Take off the nipple and pour some water through the touch hole into the powder charge. Sure, there's a low chance of ignition, but you're gonna be on the other end of a loaded barrel, so every little precaution helps. Plus, this might help to make it easier to pull the ball.
3. Drill your puller into the ball, take some pliers, and yank that sucker out.

 

[jtlancer]

Thanks for all of the responses. Just to clarify - it is not a dry ball. It is a fully charged and patched (with wonder lube) ball. The issue is that the powder I poured down the barrel became saturated with Ballistol that I idiotically left in the barrel from my last range trip, aka, I did not perform a full cleaning of the barrel as I usually do. Dumb and irresponsible to be sure.
I am going to wait get out to the range tomorrow to shoot it out by charging the nipple hole. (which has worked beautifully when I did in fact load a ball without a charge).
***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.