Stuck ball in a charged rifle

[mooman76]

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.

Well think of it this way. I bet you remember to clean it good from now on. It's a learning experience. That's how I remember is when I screw stuff up.

 

[flntlokr]

Make one of these and use a bicycle pump or compressor to blow the ball out. Thread the small end to match your nipple/liner thread.

 

[Plainsman]

Well after several days is it out yet?

 

[Wishbone65102]

The suggestion re a (grease) zerk fitting worked great for me when my son did the same thing. I found a fitting that had the same threads as the percussion nipple, and just used a grease gun to push the ball back out. Of course the barrel is then full of grease, but relatively easy to wash out. Lot cheaper than a CO2 set-up, if you already have a grease gun.

 

[TomV]

I have a TC 50 with a cheap TC bore brush stuck in breach. Aluminum screw broke off.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

I have a TC 50 with a cheap TC bore brush stuck in breach. Aluminum screw broke off.

Slide a thin walled copper or steel tube/pipe down the barrel & over the brush. It will fall out with the brush inside it by just tipping the muzzle down. Hard part is finding the tube/pipe. I found a, supposedly, 1/2" thin walled steel pipe at a hardware store but I had to grind the outside diameter down a few thousandths to fit my 50 cal. Works great!

 

[Professor flintlock]

Slide a thin walled copper or steel tube/pipe down the barrel & over the brush. It will fall out with the brush inside it by just tipping the muzzle down. Hard part is finding the tube/pipe. I found a, supposedly, 1/2" thin walled steel pipe at a hardware store but I had to grind the outside diameter down a few thousandths to fit my 50 cal. Works great!

Try an arrow shaft

 

[Crow-Feather]

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.

At a rendezvous, a rifle (not mine) that didn't fire after three tries with a cap was placed on the line facing the targets. About 5 minutes later, that rifle fired. I went over and shook the rangemaster's hand. When I got home, I ordered a CO2 ball discharger. Being a rangemaster at our rendezvous, I have used that item many, many times. Not only does it work 95% of the time, but it is the fastest way to clear a stuck ball. I also carry a 4f dispenser for use in flintlock rifles.

If you want to pull a ball with a ramrod, first pull the nipple and flood the breech with water. If no water, piss in it, Might save your hand.

 

[Okie Hog]

Real tight ball/patch seems to resist the CO2 tools from my experiences.

That's my experience too, saw it fail many times on the firing range. Most gun owners consented to removing the nipple, working powder into the bolster or flame channel and shooting it out. One guy attempted to pull the ball but broke his wooden ramrod inside the bore.

None of this muzzleloader stuff is rocket science.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

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?

If you can get a few grains (5 or 6) of 4fg behind the scraper...it'll come out and plop on the ground about 15, 20 feet away or so.

 

[PaJerry]

If you can get a few grains (5 or 6) of 4fg behind the scraper...it'll come out and plop on the ground about 15, 20 feet away or so.

Thank you....thank you all. I have ordered a CO2 ball removing set. I'm not sure that it will work because the scrapper is stuck very tightly and 120 psi from my compressor didn't dislodge it. It may be messy, but the second attempt will be with the zerk fitting and a grease gun...messy...but i'm not sure how tightly that scrapper is stuck. If it doesn't work, I am confident that I will be able to fill the whole patent breech (chamber breech) behind the scrapper...if that scrapper has somehow dug or wedged into the barrel metal, I'm not sure I want to be anywhere around when it goes bang. (I know brass is softer than iron, but the bore was in pretty bad condition when I got it. The barrel cleaned up well, so I'm pretty sure the gun is able to be restored. I just don't know about the condition of the barrel at the transition between the bore and the patent breech. It may be stuck in a soft spot created by rust and solid metal. It should shoot out, but the other two options look like a safe try before taking a chance.)

Thanks for the advice and support.

PA Jerry

 

[flashpoint]

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.

To your point. I know a dirty bore impedes accuracy. However, I have read on here that you never hunt with a clean bore for your first shot and that PRB shoots better with a bore that has been shot through 1 or 2 times before hunting. I shoot a percussion. Any thoughts? Thanks Prof.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I had a rifle that wouldn't shoot accurately with a clean bore, I fouled the bore before I went hunting but then had a cleaning job every time I came home, I sold the gun.

All the rifles in my current stable will put an accurate ball on target out of a clean bore and won't change point of impact with a dirty bore.

 

[fjb]

Just in case you needed a pic of the CO2 ball discharger contraption.
I’ve used it once... and it worked perfectly.
$40 but...

 

[PaJerry]

Just in case you needed a pic of the CO2 ball discharger contraption.
I’ve used it once... and it worked perfectly.
$40 but...

Yeah, expensive, but I hope it works. I am doubtful because 120 PSI did not budge the scrapper...of course I couldn't find the expected PSI for the CO2 discharger. I doubt that it will be greater than 120 PSI, but it might be with a different "pressure wave." I just hate the thoughts of pulling a trigger with a solid brass plug stuck in it.

Thanks for the pic.

Jerry

 

[Grenadier1758]

Since there is no load in the barrel, all you need is about 5 to 10 grains (volume of course), there is little worry that there will be too much pressure. I would have thought that 120 PSI would have moved the scraper. Is there air leakage past the scraper? You may not be able to easily apply enough pressure to move the scraper.

 

[fjb]

Before you buy... if you said 120 psi didn’t work... that’s “about” all you’re gonna get from a 16-gram CO2... threaded or otherwise.
I cannot find specs on the RMC CO2 cartridge either... but.... you may want to save $40... this time. When I used the CO2... the ball was in there from the previous season since I hadn’t fired it. In the past, I’ve gone a full season with the ball still seated... and killed a deer the following year with that same ball. Not the best idea... probably for safety reasons alone... but .
I did butter up the barrel a little prior to using the CO2.... and it literally just plopped out... no huge noise... no damage to anything and it kinda just, un impressively, rolled across the ground... a lot like, when old people bump uglies. (Plop... thunk... that’s it... show’s over.)
I’d recommend that anyone use the recommended caution because your experience may be way different than mine.

 

[fjb]

Before you buy... if you said 120 psi didn’t work... that’s “about” all you’re gonna get from a 16-gram CO2... threaded or otherwise.
I cannot find specs on the RMC CO2 cartridge either... but.... you may want to save $40... this time. When I used the CO2... the ball was in there from the previous season since I hadn’t fired it. In the past, I’ve gone a full season with the ball still seated... and killed a deer the following year with that same ball. Not the best idea... probably for safety reasons alone... but .
I did butter up the barrel a little prior to using the CO2.... and it literally just plopped out... no huge noise... no damage to anything and it kinda just, un impressively, rolled across the ground... a lot like, when old people bump uglies. (Plop... thunk... that’s it... show’s over.)
I’d recommend that anyone use the recommended caution because your experience may be way different than mine.

Also... when you use the CO2... you gotta make sure you have a good seal when you’re pressing it onto the nipple/touch hole... and don’t be afraid to apply some pressure there or you’ll never get close to 120 psi to move your ball down the barrel.

 

[Zonie]

Those CO2 cartridges are pressurized with about 800 PSI of pressure. That's why they can blow things out of the barrel that won't budge with a 120 PSI air compressor.

 

[fjb]

800 psi from a 16 gram CO2? Where did you find this data?
Respectfully,