Stuck ball, now with drill bit

[appalichian hunter]

Suggestion Double ball the load be sure the second ball is firmly seated on the one with the hole in it then try the air compressor. Never try to yank or jerk a dry ball from a gun, it should be a slow and steady continuous pull.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Want to keep this thread going ?

took me over 25 years but I had my first dry ball experience today.
I have a fairly stout brass range rod and put on the ball puller attachment
(I know, after reading this thread i realize I should have shot it out)

That ball didn't want to move, I figured it just needed a bit more convincing. Poured a bit of moose milk down the barrel for lube and got a pretty big guy to hold the gun while I proceeded to rip the ball puller out of the ball
Now I have a stuck ball with a big hole all the way through it

This is the main reason why I don't use screw those threaded thingys. Its easier to shoot them out. It takes about 2 minutes for flint gun & maybe 2-3 minutes longer removing the nipple & replacing it. No fighting & tugging, just pull the trigger.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Suggestion Double ball the load be sure the second ball is firmly seated on the one with the hole in it then try the air compressor. Never try to yank or jerk a dry ball from a gun, it should be a slow and steady continuous pull.

That would be a good idea trying to shoot it out too.

 

[Jakeytoo]

I’ve shot out quite a few stuck balls. Removed the nipple and worked in a few grains of powder, I doubt that I ever got more than 5 grains in. At most I got a ploop, never a bang.

 

[Jakeytoo]

Apparently 30 grains of powder will launch an aluminum tube about 48 yards. The ball and drill bit have been lost to the range.

I can testify as to a rammer traveling about that far

 

[MrMackc]

I know a guy that pulled the nipple out and dribbled some #9 lead shot in holding th muzzle down, then dribbled the powder from a .22 long rifle behind the shot capped the thing and holding the muzzle lower than the breach and fired the debris out without damaging his .50 rifle, He said that is how he shot out a lead slug he pored on top of a wadded up patch to make a bore impression, poured in a powder from a .22 long rifle , he thought it would only just pop out of the muzzle, but it actually flew across the room and buried up in the drywall.

 

[Sudsy]

22 LR - first you have no idea what powder is being used, second no, just no.
I also reload for metallic so I know just how dangerous that idea is.

 

[Bad Karma]

Especially since a muzzleloading rifle is generally accompanied by black powder...

 

[Britsmoothy]

Is this thread still going.....wow!

 

[appalichian hunter]

Yea Brit looks like were going back down the rabbit hole again.

 

[mooman76]

The thread that wouldn't die!

 

[MrMackc]

The powder in a .22 long rifle will ignite and burn fast enough to blow out a stuck .490 ball, don't try to tell someone how do do anything that you don't know about how it works snowflake.

 

[Sudsy]

Only a fool puts modern smokeless powder into a black powder firearm, that's not negotiable.

 

[Jakeytoo]

 

[sawyer04]

Zerk fitting and grease gun. Pump it out.

This would be the preferred method, I also have rigged a co2 cartridge to kick a charge in the breech, doesn't always work. Shooting it all out has been done a multitude of times and worked. I have seen some bulged barrels though.

 

[Red Owl]

Did you get it out and how??? The CO2 dispenser is usually pretty powerful- it should have shot it out It will shoot out a heavy bullet- no problem. HOWEVER if the ball is half way down the barrel there might not be enough pressure, you might have to seat the ball all the way down. Next problem is the tip of the screw snagging on the rifling. I'd run a tube down that slips over the end of the screw. Seat the ball and co2 the thing out, ball, screw tip and tube.
Screw tips- for those that haven't used them, a round ball doesn't have that much contact with the bore. Screwing into the ball can or cannot work. This is one time you want to "Cheat" on being pc and get a co2 dispenser. IMHO.

 

[Elkhorse]

Take it to a competent gunsmith who understands MLs.

IN the future, neve stick any improvised tools down a gun barrel. In this case is sounds like the drill bit has probably injured the bore. I've seen it before, drill bits in a rifle bore, that is a surefire road to ruin. I never understood what the drill bit was going to accomplish. In all likelihood the barrel is ruined, sorry. IF it is suitable Bobby Hoyt may be able to rebore it.

Take it to a gunsmith is the best advise I've seen.
I have horses and on some of those sites people will ask how to fix XYZ health problems with their horse. They get 30,000 or so responses telling them everything from don't take your horse out on a full moon, to, just shoot it and get another one. Of course the Veterinarian is the wisest choice, when you don't know. Just sayin'.

 

[R.J.Bruce]

Davec2 over at ALR, has a company named The Lucky Bag, where he sells an incredible tool that he calls The Gunner's Mate. It's an all brass & steel, 10-in-1 tool aimed at the flintlock shooter, but would be equally at home in the bag/patch box of a percussion rifle.

https://luckybag.us/GunnersMate.html
The only drawback to the tool is that it requires a ramrod/range rod with 10-32 threads on BOTH ends of the rod. The tool disassembles to form a T-handle that screws onto one end of the ramrod. The other components of the tool form a caliber specific bore guide on the opposite end of the ramrod to which you may attach a caliber specific cleaning jag, a caliber specific tow worm, a universal ball drill, and a universal ball screw. The drill and screw are matched so that the screw will pull the ball virtually 100% of the time once drilled. The bore guide prevents the drill bit from wandering off course, and ensures that a clean hole is drilled into the ball. There's a wire vent pick in one end of the T-handle. The opposite side of the T-handle has a round brass hammer head for knapping flints. A short, flat, straight blade screwdriver bit is set into the center of the T-handle, in line with the main shaft.

1. T-handle
2. Hammer
3. Screwdriver
4. Bore Guide
5. Ball Drill
6. Ball Screw
7. Tow Worm
8. Cleaning Jag
9. Vent Pick
10. Ramrod Adapter/Extension

I would only suggest that if purchasing the Gunner's Mate tool, that the ramrod on your rifle have the two 10-32 threaded tips both super glued onto the rod, and then double-pinned in a 90° cross pattern. This will ensure that the ramrod tips are attached as strongly as possible. A lot of folks at ALR have invested in the tool, and have reported complete satisfaction when pulling a stuck ball in the field, or at the range.

 

[mooman76]

If people would bother to read the posts, he got it out some time ago.

 

[R.J.Bruce]

I am aware that the OP has been able to get the stuck ball and drill bit removed.

Since this thread was still on the first page of the forum, I thought instead of starting another thread to introduce the Gunner's Mate tool, I would just add it here to this thread because of all the interest in the topic. I thought that someone might want to take a look at a high quality tool that could save a range trip, or more especially, a hunt.