Stuck ball, now with drill bit

[Ames]

And I'll take it off your hands for $100 if you leave it alone and don't fugger it up anymore.

 

[Bucky]

Exactly! I’ve enjoyed this thread... always intersting to see how many ways there are to skin a cat!

It is interesting , and in in 9 pages- no one blamed the stuck ball, or the stuck bit! I keep waiting for the OP to be well enough to continue with the effort. Wishing him well.......

 

[nit wit]

If it's a T/C I can lend you a breech plug tool!
Nit Wit

 

[Howard Pippin]

If it's a T/C I can lend you a breech plug tool!
Nit Wit

Please don't close this thread until we find out what happened. If some of you aren't interested and got more important things to do, please go to them and let those of us that are interested what's the conclusion.
Squint

 

[mooman76]

Before you try to blow the ball out, I would run a patch down the bore with some oil to help it slide out.

 

[nit wit]

I can't wait for the end!
Nit Wit

 

[azmntman]

There's an end??

 

[L W Smith]

Hi,

I have a problem with my Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken 54 cal.

A ball got stuck, so I glued a drill bit to the end of a wooden dowel, slid the dowel down the barrel and screwed the bit into the ball; this has worked perfectly other times. However, this time the glue didn’t hold, and I ended up pulling out an empty stick, and the ball, now with drill bit, still stuck in the barrel.

After reading on this forum, I then used the Universal Unloader from DGW. The ball moved about 6 in forward and stopped. Apparently the drill bit dug into the inside of the barrel.

I’ve been trying to take the breech plug apart, but no luck. Doesn’t seem to move.

Checked with Pedersoli. New barrel is $740+.

1. Any ideas on how to remove the breech plug? Maybe they aren’t meant be taken apart.
2. Any ideas on what to do next to remove? I've seen some suggestions re: melting the lead, but wouldn't it end up coating the barrel?
3. Haven't had success in finding an alternative replacement barrel. Any suggestions on who to check with?
4. Any recommendations re: gunsmith for this?

Thank you for any suggestions.

Get a bore scope camera and slide it down the bore so you can see what the heck is going on in there. ..harbor freight has all ranges from
Cheap to expensive I paid $80.00 for mine and it’s great....I have checked out several muzzle loader barrels for friends ...the expression are priceless when they see how clean they thought they’re barrels were...

 

[Griz44Mag]

It never ceases to amaze me how many different (and ineffective) ways folks can find to do a really simple task (and fail).
Use the right tool - 5 minutes or less........

 

[Eterry]

I'm reminded of a story my dad told. In the 60s he was on an oil drilling rig, and during a connection a piece of wooden 2x4 fell into the hole. Work stopped and for 2 days the Driller, Tool Pusher, Drilling Superintendent, Engineers, Vice President and others scratched their heads, cursed, schemed, drew diagrams and discussed how to get it out.

A roughnecks wife came out to get his check and her 12 year old son came to. He walked up to a cluster of "experts" and listened for a bit. Then he said, "why don't you fill the hole with water and the 2x4 will float to the top. "

An hour later they were back to drilling.

I don't think the bore is ruined, yet. I also think a mild charge of powder would be a good idea, given the choices. I would do like I've done before, turn up the stereo, close the garage door, aim at a stack of water soaked magazines across the garage and gently pull the trigger.

 

[Dude]

Good story!

I would do like I've done before, turn up the stereo, close the garage door, aim at a stack of water soaked magazines across the garage and gently pull the trigger.

1812 Overture?

 

[mooman76]

Get a bore scope camera and slide it down the bore so you can see what the heck is going on in there. ..harbor freight has all ranges from
Cheap to expensive I paid $80.00 for mine and it’s great....I have checked out several muzzle loader barrels for friends ...the expression are priceless when they see how clean they thought they’re barrels were...

He did and he even has pictures posted.

 

[fillwa]

Is the ball still “stuck” in the barrel?!?

 

[Ames]

Take the dowel you started with, drill a hole 1/16th oversized for the bit, and with a reamer or countersink open up the end of the hole. This will make it easier to slip it back onto the bit if off centered.
Put some, not a ton, of epoxy into the reamed hole and feed it onto the drill bit. Let dry for 24-36 hours.
Grab the end of the dowel with vise grips and unscrew the drill bit to remove. Now go after the ball with the hole in it with the proper ball puller on a ram rod, not a dowel.
Follow the usual instructions for ball pullers. If uncertain how to pull it at this point, ask before you mess it up again.

 

[PADave]

Under normal circumstances, I would re-seat and shoot it out.
However, the possible damage to the sidewall of the barrel changes things.
If the grease gun or compressed air doesn't work, a competent gunsmith familiar with a barrel vise might be able to remove breech plug.

 

[appalichian hunter]

get it out yet. I am no getting any younger and the suspense is killing me.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Would you believe, I went trout fishing with two good friends today and all I could think about was wonder if he got that drill bit stuck ball out of the barrel yet, me neither ---- good luck

 

[COTNTOP]

I charged my rifle with the nipple out and the powder ran out on the ground one time. That is the closest I came to a dry ball. Used a ball puller and everything came out all right. Still a newbie, didn't know about the grease, compressed air or add a little powder at the time. I remember the ball was hard to get out and now wonder what I would have done if the screw would had pulled out of the ramrod.

 

[Stubert]

Hello..............................Tom511 where are you? What was the outcome? seems like alot of new folks come here, ask 1 question and you never hear from them again.

 

[BV]

Might have starved since he couldn't shoot anything to eat.