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And I'll take it off your hands for $100 if you leave it alone and don't fugger it up anymore.
Stuck ball, now with drill bit
- Thread starter Tom511
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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.......
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If it's a T/C I can lend you a breech plug tool!
Nit Wit
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
Before you try to blow the ball out, I would run a patch down the bore with some oil to help it slide out.
I can't wait for the end!
Nit Wit
Nit Wit
There's an end?? 
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
70 Cal.
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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........
Use the right tool - 5 minutes or less........
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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.
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.
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Good story!
1812 Overture?
He did and he even has pictures posted.
fillwa
40 Cal
Is the ball still “stuck” in the barrel?!?
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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.
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.
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.
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
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get it out yet. I am no getting any younger and the suspense is killing me.
appalichian hunter
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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
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.
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