stuck ball....

[FlintlockJonny]

Cold day at the range...rushed the loading...forgot the powder, you all know the drill. got my screw end out, screwed, yanked and nothing....went home. tried again, same results, screwed in some more....ramrod breaks at the screwing end. don't know how it got so tight down there. tried blowing it out with the compressor, nothing, tried duct taping the vacuum on the muzzle while blowing through the touch hole with the compressor, nothing. got cold,stopped trying. once you compose yourself after laughing, does anyone have any suggestions before I take it into the shop. and in case it matters, traditions .50 cal. .490 round ball w/screw attached.

 

[Canerod]

Get a zirk fitting that matches the thread, replace the nipple or touch hole liner with it and pump it out with a grease gun. Beats the heck outta paying a gunsmith to remove it.

 

[410-er]

Take touch hole out,work some powder in,replace touch hole,RESEAT BALL,then fire.

 

[SgtSchutzen]

Don`t know if it`s the safe`st way or not, but I`ve shot them out before. Never tried it with a flintlock but here`s how it works with percussion. first make sure the ball is as close to the breech as possible. Then remove the nipple or clean-out screw and work in as much powder as ya can from the back end, reasemble, cap the nipple and let`er go. It does`nt take much powder just to get the ball out of the barrel. With a flintlock maybe you could remove the vent liner, or work some powder in with a pick or something.

Darn it, ya beat me to the punch 410-er. :cursing:

 

[thewho66]

What he said and also use 4f if you have it to get as much as you can in there. Also just in case dont go over 10grains of powder you shouldnt be able to get more than 3-4 if that if the ball is all the way back. Last time that happened with a flint lock all I got was about 2 grains in.(dont have a removable liner in mine. But I got the ball out.

 

[410-er]

Mind powers! :rotf:

 

[musketman]

you all know the drill. got my screw end out, screwed, yanked and nothing....went home. tried again, same results, screwed in some more....ramrod breaks at the screwing end.

Get a zirk fitting that matches the thread, replace the nipple or touch hole liner with it and pump it out with a grease gun.

I would agree with this before opting to shoot it out because the ball still has the screw puller and the end of the ramrod attached to it.

 

[paco97]

Have ye a brass rod? Ever since I got me one, I have yet to find a ball that couldn't be pulled out.

 

[MikeChapin]

I have shot them out by working some 4F behind the ball. I have also pulled them with a ball puller. The easiest way though is to get a ball discarger with a fitting for a flintlock. It's handy to have anyway because this may be your first dryball but it won't be your last. :grin:

 

[2172]

found that the ball was blocking the touch hole, there being no powder to stop it. Took out touchhole liner, used the tip of an awl to work the ball forward a bit, got powder in behind it and shot it out. This blocking of the touch hole is one of the reasons the CO2 dischargers often don't work... Hank

 

[ToddB]

I'm guessing its best to do this with the barrel removed to make cleaning the grease mess out easier?

 

[Little Wattsy]

I personally would try a CO2 discharger w/a 16 gram canister. Even if it dosnt work (and it should) its a VERY HANDY tool to have in the box.

 

[R.M.]

By shoving a tight fitting patch/jag down the barrel, would it not force the grease back out the vent/drum hole?

 

[FlintlockJonny]

my apologies for not posting in the correct section. But I got my ball out! Thank you so much for the suggestions! I couldn't focus on anything else till I got it out. I did go buy a brass rod. Here's how it happened....after trying everything imaginable, no grease gun though, I squirted some bore cleaner in the touch hole, and down the muzzle and let it sit for 2 hours. since I had been shooting alot, there was some fouling that was going on. after that and a couple good drops muzzle down from about a foot onto a peice of wood to loosen the ball a smidge, the air comp. pooped it right out! i was overjoyed! No more cheap ramrods!

 

[MikeChapin]

found that the ball was blocking the touch hole, there being no powder to stop it....

I have had this happen a couple of times. You are pretty much SOL trying to get powder behind it or blowing it out with CO2. I never could work the balls forward, too tight a patch I guess. Those are the times I get out the ball puller. The only thing I like about a patent breech is that you always have some room to get some powder behind a dryball.

 

[Canerod]

R.M. That's what I do. I take the barrel out and pump out the ball w/ grease, then remove the fitting and using a jag and a tight patch, push it all out into a bucket or can. I usually save the used grease to pack bearings with, since it's already out of the tube.

 

[AlexFolino]

not to steal your thread here but what if you try removing a ball and the puller drills a perfect hole through it but the ball does not come out? Can you buy/use and oversized ball remover?

 

[ronrryan]

If you have plenty of liquid/water/lube down the bore, and let it sit a while, to make sure the patch gets good and soaked, it must be a pretty rare thing for the puller screw to rip out of the ball. I have not seen it happen to me or others in 15 years or so, except when people try to pull the ball dry. But I am no expert. Maybe you could remove the boresize collar from a larger ball screw an re-thread it in to the stuck ball. Good luck, ron