Scopes let you look but don't get balls out.
I have had a bore scope for years, but stand on my post.
I have had a bore scope for years, but stand on my post.
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Stuck balls!
- Thread starter Britsmoothy
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20 year old load? I would not shoot it out that is insane. That would be pump it out.
I also take apart 100-150 year old guns but have yet needed to take a breech plug out to unload it.
Glad your friend knew his limitations.
I also take apart 100-150 year old guns but have yet needed to take a breech plug out to unload it.
Glad your friend knew his limitations.
appalichian hunter
75 Cal.
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jOSEPHG, Looks like a bit of smokeless powder got in there.
appalichian hunter
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That's weird, now is it not.
Woody Morgan
62 Cal.
Wow. I've been in Fox's Gun Shop when I was working for the shipyard in Bremerton a lifetime ago.Don Fox had a shop at Poulsbo WA for many years. He never removed a breech plug or bolster either. Howard did that. Howard was his gunsmith.
Manned the fireworks barge in Liberty Bay for a few years of Viking Fest.
wm
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Not? Nope, not. The rifle has ten whole rounds through it now. They better be not.
I purchesed a few rifles and parts from Don. Got to know him perty well. I'd always try to get him to throw in a case with a rifle but he never would. Another time I started in on him about at least throwing in some cleaning patches. He finally said okay, you got cleaning patches! Talk to Howard, so I go over and there was Howard holding two dirty cleaning patches and saying here Joe, here's your patches. I did get into him one time for about 625.00 bucks and boy he didn't like it. I was all smiles.Wow. I've been in Fox's Gun Shop when I was working for the shipyard in Bremerton a lifetime ago.
Manned the fireworks barge in Liberty Bay for a few years of Viking Fest.
wm
Woody Morgan
62 Cal.
Lived in Port Orchard from 1980-2002. Developed and ran the USPSA club at Kitsap Rifle & Revolver on Seabeck Hwy for years. Shot up at Poulsbo Gun Club every second Sunday too.
Good times!
wm
Good times!
wm
drstrangelove
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Removing the drum access screw, nipple, or touch hole screw and putting fffg or ffffg inside and firing it out is way easier than pulling a ball. Even if you have to repeat it. Problem with the screw puller is it wedges the ball in tighter as the screw displaces the lead. Yes, the co2 works but fortunately I’ve never had to go there. The zirk grease approach is an ungodly mess.
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If you’re gonna pop the load out with powder under the nipple, is it safe to use 4f or will it be a high order detonation?
Walkingeagle
54 Cal.
That’s all I use for a dryball anymore. So simple.
Walk
drstrangelove
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How much 4F you think you can get in there? Maybe 3-4 grains or a tad more, depending on if the ball is up against the breechplug. That’s far from enough to blow your rifle. The nipple would blow out before the barrel would rupture.
Last summer I dryballed one of these 560 grain slugs. Pulled the nipple, worked some FF into the bolster and shot it out into the ground in front of the bench. Dug it out of the ground with an old screwdriver. That lead don't grow on trees you know.
I don't understand what the difficulty is in pulling a breech plug. when I got into shooting, back in the 60's I made sure that I bought the proper tools to service my equipment. Some of my friends poked fun at my choice of a vise with jaws that were 8 inches wide. I have taken apart WWI Mausers, Martinis, etc. with the proper tools and some decent manuals you can take apart almost anything.
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Lots of lead there!
(This is an old story and hope i'm retelling it correctly). The only time we had no choice to pull a plug was on a TC hawken Caplock that came in on a trade, Like new outside and Bore/Rifling looked shiny and sharp plus price was right - too right. Rod test did confirm something was lodged at the breech. Tried the screw method and if felt way too hard to be lead. A small rare earth magnet on a rod confirmed a) it was steel b) it was stuck fast. Being steel we didn't want to chance further damaging barrel by shooting it out, . Later (after plug removal) we found a mostly shiny steel ball bearing had been tightly rusted into breech. Added a good witness mark and popped it loose on the "HFS" barrel vise. Knocked it out backwards with a steel rod. Only minimal damage to breech found. We guessed someone chose poorly and picked a ball too close to bore size to reflect light for inspection and got it stuck (or forgot it was there). I'm sure seller did it as he left quick and never came back, It did work as the ball really couldn't be seen with our bore light. Bore scopes were not available back then. Told this story to the late Joe Williams who laughed his derierre off and topped it with about a dozen stories of worse he'd seen.
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