I was cleaning my new muzzle loader and got a brush stuck. I wrapped it in a towel, put it in a vise and tried to remove the breach plug. The barrel twisted in the vise and snapped off the rear sight. I'm having a bad day. It's a Cabala's LH percussion hawken style 50cal. Made by Invest arms of Italy. Does anybody have any suggestions? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
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Stuck brush
- Thread starter tonyd65
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Hadn't heard that one before. Good tip!
Usually the reason a brush gets stuck is because their bristles are bent backwards towards the muzzle as they are shoved down the barrel.
That, in effect makes them kinda like one of those Chinese finger traps where the more you try to pull it back up the barrel, the tighter it becomes.
If the ramrod or cleaning rod is still attached to the brush, push down gently while turning the rod clockwise. This will allow the bristles to be bent sideways rather than towards the muzzle.
While turning the rod clockwise give a steady pull on it. This usually will cause the bristles to bend back towards the breech and the brush will then pull out.
If this doesn't work, the copper tube method usually will.
For what it's worth, after getting a cleaning brush stuck in my guns bore twice I vowed to never use one of the damn things again so for the last 40 years I haven't.
The bores in my guns have not suffered because I omitted the brush.
That, in effect makes them kinda like one of those Chinese finger traps where the more you try to pull it back up the barrel, the tighter it becomes.
If the ramrod or cleaning rod is still attached to the brush, push down gently while turning the rod clockwise. This will allow the bristles to be bent sideways rather than towards the muzzle.
While turning the rod clockwise give a steady pull on it. This usually will cause the bristles to bend back towards the breech and the brush will then pull out.
If this doesn't work, the copper tube method usually will.
For what it's worth, after getting a cleaning brush stuck in my guns bore twice I vowed to never use one of the damn things again so for the last 40 years I haven't.
The bores in my guns have not suffered because I omitted the brush.
And never use a brush in a muzzleloader again. I learned the same lesson 30+ years ago and have made do without since. ;-)
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ha ha...me too !
It was reading anouther post of similar vein as this one about a month ago that conviced me I didnt need to brush the bore.
I have never stuck a brush. However, small bore guns, like M-16s, can EASILY stick a brush since the bristles are so short. In the case of a really stuck brush and these 22 cals will really jam sometimes, since its brass suppository gun a whack with a hammer or other hard object on the rod will snap the bristles over center and the brush will come out. Rule with these and it will start to take effect at about 30 cal, don't try to reverse direction in the bore.
I have used a lot of 45 and 50 cals in BL and ML with no issue over the years reversing direction etc.
If its a rod with real bearings in the handle be careful striking it on the handle.
Dan
I have used a lot of 45 and 50 cals in BL and ML with no issue over the years reversing direction etc.
If its a rod with real bearings in the handle be careful striking it on the handle.
Dan
ohio ramrod
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As you have learned attempting to remove breech plugs is not a good idea! Be thankfull all you did was break off the rear sight. ! Still you should have the gun's breech checked out You may have damaged the threads. Remember a gun isn't much different than a pipe bomb if it has breech failure! :idunno: :idunno:
cynthialee said:
Yeppers. That was a good thread and good lesson. But there are always those who will touch just to see if the paint is wet when there is a big 'wet paint' sign posted. Ye can't cure stupid.
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Someitmes just simply twisting while pulling the brush will let them be removed
It really is simple isn't it.
For the life of me I'll never understand people who try something once...have a bad experience because they didn't know what they were doing or how to handle the situation...then make across the board statements putting something down forever from that point forward like they're some final authority on the subject...all based upon their one personal botched attempt...LOL.
Bore brushes have been made for all calibers & gauges for longer than I know about...and have been used successfully for lord knows how many hundreds of thousands / millions of times over a very long period now.
Myself, I've used bore brushes constantly for 20 years...for so long now that when I put on a new brush I already know / expect it's going to hang at the bottom. So when I get down there I simply rotate the range rod clockwise and slide it back up out of the bore.
I've also learned that it'll only happen to me with a new sharp brush on the first few passes, after that, the sharp tips are smooth enough so they no longer 'bite' and hang up.
For the life of me I'll never understand people who try something once...have a bad experience because they didn't know what they were doing or how to handle the situation...then make across the board statements putting something down forever from that point forward like they're some final authority on the subject...all based upon their one personal botched attempt...LOL.
Bore brushes have been made for all calibers & gauges for longer than I know about...and have been used successfully for lord knows how many hundreds of thousands / millions of times over a very long period now.
Myself, I've used bore brushes constantly for 20 years...for so long now that when I put on a new brush I already know / expect it's going to hang at the bottom. So when I get down there I simply rotate the range rod clockwise and slide it back up out of the bore.
I've also learned that it'll only happen to me with a new sharp brush on the first few passes, after that, the sharp tips are smooth enough so they no longer 'bite' and hang up.
zimmerstutzen
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Probably everyone has done it once. I have pulled brushes for people.
Most folks don't do it again, because of the first experience. In some bores because of rifling shape, it may be easier to clean with a brush. For me a jag, cleaning patch and hot water do just fine.
I am one of those who would tell a green horn, don't ever use a brush, it will get stuck.
Just as would tell them don't ever even try to remove a CVA breech.
Some folks are careful and understand the tricks to using a brush and the type required. Hey have at it.
I don't need it. Just like I don't need a removable touch hole.
Most folks don't do it again, because of the first experience. In some bores because of rifling shape, it may be easier to clean with a brush. For me a jag, cleaning patch and hot water do just fine.
I am one of those who would tell a green horn, don't ever use a brush, it will get stuck.
Just as would tell them don't ever even try to remove a CVA breech.
Some folks are careful and understand the tricks to using a brush and the type required. Hey have at it.
I don't need it. Just like I don't need a removable touch hole.
Sounds good...the first one I stuck because I didn't know any better was one of those that's just crimped into the threaded base...pulled hard and pulled it right out of the crimp of course. Was in the shop so I couldn't try to shoot it out...ended up using a grease gun to force it back up out...which by the way was actually pretty easy, worked well.
If I'd had a CO2 discharger back then it would have been even faster to blow it out.
After that first hang, I switched to the better quality captive type brush bases, still thinking about increased strength if I needed to pull one again...but when one of those eventually did hang up I didn't try to pull it out, I just broke the bristles grip by rotating the rod, and haven't had a brush get stuck down bore in all the years since...
If I'd had a CO2 discharger back then it would have been even faster to blow it out.
After that first hang, I switched to the better quality captive type brush bases, still thinking about increased strength if I needed to pull one again...but when one of those eventually did hang up I didn't try to pull it out, I just broke the bristles grip by rotating the rod, and haven't had a brush get stuck down bore in all the years since...
Seems to me that trying to blow a brush out of the bore with a CO2 discharger would only blow a lot of CO2 thru the bristles without moving the brush at all.
Yeah, but if you take a bad idea and work at it long enough you'll eventually become expert at it.
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