Stuck cleaning brush

[Tankerchief]

Okay folks, I have one for the books....

Recently purchased a used TC Hawkin .50 Cal. Took it out today to shoot for the first time and performed perfectly. Very happy with the whole day.

Brought it home and prepared to clean it. Attached a .50 cal bore brush to my range rod to loosen the grime and the brush detached from the rod at the bottom of the barrel. I managed to get it reattached and moved about an inch or so before it came off again. All additional attempts have failed appears the thread somehow stripped. By my measurements the brush is about 23" down the barrel.

Obviously all the methods used to remove a stuck ball won't work because it's not air tight; so I'm looking for suggestions short of a miracle.

Thanks in advance.

-Mike

 

[Peregrine]

What if you bent a j hook at the end of an 1/8" piece of welding rod, then send it down through the bristles and tried to catch it around the center core and pull it back up? I am thinking of a chicken catcher. I have no idea if it will work. The good thing is the bristles already changed direction and should be ready to move upwards.

 

[Little Brother]

Maybe a worm. One of the cork screw types

 

[64Springer]

You'd be surprised how much surface area there is with a brush. That thing is all over that bore. An obstruction.

I would take it to the range. Remove the nipple. Pack it full of powder. And pull the trigger.

A dollar to a donut says that brush goes down range.

Sticking sharp steel objects in your bore and twisting them in circles is a good way to damage
the rifling.

Best of luck.

P.S. Using brushes in a one way only bore is asking for trouble. The bristles lay down going in and when you try to pull the brush back out the bristles are trying to stand up and reverse themselves. That's how they get stuck.

 

[deermanok]

I recently had a jag snap off in my flintlock barrel.
I packed about 5 grains of powder in the touch hole. Then I pushed the jag all the way down against the powder.
Primed the pan and touched er off.
The jag shot right out of barrel no problem.

 

[SDSmlf]

Quite a few threads on stuck brushes.

If still attached to your range rod, try twisting the rod clockwise to release the tension from the brush bristles.

If not attached to your range rod, find some copper (or aluminum) tubing that is just under bore diameter and push it down the bore and over the brush. When you remove the tubing from the bore the brush will be in it. Not my idea, but posted on the forum numerous times.

 

[64Springer]

Quite a few threads on stuck brushes.

If still attached to your range rod, try twisting the rod clockwise to release the tension from the brush bristles.

If not attached to your range rod, find some copper (or aluminum) tubing that is just under bore diameter and push it down the bore and over the brush. When you remove the tubing from the bore the brush will be in it. Not my idea, but posted on the forum numerous times.

Genius. Pure genius. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Fyi, it will shoot out if all else fails.
Walk

 

[FishDFly]

Do a search, there are a 1000+ threads on how to get a stuck brush out.

Only thing brushes are good for is the trash can.

 

[Muzzle57]

Okay folks, I have one for the books....

Recently purchased a used TC Hawkin .50 Cal. Took it out today to shoot for the first time and performed perfectly. Very happy with the whole day.

Brought it home and prepared to clean it. Attached a .50 cal bore brush to my range rod to loosen the grime and the brush detached from the rod at the bottom of the barrel. I managed to get it reattached and moved about an inch or so before it came off again. All additional attempts have failed appears the thread somehow stripped. By my measurements the brush is about 23" down the barrel.

Obviously all the methods used to remove a stuck ball won't work because it's not air tight; so I'm looking for suggestions short of a miracle.

Thanks in advance.

-Mike

Bend a hook on a coat hanger

 

[Bowhunter73]

You'd be surprised how much surface area there is with a brush. That thing is all over that bore. An obstruction.

I would take it to the range. Remove the nipple. Pack it full of powder. And pull the trigger.

A dollar to a donut says that brush goes down range.

Sticking sharp steel objects in your bore and twisting them in circles is a good way to damage
the rifling.

Best of luck.

P.S. Using brushes in a one way only bore is asking for trouble. The bristles lay down going in and when you try to pull the brush back out the bristles are trying to stand up and reverse themselves. That's how they get stuck.

That is what I did when that happened to me the powder flash burnt enough of the bristles for it to come out when I attched the rod to it.

 

[APG]

If you want to use a bore brush in a muzzleloader with a capped end use the nylon ones.

 

[nchawkeye]

Bore brushes do not need to be used to clean muzzleloaders...

 

[SOLANCO]

If you are bothered by a bore, use the brush to beat him. Otherwise keep it at home for your unmentionables. Can be handy for those gas operated mechanisms.

 

[Tankerchief]

You'd be surprised how much surface area there is with a brush. That thing is all over that bore. An obstruction.

I would take it to the range. Remove the nipple. Pack it full of powder. And pull the trigger.

A dollar to a donut says that brush goes down range.

Sticking sharp steel objects in your bore and twisting them in circles is a good way to damage
the rifling.

Best of luck.

P.S. Using brushes in a one way only bore is asking for trouble. The bristles lay down going in and when you try to pull the brush back out the bristles are trying to stand up and reverse themselves. That's how they get stuck.

As I found out the hard way. Thanks

 

[FishDFly]

Bore brushes do not need to be used to clean muzzleloaders...

Amen

 

[Tankerchief]

Genius. Pure genius. Thanks for the tip.

I thought the tubing Idea sounded great. But, I think it will only work for a .54 cal. 3/8" copper tubing fits in the barrel but very snug I'm afraid of getting that stuck and making the situation worse. I'm going to a specialty plumbing supply shop in the morning to see what they might have in stock.

 

[towgunner11h]

If you make a big ball of cotton string and jam it down the barrel, holding on to one end, it will catch on the brush and you can pull it out.

 

[FishDFly]

If you make a big ball of cotton string and jam it down the barrel, holding on to one end, it will catch on the brush and you can pull it out.

Would not count on it working.

Do a search and follow the previous help which has been offered for many years, it does work!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[user 34300]

Improvised metal hooks will scratch the bore and not remove the brush. Think hard before putting random stuff in the bore. That kind of thing often creates a much larger problem.

Get a fired cartridge case that is a close fit in the bore, 284 or 7.5 Swiss are perfect, I am sure 30-06 etc would work fine too. See what you have. Drill the primer pocket to allow a 8-32 or 10-32 pass the hole. Use the appropriate machine screw to attach it to your ramrod. Remove the bottleneck. Push it down and over the bristles of the stuck brush. Once the brush is in the case it will come out easy.

Sounds like the OP used an 8-32 brush on a 10-32 rod. At any rate brushes and MLs are a recipe for trouble.