stuck jag

[axp117crow]

i feel so stupid. i was cleaning my flintlock today and used a patch which was too large. no now the jag is stuck and i have no idea how to get it out. someone please help. i heard you can load powder behind it and shoot it out but that doesn't sound to safe. please help

 

[robinghewitt]

Add soapy water and try to get it moving a bit, you only need to soften the fouling and it will come.

best regards

Squire Robin

Edit: Unless it's jammed in the touch hole liner... :hmm:

 

[Doc Arroyo]

This is really common!

Squirt some cleaning solvent down the barrel, and play a bit of tug-o-war with it. If my wife or a friend ain't handy, I chuck the barrel in the bench vice, and give the rod a pull.

 

[rich pierce]

Been there and sometimes, a rammer with a stuck jag is near impossible to remove. Jags should be outlawed and we should all be using gunworms and tow. Just my strong opinion!

 

[axp117crow]

thanks guys, i tried the water with no help, the solvent however did the trick. thank god i was getting so angry cuz i thought i was gonna have to buy a new barrel which i wouldn't have the money for before the hunting season.

 

Wish I had enough money to even think about a new barrel,would have to run the deer over on the highway, or cadge one from a friendly deputy. Bob PS there are 6 between here and town ,in the ditch .

 

[robinghewitt]

Has anyone ever resorted to dissolving the cloth with caustic soda? I've been tempted :grin:

 

[Gary]

Kudos to Squire Robin for his soapy suggestion. BTW, I'll pass on the caustic soda. Sounds like the Confederate sharpshooter who tried to "melt" his stuck bullet out of his barrel. Opps.

 

[benvenuto]

happens so often at my range we should install a bench vice down there.
Usually the range captain has a bottle of washing liquid and a pair of monster vice-grips, and we just play a round of rifle tug-o-war

 

[DrTimboone]

Not what yoou would want to happen in the middle of a battle!! :nono: :nono:

Anyone know when jags began to replace tow and a worm as the typical cleaning tool??

 

[paulvallandigham]

After the civil war, Tim. When the coned muzzle was replaced with the flat crown, and short starters were essential just to start the PRB down the barrel, then jags were needed to protect the ball, and make sure the wads were supported along the edges as both were seated. They were also made to hold a cleaning patch on the way back, so that patch jags were no longer needed. Once the iron ore and coal fields in the Appalachians were opened, Steel became cheaper to use than Brass. It was not until after the Civil War that the huge Masabi range was located in Northern Minnesota, and copper was so cheap it also lowered the price of brass.

 

[paulvallandigham]

After the civil war, Tim. When the coned muzzle was replaced with the flat crown, and short starters were essential just to start the PRB down the barrel, then jags were needed to protect the ball, and make sure the wads were supported along the edges as both were seated. They were also made to hold a cleaning patch on the way back, so that patch jags were no longer needed. Once the iron ore and coal fields in the Appalachians were opened, Steel became cheaper to use than Brass. It was not until after the Civil War that the huge Copper range was located in Montana, and copper became so cheap it also lowered the price of brass.