Stuck Jag

[nathan.davis]

While cleaning my ML today, I used a new accessory. I threaded it onto the rod and ran it down to the breach. Upon trying to pull it back, the accessory came loose--stuck in the breach.

I had that sinking feeling. I immediately felt near panic with visions of needing to take my ML to a gunsmith to have him remove the breach plug to retrieve my error. Meanwhile, I'm kicking myself because I'm suppose to go shooting with a friend tomorrow.

Maybe you veteran ML shooters can tell us newbies about the times that you had that sinking feeling. I'd like to learn from your experiences.

Mine crisis ended well. After a couple of attempts to re-thread the rod onto the accessory, I concluded that I had originally threaded an 8/32 male accessory into the 10/32 female end of the rod. I turned the rod around, re-threaded the accessory and retrieved it. My day was saved, but only after my blood pressure spiked into the stratophere!

What events have caused you to feel that sinking feeling?

 

[M. De Land]

When I snap a bottoming tap off in a small blind hole on a receiver or barrel. :grin:

 

[necchi]

Dropping small lock parts in the grass at Rendezvous!!

 

[JeffG]

Bouncing the handle of my hawk over the top edge of the target, and watching it sail towards the woods.

 

[bubba.50]

watchin' a nice buck wavin' his flag bye-bye at ya 'cause ya didn't put the blanket-blank cap on before squeezin' the trigger.

 

[bpd303]

Along those lines. Watching a nice buck I just shot, in an area where it would be easy to get him out of the woods and he spins around and slides down a 500 foot ravine knowing it will take all day to get him out.

 

[jamesthomas]

Dropping small lock parts in the grass at Rendezvous!!

Yea, its kinda hard to find the fly of a lock once it bounces a few times .

 

[mooman76]

Dropping small lock parts in the grass at Rendezvous!!

Yea, its kinda hard to find the fly of a lock once it bounces a few times .

A good magnet would help there.

 

[nathan.davis]

Ouch! Since the taps are often case hardened, drilling it out would be doubly hard. I wouldn't know what to do next.

 

[mooman76]

I got a ball stuck when I tried to use the wrong size by mistake. 45 pistol in a 45 rifle(it pays to pay attention). I didn't have anything to pull it back out at the time so it ended my shooting day early. Ball puller didn't work because I didn't have a good enough one. I finally got it though.

 

[ohio ramrod]

before I retired as a tool and die man we had a guy at the shop who considered himself a gunsmith. He broke off a tap while trying to mount a scope. He asked me what he could do to get it out. I told him I could take a worn out 3/32 solid carbide end mill and grind it into to a left hand drill. ( I knew he had a small bench mill with reverse in the quill ). Then if he just centered it and slowly drilled in short strokes he might be able to get it to back out. He came back the next day and said " It didn't back out, it just drilled a hole in the tap and I had to use the small easy out you made me earlier for another job". :idunno: :idunno:

 

[Zonie]

If you had used a carbide left hand end mill or drill to make your removal tool he would have thought you were a genius (if he ran his drill press backwards).

Rather than drilling into the tap, it would have just unscrewed it.

(For newbies, left hand drills and mills cut when they rotate counter clockwise or backwards.)

While on this off-topic subject, drilling out a stuck nipple in a revolver cylinder by drilling from the chamber mouth with a normal drill will also often unscrew the nipple. The drill is running in a direction that will turn the nipple clockwise from the chamber mouth direction.
This is a counterclockwise direction from the nipple end of the cylinder.

 

[Ken Cormier]

Ok a sinking feeling is when your teenage daughter out shoots you on her first woods walk. Proud as all get out but still a sinking feeling. ff

 

[Eric Krewson]

Where to begin;

Drive 45 miles to the range and discover you left your range rod and cleaning jag at home, knowing you are limited to about a dozen shots or until your flinter gets to cruddy to load or fire.

Drive 45 miles to the range to find the only patched balls you brought are the 6 in your loading block, so much for shooting all morning.

Or, drive 45 miles to the range and find......, oh well, you get the picture.

 

[pab1]

Drive 45 miles to the range and discover you left your range rod and cleaning jag at home...

Not quite as far, but when I lived in Colorado the range I shot at was 25-30 miles away. Made it up there one day to discover I had left my caps at home. It reminded me of Titus Bass when he was talking Josiah out of a percussion gun at rendezvous. Something along the lines of "what you gonna do if you run outta them little things?" :grin:

 

[ncmtmike]

Never had an accessory to get loose :shake: but I did vaporize a squirrel once :redface: forgot I had a PRB instead of shot,hit that squirrel with a .600PRB :rotf: No gravy left :cursing:

 

[mooman76]

I feel almost like I should have a checklist any more. I got in the habit of taking extra guns with me because I always seem to forget something needed to shoot.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Wrong caliber balls, no ball starter,nor enough caps,forgot the targets,horn only had enough powder for 2 shots, no patches,rangerod had wrong size jag. showed up one day with a modern gun and the gun had no bolt and I had the wrong ammo.

The list goes on and on :rotf:

 

[pa woods roamer]

Touching off A shot and saying to Yourself, Man that had one heck of a kick to It. Then, realizing that You just shot your Ram Rod. And, the whole dang shooting line saw It happen.......

 

[30gman]

Last week got to the range and unloaded the car and had everything set up,no caps. Called wife and she delivered me some caps.
I have a range box for each rifle 3 different calibers.
Now,inside the lid of each is a written list of the essentials.
My range is only about 2 miles from the house so she wasn't to upset about the drive.