This is a Thompson Center Hawken 45cal barrel that is like new. The bore is very tight on this one. A .440RB and an OX-yoke .010 prelubed patch is all a fella can do. I have a Knight range rod with the t-handle that has a 45cal jag on the end of it. It's a nice tool for range loading and cleaning. This is a new barrel to me and I fired it for the first time today. Time to clean. Pushed a T/C 777 pre-saturated patch down the barrel. It was snug all the way down and there was no pulling the patch back out. The rod is stuck and I have pulled with over 200 pounds of pull. My body weight. No joy. I just sprayed a whole bunch of LPS down the bore to prevent any corrosion. This happened once before on a pristine Seneca 36 cal barrel and before I could find the tool too remove the breech. I damaged the bore with corrosion. Never want to do that again. What should I do?
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Stuck Ramrod
- Thread starter Ace-Man
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There is a chance that the patch has bunched up a bit on the upper side of the jag.
Often a "stuck patch" can be loosened by pouring a fluid down the bore to ease removal.
It sounds like you've put some LPS down the bore so I would recommend putting quite a bit more in there.
Then, push the rod/jag down a bit (assuming it isn't already against the breech plug) and then try pulling it back out. If that doesn't work, read on.
If you have a CO2 muzzleloading rifle ball remover that can blow the stuck fitting out. These things do cost a bit though but once you have one you can use it to remove balls with no powder loaded under them.
If worse comes to worse, you can always remove the nipple and pour 3-5 grains of powder into the flame channel that connects the nipple with the bore. Then unscrew the rod, cap the gun and aim it at something soft like a pillow you don't want any more. Then shoot the jag out.
If this doesn't appeal to you you can always use the old grease gun method.
This envolves buying a 1/4-28 grease zert fitting and replacing the nipple with it. Use finger pressure only when installing the zert.
Then using a grease gun, (or going to a filling station that has one) pump grease into the barrel thru the grease fitting.
It makes for a hell of a mess cleaning out all of the grease but it will remove the stuck cleaning jab/patch.
Often a "stuck patch" can be loosened by pouring a fluid down the bore to ease removal.
It sounds like you've put some LPS down the bore so I would recommend putting quite a bit more in there.
Then, push the rod/jag down a bit (assuming it isn't already against the breech plug) and then try pulling it back out. If that doesn't work, read on.
If you have a CO2 muzzleloading rifle ball remover that can blow the stuck fitting out. These things do cost a bit though but once you have one you can use it to remove balls with no powder loaded under them.
If worse comes to worse, you can always remove the nipple and pour 3-5 grains of powder into the flame channel that connects the nipple with the bore. Then unscrew the rod, cap the gun and aim it at something soft like a pillow you don't want any more. Then shoot the jag out.
If this doesn't appeal to you you can always use the old grease gun method.
This envolves buying a 1/4-28 grease zert fitting and replacing the nipple with it. Use finger pressure only when installing the zert.
Then using a grease gun, (or going to a filling station that has one) pump grease into the barrel thru the grease fitting.
It makes for a hell of a mess cleaning out all of the grease but it will remove the stuck cleaning jab/patch.
smokehouseman
40 Cal.
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The absolute last resort is to pull the breech plug 
. I agree with Zonie about using he CO2. Let us know the final outcome.
. I agree with Zonie about using he CO2. Let us know the final outcome.
Many Klatch
69 Cal.
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After you get this mess out of the barrel, I recommend a different jag. You may have used too big a patch and it has jammed up around the ram rod. The better jags are relieved back of the head for about an inch so that the patching has a place to bunch up without jamming in the barrel.
I had one jag recently that was giving me fits. I chucked it into a drill and used a file to take a few thousandths off of it. It works a lot better now.
Many Klatch
I had one jag recently that was giving me fits. I chucked it into a drill and used a file to take a few thousandths off of it. It works a lot better now.
Many Klatch
Bill Bryan
40 Cal.
Pushing the rod/patch back down the barrel after you've added lots of lubricant usually releases this situation for me.
Another option is if you have a small automobile compressor they usually come with an attachment for inflating rubber rafts. Remove the nipple and try that.
Another option is if you have a small automobile compressor they usually come with an attachment for inflating rubber rafts. Remove the nipple and try that.
I bought one that looked like new recently. I kept getting stuck patches.
There was a leaded area of a ring type that the patch would back up against on the way back out.
Probably from someone shooting maxi balls over a period of time.
Then I found the real problem. The area under the underlug dovetail was bulged into the dovetail cut..Probably someone shot a short loaded round out of it at one time.......The cleaning patch would really bunch up in this area.................I do have a good tent stake though....................Bob
There was a leaded area of a ring type that the patch would back up against on the way back out.
Probably from someone shooting maxi balls over a period of time.
Then I found the real problem. The area under the underlug dovetail was bulged into the dovetail cut..Probably someone shot a short loaded round out of it at one time.......The cleaning patch would really bunch up in this area.................I do have a good tent stake though....................Bob
I have no further advice...all of it is good. I suggest you think about a .435 ball...I've just gone to .435 for .45 cal, and .48 for .50..I got sick and tired of having to hammer...I also can use a thicker patch and get better sealing. I see no change in accuracy..Good luck..HaNK
Once the jag has been removed and the barrel cleaned up a bit, I would suggest lapping the bore to remove any build up that may have occured. A lapping compound is best but white tooth paste will work too and leave your barrel minty fresh. :haha:
paulmarcone
40 Cal.
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I had the tip of a ramrod stuck in my Armi Sport Enfield last year.
Tried the Co 2 cartridge which did not work.
Ended up dribbling about 5 to 10 grains of 3F goex through the nipple hole. I made sure that the jag was seated as close to the breech as possible. That blasted it out pretty easily.
Bore has been fine ever since.
Good luck.
Tried the Co 2 cartridge which did not work.
Ended up dribbling about 5 to 10 grains of 3F goex through the nipple hole. I made sure that the jag was seated as close to the breech as possible. That blasted it out pretty easily.
Bore has been fine ever since.
Good luck.
buckskinner
32 Cal.
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i had this happen this summer at the range with my .54 cal. range rod with a jag on it got stuck, and ended my shooting session.
tried everything to break it free, but to no avail.
then out of desperation, i heated the barrel enough to get a slight expansion then was able to pull it out with a hugh amount of effort.
buck
tried everything to break it free, but to no avail.
then out of desperation, i heated the barrel enough to get a slight expansion then was able to pull it out with a hugh amount of effort.
buck
Bountyhunter
50 Cal.
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Safest, quickest, easiest and cheapest is to replace the nipple with the grease zerk and just pump it out, then clean it and go.
Shoot out the jag, it is the easiest, less costly, and fun :thumbsup:
Unless you use the, "If a little's good, more's better" principle.Mule Brain said:
Somehow I can see someone working 10 grains of powder down thru the flame channel and then blowing a hole with his jag clear thru his wall or roof :rotf:.
Thanks for all the input. Rememeber, this is a heavy metal Knight T-handled range rod with a .45 cal jag screwed on nice and tight. This rod was made to clean and load .45 cal rifles? I have a number of .45's and this is the only one that has given me any issue. The rod is all the way down and I can only pull it back maybe a 1/4". Wish I had heard of the grease gun trick before I damaged the 36 Seneca barrel.
After spraying as much LPS as I could down the barrel. The rod to bore ratio is pretty tight. I just tried to pull the rod after letting it sit all night. I've got rods stuck before and put great effort into getting them out. Finally fustrated. I walked away, and to my amazement the next day. It pulled out? There is now no free movement in any direction with the rod all the way down the bore?
I gather that the rod will not unscrew off of the jag?
If that is the case, the old grease fitting and grease gun may be the only solution.
The last thing you should consider is trying to remove the breech plug.
Thompson Center puts them in with the idea they should stay in and they are a bear to get out without damaging the barrel or the plug.
Removing it also voids the warranty.
If that is the case, the old grease fitting and grease gun may be the only solution.
The last thing you should consider is trying to remove the breech plug.
Thompson Center puts them in with the idea they should stay in and they are a bear to get out without damaging the barrel or the plug.
Removing it also voids the warranty.
Guest
I have had this happen to me twice - both times when I used old T-shirt cloth and it folded over on itself. Congratulations on getting it out. Whenever something like this happens to me in my BP World, I wonder what would a Mountainman have done in 1840 out there in the Rockies? Indians, wolves, hunger, Grizlies all waiting to take a hunk out of you and a PRB stuck down the tube! :redface:
When you get the rod out of the barrel you need to clean the lead out of it. The reason the loads are tight and you have a stuck jag is that you have a lead build up in the bore.
You can not shoot .010 patches with out burning them up in the bore. This in turn causes lead build up in the bore and very tight loading and poor accuracy from the rifle. Get a .015 or .018 pillow tick from Walmart and and a good patch lube. :hmm:
You can not shoot .010 patches with out burning them up in the bore. This in turn causes lead build up in the bore and very tight loading and poor accuracy from the rifle. Get a .015 or .018 pillow tick from Walmart and and a good patch lube. :hmm:
