Very stuck minie ball, tried everything having to pull the breech plug

[deerstalkert]

I wonder if it would be possible to take say a dowel cut just long enough to stick out the bore a little bit and hit it with a hammer in hopes of pounding the minie to the point where it fills the bore so that the other methods that have been tried get a chance to work because of a better seal?

problem there is it would drive the skirt across the flash channel. if not already there.
if it was a repop i would tell the OP to have at unbreeching the thing. as a historical arm i am in the "competent gunsmith corner"
I also hope feathers dont get ruffled and he strays away. from what he has written i think he should stick around ,

 

[hawkeye2]

Ok I'm an N-SSA member. NRA muzzleloading instructor & range officer and have held 5 other instructor ratings over the years but I'm no expert. At 79 years I still haven't seen or done everything yet. I did post (#24 1861 Springfield Barrel Patina issues) about all I could think of to help the OP but it seems he had tried those. It seems like the OP is quite knowledgeable in how to go about removing a stuck minie and I would suggest he accept Dusty_traveler's offer to clear the barrel. It looks like Never_Lucky_Rubber_Ducky has all his ducks lined up.

 

[Never_Lucky_Rubber_Ducky]

Ok I'm an N-SSA member. NRA muzzleloading instructor & range officer and have held 5 other instructor ratings over the years but I'm no expert. At 79 years I still haven't seen or done everything yet. I did post (#24 1861 Springfield Barrel Patina issues) about all I could think of to help the OP but it seems he had tried those. It seems like the OP is quite knowledgeable in how to go about removing a stuck minie and I would suggest he accept Dusty_traveler's offer to clear the barrel. It looks like Never_Lucky_Rubber_Ducky has all his ducks lined up.

 

[Ed C.]

I used 60gr pyrodex because that’s what the shop told me to use. Well NOW I know it’s not always the same. My first shot of my first BP rifle didn’t fire. So a guy at the range has 3fff that got it out I then tried it again but wouldn’t fire, and he had left. I tried 4fff I ordered but it wont get it out. The gunsmith tried a nitrogen tank? And said it wouldn’t work

I'm still not clear on if you ever got any of the gun powder charges to go off. I'd say remove the nipple and using alcohol, small wires, picks, compressed air, whatever, clean that mess out, get some 3f or 4f BP in there, make sure there is no through hole in the minnie (plug it with as screw as mentioned) and shoot it out. Get that gun to fire and it's coming out.

 

[Never_Lucky_Rubber_Ducky]

problem there is it would drive the skirt across the flash channel. if not already there.
if it was a repop i would tell the OP to have at unbreeching the thing. as a historical arm i am in the "competent gunsmith corner"
I also hope feathers dont get ruffled and he strays away. from what he has written i think he should stick around ,

 

[Eterry]

Just wondering what your powder charge was with the pyrodex?

Btw,
Go to any Skirmish and you'll see a Sutler set up in a tent or truck selling all the real BP you'll ever need.

 

[flntlokr]

The only thing I can think of other than ship it off is to thread a slightly larger screw in the minie ball to block the hole in the top. Then work 5-10 grs ffffg behind the minie and let it rip.

It took me a while to figure out to swab the bore with dry patches before loading. The oil would drain to the breech, getting the first round to fire was a disaster. This was in 1980, long before the internet was here to help.
I wish you luck.

Store your ml muzzle down for at least a few days after oiling the bore and wiping it. It's surprising how much oil runs out of a 'dry' barrel some times. Mine are always stored muzzle down, and I never wipe before loading and have never had a problem. However, I still pop a cap or two with percussion guns, and ALWAYS fire a blank charge from a flinter before loading a ball (It's such a pain dealing with a dryball in a flintlock gun).

 

[satwel]

Is it an original or a repro? (D'oh! Never mind. I should have read the whole thread first)

 

[TDM]

Ok, don't think this has been mentioned, so I'll throw my 2 cents in. With the barrel removed, buy a can of non-chlorinated brake cleaner, remove the nipple, put some safety glasses on, go outside, and slowly, throughly spray out all the old powder and oil from the breech and barrel. Use the whole can and let it dry. Then maybe you can trickle enough 3F/4F in to shoot it out.

 

[2 shots]

? was your puller straight or tapered thread? if straight you might try a tapered puller. track of the wolf has good ones and nice s/s range rods also. good luck with it.

 

[akroguy]

Had a stuck minie in my zoli Mississippi. Pulled breech, knocked it out with steel rod, put breech back in (lined up factory index mark on bottom of barrel and good to go.

Not hard.

 

[ibud38]

Unless you measure the bore, or have a set of different size minies, you have a tough time knowing what the bore is. I've seen them from .569 to .589.
Mine uses a .578, and it's a modern reproduction.
I'm guessing the minie is covering the nipple vent. So no amount of powder or compressed air will remove it.

I agree that the minie is covering the vent also being an original rifle the chamber is likely badly pitted and the ball is swaged into the pits from the seating procedure locking it in place.. remove breach plug to clear it.

 

[sturmkatze]

Pyrodex is not black powder. Okay. Remove the nipple. Turn the gun sideways to the nipple hole is facing slightly down. Tap on the barrel to try to remove as much of the Pyrodex as you can. Refill as much as you can with 3 or 4F. If it is just a few grains of 3 or 4F, you will not be over-pressuring your barrel, but, it should help to remove the bullet when you now fire after replacing the nipple. Also, are you using musket caps?

The Doc is still around.

He said he used the grease gun… this stuff ain’t gonna work. It will need a gun smith. They get paid to do this work.

 

[2 shots]

one large popcorn please.

 

[Relic shooter]

Before retiring as a BP builder & gunsmith I removed numerous loads from several original rifles, pistols & muskets without breech plug removal.

My recommendation;
FIRST MAKE SURE THE STUCK MINI OR BALL IS SEATED TO THE BREACH AREA !!
Always use a cleaning rod to assure the stuck Mini is seated at the breach area. If stuck use a brass or steel rod to seat the Mini down to the breach area before firing.
Failure to seat a projectile at the breach with a full load can create a bulge & ruin the barrel.
Now that the pyrodex has been contaminated with oil or solvents remove the nipple & immerse 6"
of the barrel's breach area in acetone or rubbing alcohol for a couple hours to remove the oil.

After soaking, allow the breech area to drain & air-dry dry for a couple more hours, then blow through the nipple's threads with compressed air to remove any remaining residual crud.
After breach area has dried, trickle 20-30 grains of 4F or 3F 'real' Black Powder through the empty nipple port, replace nipple
& fire the stuck Mini- Ball out.
*Not to fret, very few of us old-timers can claim we never dry-balled a load
Relic shooter

 

[Mike in FL]

Here's how I unstuck a really stuck PRB, after trying the normal methods here. I soaked the barrel with DW40, give it time to work it's way around the ball, if that is possible. I sacrificed a ramrod with the ball puller attached. Screw the puller thru the lead projectile as far as possible. Screw an eyelet screw into the other end of the ramrod
Then drive a large nail into9 something that is wooden and immovable like a wooden deck or a stump, or even a standing tree. I used my deck. Put the circle part of of the eyelet screw over the nail and pull the rifle backwards away from the stump or whatever. Pulling on the rifle instead of pulling the ramrod gives plenty of leverage.
The bigger in diameter of the ball
puller screw will lessen the chance of the screw pulling through the lead bullet. It might require a larger than standard puller screw. I thought I was doomed to removing the breech until I tried as stated.

 

[Mike in FL]

Here's how I unstuck a really stuck PRB, after trying the normal methods here. I soaked the barrel with DW40, give it time to work it's way around the ball, if that is possible. I sacrificed a ramrod with the ball puller attached. Screw the puller thru the lead projectile as far as possible. Screw an eyelet screw into the other end of the ramrod
Then drive a large nail into9 something that is wooden and immovable like a wooden deck or a stump, or even a standing tree. I used my deck. Put the circle part of of the eyelet screw over the nail and pull the rifle backwards away from the stump or whatever. Pulling on the rifle instead of pulling the ramrod gives plenty of leverage.
The bigger in diameter of the ball
puller screw will lessen the chance of the screw pulling through the lead bullet. It might require a larger than standard puller screw. I thought I was doomed to removing the breech until I tried as stated.

Oh, make sure the threwded brass end of the ramrod is pinned in place.

 

[TDM]

one large popcorn please.

 

[hawkeye2]

Microwave Butter Lovers OK? I've got a good seat and I'm getting ready to nuke a bag and pour a beverage.

 

[COTNTOP]

Microwave butter just may be the answer to stuck balls or a new patch lube..