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

[wiscoaster]

Microwave butter just may be the answer ....

Good for more things than just one. Moo!! Made in Wisconsin.

 

[Bucks Co]

I had to deal with a very stuck (half way down) Lee Wadcutter 58 in a Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter - in the end I debreeched it and with the barrel held in soft jaws in the Vise I used a length of 1/2" steel rod and a 2Lb hammer to drive it out and it really took some shifting but in the end it came out with no barrel damage. Lucky owner!!

 

[Mike in FL]

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

I know, I know. It can be
a bit funny. I've been the victim of it twice. My first time was 40 years ago, except it was not a rb, it was my ram rod. I had put the powder in and then ran a patch down to wipe. Why I did that is lost to the ages, but the rod got stuck. Fired it out and could not believe how high it went. Came back to earth in one piece. .No, more than 40. 1973, so that's more than 50. My first ml. I knew nothing back then.
Pass the salt.

 

[Philip Lebow]

Get Dusty to do it for you! Price is right! Or ship it to me at LRK Mechanical Services in Prescott AZ. 928-776-6483
But we do charge! We have done this work on a number of originals and have made wrenches to fit
and special vise jaws. Dusty has likely done many more!

 

[Flint n Steel]

It sounds foolish, but I put my rifle on the other side of a door, and cleaning rod extended through the space between the door and hinge. Then I went to the other side, laid down on the floor, bent legs like a frog, grabbed end of cleaning rod with a pair of pliers, straightened legs and it came right out. I had been fighting it for weeks.

Hillbilly gunsmithing...

 

[Bad Karma]

@Eterry, that’s my theory, too. The minie is covering the vent.

OP, I will clear the bore for you and pin gauge for an exact measurement free of charge. Just take care of shipping.

@Never_Lucky_Rubber_Ducky your username checks out but your luck may be changing….

 

[flatcreek]

Don't know if this is advisable or not. Could you heat the barrel with a torch until the lead melted and ran out? Ok let me have it!

 

[rpatmuck]

I have a military 50 cal. cleaning rod that has worked for me every time i had a ball with no powder under it. installed a ball pulling jag and screwed it into ball. Then I held the rifle and hooked the handle on the cleaning rod on the back side of a 4 by 4 post and pulled on the rifle. Has worked on round balls and conicals alike.

 

[Bad Karma]

Don't know if this is advisable or not. Could you heat the barrel with a torch until the lead melted and ran out? Ok let me have it!

No way would I do that with an original from the civil war era… actually, I would not do this with any firearm I cared about in the least bit.

 

[Mike in FL]

Don't know if this is advisable or not. Could you heat the barrel with a torch until the lead melted and ran out? Ok let me have it!

That sounds doable. I'd keep the barrel hot though until I was sure all of the lead was out.

 

[Bad Karma]

I have a military 50 cal. cleaning rod that has worked for me every time i had a ball with no powder under it. installed a ball pulling jag and screwed it into ball. Then I held the rifle and hooked the handle on the cleaning rod on the back side of a 4 by 4 post and pulled on the rifle. Has worked on round balls and conicals alike.

These are excellent ^^^ heavy duty rods.

 

[flatcreek]

No way would I do that with an original from the civil war era… actually, I would not do this with any firearm I cared about in the least bit.

Was only looking at this as an absolute last resort, don't know what damage it may or may not cause. I'm sure it would damage most finishes. After 4 pages I thought we may be there, last resort that is.

 

[Rich44]

Don't know if this is advisable or not. Could you heat the barrel with a torch until the lead melted and ran out? Ok let me have it!

This idea has been tried a couple months ago on a different posting. It so to speak worked in removing lead, but it mostly ruined the gun. The results are not good, let me restate it will be trash afterwards. Not a good idea at all.

 

[Bad Karma]

s

Was only looking at this as an absolute last resort, don't know what damage it may or may not cause. I'm sure it would damage most finishes. After 4 pages I thought we may be there, last resort that is.

Pretty sure nobody’s gonna let you have it… but @Rich44 nails it. I might consider such a remedy if I were dealing with a CVA and their funky strange “patent” breech which is nearly impossible to remove and replace. (At least by mortal men) in that case I wouldn’t be completely torn up if things went sideways… Since the poster was working on an original survivor I have to assume that sending it to a competent, experienced gun crank would be the third option after one or two attempts had failed. Hopefully he keeps us posted…

 

[hawkeye2]

Removing the breech plug from an original Springfield is neither difficult nor complicated. A flat faced plug with a tang that's tapered like commonly found on muzzleloaders. Straight right hand common threads. Anyone that's ever taken a plug out and some that haven't yet should be able to do it.

 

[Grenadier1758]

If one has the solidly mounted vise with non-marring jaws to hold the barrel and a breech plug wrench that fits the breech plug, removing the breech plug is easy. Once the breech plug is removed, driving the stuck Minie' ball is easy. It's not so easy if one doesn't have the necessary tools and skills to pull the plug and a sturdy rod to drive the stuck ball out. Then we need to understand why the Minie' ball wasn't shot out, pulled out or pushed out by a small powder charge or the grease gun.

Let's wait until the rifle is back from the gunsmith.

 

[Snooterpup]

That sounds doable. I'd keep the barrel hot though until I was sure all of the lead was out.

Respectfully, please don’t. Pay a muzzleloader pro gunsmith to fix it and do not do anything that may damage it.

 

[Mike in FL]

This idea has been tried a couple months ago on a different posting. It so to speak worked in removing lead, but it mostly ruined the gun. The results are not good, let me restate it will be trash afterwards. Not a good idea at all.

Even if the barrel is out of the gun. Other than barrel finish, what damage would result?

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I'm not familiar with the 1861 Springfield, however after looking at my Zouave I'm thinking I could remove the nipple and pass a wire through into the chamber to determine if the minie ball skirt is blocking the path of ignition. Worming a wire having a sharp tip should produce lead shavings if that is the case. If the ball is that far down I would try to auger a hole through the skirt with the sharp wire enough to get some 4F powder behind it. With powder behind it, I have difficulty believing it cant be shot out.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Some one need a sign?
IMG_0573 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr