Ball stuck in rifle barrel

[Bullwinkle]

So I loaded up my T/C New Englander 50 cal and forgot the powder (not the first time I've done it, DOH!:banghead After several failed attempts to charge the breech via the nipple hole and fire I resorted to using my ball extractor screw on a rod.

Well, the extractor sheared off inside of the barrel! Now the ball and extractor are both stuck. I tried removing the breech but was unsuccessful.

Does anyone have any suggestions or is the barrel toast? Thanks in advance.

 

[atomchaser]

Compressed air. Just make sure you have it point in a safe direction because it will come out with significant force.

 

[Idaho shooter]

Safety first

Ordinarily I would recommend using a co2 blower, but with part of the extractor broken off, and stuck in, there is a chance that it would damage the barrel when it is blown out. Take it to a gunsmith, and have the breech plug taken out, and barrel cleared. Then buy a co2 blower so you can do it yourself next time. This is not an uncommon problem.

 

[stringnut]

Compressed air, as suggested may do it. A rubber tip blow gun may be a big help in such a situation. I would put a bit of penatrating oil down the bore also. Want it to move smooth once it starts.

As far as getting some powder in thru the nipple have fun. Most powder is too coarse. You need something like 4f. You can also grind a TINY amount at a time and use that. Make sure you push the ball down on the charge. The smaller the area the more pressure. Used to shoot a lot of sidelocks when I was a kid. Someone was always making that oops. Never had one we didn't get out eventually.

 

[frontiergander]

Push ball down to make sure its seated, remove NIPPLE, fill with powder, turn sideway, smack it a few times to shift the powder under the ball, refill once more, install nipple and fire.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Does your ball puller have the proper diameter brass disc that keeps it centered in the bore? If so, it would probably be okay to use compressed air.

 

[Patocazador]

I have a friend who got drunk with a bunch of biker friends while trying to get out a dry ball with a broken ramrod in the barrel. (I said they were drunk, didn't I?)
They decided to saturate both ends with some sort of 'falkenberry lube" from days of yore.
CO2 wouldn't do the trick. Finally, they got the screw and broken ramrod out and manually dug the saturated slurry of 2F black powder out enough for it to dry.

5 days later, they placed some 3F under the nipple, seated the ball and shot it out.

The lessons to be learned are 1) Alcohol and guns don't mix and 2) Never take a vote on how to solve a problem. Instead use your sobered-up brain.

 

[alsaqr]

1. Remove the nipple.
2. With a piece of wire work powder into the flash channel and patent breech.
3. Make sure the flash channel is full of powder.
4. Install nipple.
5. Cap and fire.

This has worked for me numerous times.

 

[whughett]

As posted in these pages before. A Zirk fitting can be found to replace the nipple. A grease gun is then used to force out the stuck ball. Never done it just read about it.

 

[X-Rap]

Grease gun will work but make a hella mess, I'd use it as a last resort. Carefully grind up a little powder and fill in from the breach and shoot it out like others have said.

 

[4v50 Gary]

If c02 doesn't work, then I'd go with 4F.

 

[MEHavey]

After several failed attempts to charge the breech via the nipple hole and fire....

I read by this that you didn't remove the nipple first (?)

If that being the case, follow ALSACR's technique w/ ~3-5 grains of 3/4Fg (anything that with fit through the flash channel) using a little jiggling vibration; tilt the rifle vertical/smack the action with your palm a few times to make sure powder's at the breech; point downrange/cap/fire.

It/and the extractor will 'poof' out.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I have heard about the grease trick here before. Anyone who has used a grease gun for its intended purpose probably shutters to think of a 30 to 40 inch long column of grease to clean up after the ball comes out. I have dry balled twice in my black powder career, the first time I was able to remove the nipple and get enough 4F powder worked through the hole that it was easy to shoot the ball out. The second time was with my Brown Bess and the ball seated down far enough that it blocked the nipple hole so I couldn't get powder in the chamber. I tried using a puller but all it did was remove shavings of lead from the ball and perforate the ball so I had to remove the breech plug and just tap the ball on out of the breech end. I recommend pulling the breech plug if you cannot blow the ball out with CO2, compressed air, or powder. Maybe I should make an air chuck adapter to screw into the flash hole????? might be a market for that.

 

[Bullwinkle]

I went to the range this weekend and tried firing a powder charge in the nipple hole...no success. So, I ended up dropping it off at a gunsmith to let him remove the breech. Thanks
again for all of the suggestions.

 

[MEHavey]

"...nipple hole..."

You pulled the nipple and poured 3-4gr/4Fg into the actual flash channel,
then screwed the nipple back in/capped and fired it ?

 

[joe4702]

Powder in flash channel has always worked for me with a dry ball.

When I got a ramrod and patch hopelessly jammed the barrel of a brand new Pedersoli musket, the grease method worked. I used Crisco so the clean-up wasn't that bad. Compressed air would not budge it.

 

[col.lemat]

I personally prefer to use apple jelly before using grease just incase the barrel is toast

 

[44 Dave]

Could try the barrel in the oven set to "self clean", should turn the patch to ash LOL!
Might want to disable your smoke detector.

 

[BCRider]

Bullwinkle, as noted a couple of times already you MUST remove the nipple first to give yourself a large enough passage to feed in enough powder.

The wording of your posts implies that you missed this very important point. And in fact the last one suggests that you only filled the small recess of the nipple with powder. If that's right it's no wonder at all it did nothing.

While the nipple is out hold it up to the light and marvel at the teeny tiny little flash hole in the threaded end of the nipple. There's simply no way to get any powder into the chamber if you try to feed it through the nipple. And that's why it's so important to remove it first.