HELP, stuck bore brush.

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mustanger

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After shooting my .50 cal. I cleaned it as normal, then because I shot some sabots, I run a bore brush down the barrel, (it was a new TC .50 cal. bras brush). When I pulled back only the threaded portion that the twisted wire holding the brisels, was attached to the ramrod. the brisels and wire they are held by was still in the bore. I tried twisting a coat hanger wire into a spirel and attatched it to a shotgun cleaning rod, the coils were about 3/4" long. That started to hook on, but couldn't pull the bruch back out, I tried pulling the nipple and blowing air (about 100psi. with a small nozzle), I tried about 10 maybe 15 grais of pyrodex, in through the nipple hole. No luck. Talked to the guy at the sporting goods store, gun department, (the black powder guy had to go to an appointment) (I think he is also a gunsmith or at least sorta). The clerk that was still there said I had a PROBLEM, emfasses (sp) on ME. His suggestion was to get a new barrel. It's a .50 cal. Green Mountain barrel, hooked breech, traditional style. Your coments would be greatly appretiated.
 
first, which direction was the brush moving when it broke? Toward the muzzle or toward the breech plug?

I hope you didn't try to move it in the opposite direction before making a clean pass. A tight fitting brush in the bore can have problems with this.

Anyway, whichever direction it was moving is the direction you need to push it out.
 
A patch puller might work.

You might also be able to put a very small hook/barb on one end of a stiff wire and poke it down through the brush and pull it back toward you and repeat. Eventually you might damage/bend enough of the bristles that the brush would come out.
 
I had to remove one for a friend and this is what I made. Pulls it right out first try.


A hand made metal shallow cone to fit in bore with it's small hole just a little bigger then the brush wire soldered to the end of a lengh of tubing. Just push it down over brush, brissels fold down as the brush goes through the hole. Pull it all out!

You could try just the tubing first, then the cone if it does not work.

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brushpuller.jpg
 
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The patch puller or pigtail ball screw is what I'd suggest too. You're going to have to twist the snot out of what's in there to fold the bristles sideways so the'll let go and fold over to come out. Currently it's like you're trying to pull a wedge out the wrong way. So to make it work you need to turn the core twist enough that it'll let all the wedges fold to the side to come around.
 
I think the wire brushes were supposed to be pushed right through, like in a in-line rifle, the wire wont bend easily backwards if it's still new.
I guess a worm-puller(patch-puller) will be the best solution at this stage since its harder than a coathanger.
 
A piece of brass tubing long enough to reach all the way down will sometimes slip over a stuck brush and allow it to come back out with the tube.
I got a broken brush out once bu running in with an old 30 caliber brush and twisting till everything was turning and then pulled it out.
It can be a real PIA.
What usually is happening with those rifles is the brush is caught on the sharp edge between the chamber and the bore.
 
Mustanger:
I would put in 50 grains of powder, bp preferred,push the brush down with the ramrod and the wad up some patches or a piece of rag and seat that on top of the brush.Make sure the brush get down to th breech also tap the butt on the ground a few times to get the powder behind the brush.
You could bring it to Maine and I'd do it for you!:D
Nit Wit
 
As I said in my first post, There is no better way then a length of copper tubing. It will come out very easy. (it will be inside the tube)

Don't bend the brush all up with other means as the guy did that I helped. Then just the tubing will work.
 
I did the same thing on my 45 cal flinter. I pulled it out by using a small(22cal brush I think) and jammed it down around the 45 brush. I guess I shifted the Brussels because after a few strokes it came right up with the 22 cal brush. Very pleased as I thought I had a wall hanger.
Lots of Luck,
Bob
 
You can't pull/remove the breach plug? What rifle are you shooting?

I would remove the breach plug and push the remainder of the brush out. Then clean the barrel and reinstall the breach plug.
 
The OP has a conventional muzzle loader.
Removing the breech plug from one of those is a major operation for a skilled gunmaker.
Not something someone without all the needed tooling that should even be contemplate.
 
TheRodDoc has the right idea. You can't go wrong if you follow his advice. It is cheaper, faster, and safer than trying to blow the brush out with a powder charge.
 
You can dump powder in behind a brush till you're blue in the face and it likely won't move an inch.
if you don't have a piece of tubing long enough, a smaller bore brush run down will usually snag it.
 
TheRodDoc's tube over it is most likely to work of all the ideas so far.

You can't very well shoot or blow out a porous bore brush because there will be no pressure behind it..
Nor can you get the powder behind it in the first place.

A bore dia thin-wall tube driven down over the brush will snatch it right out though.

rc
 
With a percussion you can pull the nipple and get quite a bit of fine BP in, but it doesn't work for the reason you stated.
I tried it once for giggles. :)
 
RodDoc,

That is a very clever idea! I will have to remember that one in case it ever happens to me. Good post
 
While I agree that a thin wall tube which just fits nicely down the bore will work superbly finding such a size may be a tough search. One option may be to check the local hobby shops that cater to model makers. They may have K&S thin wall brass tube in 36 inch lengths. If so they may well have a size which will fit down the bore nicely. If you need to tap the end to force it over the bristles and force the brush into the tube then go easy by using a block of wood and be sure the taps are directly in line with the tube. The K&S tubing is fairly fragile.

All in all I still suspect that a wine cork like pigtail corkscrew will thread down into the bristles well enough to allow a fairly easy extraction. And it's going to be a lot easier to cobble together one to try. Just use a bit of care when passing it by the muzzle crown to avoid steel to steel.
 
i can get it out 1 try.

Try thinking out of the box.

In this case i would go get my deep sea fishing box. then i would pull out my 6foot 220lbs steel wire leader. On the end i would put probably a number 4 nickel fishing hook. then i would push that thing down the barrel and pull it out. If a 6foot Macko cant break that steel leader im sure that brush is coming out.
 
After you get all that stuff stuck down the barrel, the gunsmith will pull the breach plug and clean it out.

Remember this the more junk down the barrel the more he will charge!
 
This happens every couple of months. Another reason not to scrub clean a barrel. Something tells me the stuck bore brush is supposed to stay stuck in the barrel forever. Have you tried prayer? If it comes out then pray that it dosent happen again. My 2 cents
 
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