Author Topic: bullet stuck in barrel? (Read 1269 times)

zero · « **on:** March 04, 2013, 02:19:01 PM »

I just got in trade a .50 caplock muzzleloader, from a guy who got it in a trade himself and never messed with it. It's not a particularly good one but i didn't have one so i figured hey

Well, i was messing around with it and stuck the rod in the barrel to see, it went about 8" down and stopped. I look in, and there's what-i think- is a bullet stuck in there. The front looks like a hollow point, but the sides of it are shiny like brass so i don't know. Any advice on how to get it out?

sr sawyer · « **Reply #1 on:** March 04, 2013, 02:39:32 PM »

You can buy a bullet puller that has one sharp threaded end to screw into the bullet and the other threaded to attach to your ramrod or cleaning rod. Screw it into the bullet and pull to remove.

Since you have no idea how long it has been stuck you may want to put some liquid lube down the bore and let it sit a while before you try to pull. Also it sometimes helps to move the bullet back down the bore a little to break it free before pulling. If this fails you will have to remove the breech
plug and drive it out with a dowel and hammer.

Ken

spooked · « **Reply #2 on:** March 04, 2013, 04:32:36 PM »

Easiest way for me is to remove the nipple and ,using a rubber tipped blow nozzle, apply air pressure. Be sure it's pointed in a safe direction as it'll come out rather quickly..so far this method has never failed me..bullet puller only works if it comes out easily...
Some like to put a grease fitting of the right threads and pump iot out with grease..too messy and takes to long for me..good luck

bubba.50 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 04, 2013, 04:33:24 PM »

if the bullet puller doesn't work get a grease fitting(1/4 by 28 if it is a t/c) & pump it out. messy but works like a charm. I would strongly advise against removin' the breechplug except as an extreme last resort. luck to ya & have a good'en friend, bubba.
another option if it will move down the bore is to remove the nipple, work in 5 or 10 grains of powder, fully seat the bullet & shoot it out.
however ya remove it, afterwards give the barrel a good cleanin' & examination to make sure it's not bulged or anything as a lot of times the reason for a ball stuck a few inches in the barrel is from short-startin' a ball then tryin' to fire the gun.

pastorp · « **Reply #4 on:** March 04, 2013, 10:53:15 PM »

IME those ball pullers did not work very well. In my formative years in black powder I did stupid stuff. Including forgetting the powder charge several times. I never could get one of those ball pullers to screw into the ball.

finally I took my rifle to my gunsmith friend and he blew it out with a air compressor. Worked like a charm. And seemed like the safest way to remove a stuck ball.

Regards,

sr sawyer · « **Reply #5 on:** March 05, 2013, 04:25:20 PM »

Tthought he was pulling a hollow point in the original post

The scew in bullet pullers have worked well for me. The compressed air method sounds like a good idea but I have never tried it.

I would suggest a heavy rag to cover the muzzle if you use compressed air. When I used compresed air on a brake caliper it put a hexxva dent in the metal roof of my shop

.

Ken

Ladobe · « **Reply #6 on:** March 05, 2013, 07:10:57 PM »

Well, step one would be to pull the nipple to make sure there is not a powder charge already in the barrel. Stuck projectiles can be stuck from trying to load them, not just from failure to exit when shot IOW.

No powder in barrel, compressed air via the touch hole is the easy fix, and can also be the safest to you and the barrel. Many serious shooters have the CO2 cartridge rigs to blow them out. Pullers work or pullers don't work - case by case. If its a jacketed projectile probably less likely to work as well as with a lead RB. Do agree that knocking them in a little further first help with pullers. And that trying to pull a breech plug is a last resort.

P.A. Myers · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2013, 06:37:30 AM »

Last night [3/5] I was going to brush a rusty 45 barrel. I put a 45 rifle brush down the bore with a rod that has had the handle removed. When I put the torque to it, the brush broke off. Now I got a bronze brush stuck at the bottom of a 45 barrel that has the threaded section broke off. I have some yard long 3/8 [.375] brass tubeing used for all brass ramrods. I slid it in and drove it over the brush until it bottomed hard. Brush and all slid right out.

You can use a motor driven brush in your ML but a full lenth rifle brush is too much load so use a nylon brush or pistol [shorter] brush. Once I get a bore cleared out I seldom use a brush again.

Stuck ball? Powder down the nipple and blow it out; or 125-150psi of air usually works; or the grease gun always works. Screw extractors rarely work.

P.A.

Cuts Crooked · « **Reply #8 on:** March 06, 2013, 02:49:52 PM »

Another aspect of this is that if he's seeing shiney brass down there, it's probably a sabot load....maybe not not, but probably...and using a bullet puller would most likely remove the slug, but not the sabot.

I'd pull the nip, check for powder, and then try to trickle some in, if no powder is already there, drive the slug down on it, and shoot it out, or use the compressed air technique.

Longknife 76 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 06, 2013, 05:37:35 PM »

DO NOT TRY TO FIRE OUT THAT PROJECTILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't know what type of powder could have been loaded under it. Some moron could have put smokeless in it and even a reduced load of smokeless WILL BLOW UP THE BARREL!!!!!!!!! Pull the nipple, pour in plenty light oil to kill the powder and pull the projectile or blow it out with compressed air********************** REPEAT,,,,,, NEVER FIRE OUT A PROJECTILE IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TYPE OF POWDER WAS LOADED UNDER IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....ED

spooked · « **Reply #10 on:** March 07, 2013, 01:22:49 PM »

Quote from: Longknife 76 on March 06, 2013, 05:37:35 PM

DO NOT TRY TO FIRE OUT THAT PROJECTILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't know what type of powder could have been loaded under it. Some moron could have put smokeless in it and even a reduced load of smokeless WILL BLOW UP THE BARREL!!!!!!!!! Pull the nipple, pour in plenty light oil to kill the powder and pull the projectile or blow it out with compressed air********************** REPEAT,,,,,, NEVER FIRE OUT A PROJECTILE IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TYPE OF POWDER WAS LOADED UNDER IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....ED

Whatsuhmattuh? Doncha wanna have fun no more?

Ranger99 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 07, 2013, 01:41:03 PM »

if you're unsure of of the projectile,
or if there is propellant, it would most
likely be unwise to fire it out. i use the
compressed air or grease. grease is
messy sure, but it will clean up easy
enough and less likely to end with a
hospital visit.
it may even be a brass ramrod end with
a ball puller screwed on stuck in a ball down
the bore. if someone didn't pin the ramrod
ends, and tried to use a jag or ball puller,
they may have well lost it down the bore.

i wouldn't try to unbreach it either. it can be
rescued without that extreme measure.
good luck

Cuts Crooked · « **Reply #12 on:** March 08, 2013, 01:37:15 PM »

Did anyone notice that I wrote:

Quote

I'd pull the nip, check for powder, and then try to trickle some in, if no powder is already there

Ranger99 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 08, 2013, 01:41:34 PM »

i did ! i did !
but you cain't see me
holding my hand up

necchi · « **Reply #14 on:** March 10, 2013, 05:01:18 AM »

Quote from: Longknife 76 on March 06, 2013, 05:37:35 PM

REPEAT,,,,,, NEVER FIRE OUT A PROJECTILE IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TYPE OF POWDER WAS LOADED UNDER IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....ED

I must adamantly agree with that. In a case where you have loaded and forgotten the powder (dry ball) shooting out the seated projectile with a few grains of powder works great, BUT,,

Quote from: Cuts Crooked on March 08, 2013, 01:37:15 PM

Did anyone notice that I wrote:
Quote
I'd pull the nip, check for powder, and then try to trickle some in, if no powder is already there

Oh Yes we see that. But have you considered that there may be something in that barrel that prevents the powder from being seen? Or clumped powder that won't drop into the fire channel to be seen,,,

"Bubba" will stuff all kinds of things down a bore,, esp after a couple beers,, he buggers the gun then what's he do?? Off to the pawn shop he goes with it to get more beer money!
It's not a good idea at all to "shoot out" a blocked barrel when it's history is unknown.

A section of Allthread rod, a long-nut, a furniture bolt/hanger bolt, a two nuts for the Allthread and a few flat washers.
Make the Althread, Longnut and Furniture bolt one peice. Lock the two nuts together on the other end of the allthread. Drop the allthread /bolt down the barrel and use the top nut to press and turn the furniture bolt into the blockage. Once it's into the projectile, loosen the two nuts and remove, drop the flat washers down too the muzzle, run a nut down to the flat washers and slowly tighten the nut on the rod.
The nut will pull the allthread out of the bore hopefully with the projectile captured on the furniture bolt.
It works.

P.A. Myers · « **Reply #15 on:** March 10, 2013, 07:39:30 AM »

Dont be so hard on bubba........and beer. However I have seen many fine rifles reduced to junk by neglect.

Back to the subject, I once had a T/C hawken barrel with something stuck about 10 inchs down.
I couldnt budge it with anything. It was too far from the breach so I cut it off about a foot back.
I drove the plug out with great violence. The plug was two [2] balls held in by rusty patchs.
That must have been a major party.

P.A.

Cuts Crooked · « **Reply #16 on:** March 11, 2013, 05:01:11 PM »

Quote from: necchi on March 10, 2013, 05:01:18 AM

Oh Yes we see that. But have you considered that there may be something in that barrel that prevents the powder from being seen? Or clumped powder that won't drop into the fire channel to be seen,,,

"Bubba" will stuff all kinds of things down a bore,, esp after a couple beers,, he buggers the gun then what's he do?? Off to the pawn shop he goes with it to get more beer money!
It's not a good idea at all to "shoot out" a blocked barrel when it's history is unknown.

Hmmm? Been doing the front stuffer thing for 40+ years. I could always tell if there was some "suspicious" stuff in the bore, since you have to pound the projectile down the bore before shooting it out... Unless you get a charge out of bulged barrels. Anything under that blockage has to end up down at the nip when this is done. And you can see it then.

But then I guess you didn't plan to seat the blockage first, huh?

necchi · « **Reply #17 on:** March 11, 2013, 07:50:25 PM »

Oh so you pull the 40yr trump card, because someone has a different idea.

I've only been doing it 28yrs, I haven't had a chance to get senile yet or self consumed enough for petty bickering.

I pulled a load from a pistol once, that had a REAL loaded upside down on about 30grns of what looked like Varget/RL15/4064. The powder was not visible from the nipple port.

Our experiences differ.

You just go right ahead and trickle a little powder under the nipple of a gun with unknown history and blocked bore and shoot it out any time you want.
I don't give a damn about your fingers hands and face, or those that are dumb enough to stand near you while you do it..

But I damn sure won't advise to total strangers on the WWW to do it,,

p.s. I have shot out many a dry ball,,

Cuts Crooked · « **Reply #18 on:** March 12, 2013, 02:10:06 AM »

Wow! I didn't realize you would get so upset over a difference of opinion.

Try to have a nice day!

Uncle Howie · « **Reply #19 on:** March 14, 2013, 10:30:23 AM »

Quote from: necchi on March 10, 2013, 05:01:18 AM

A section of Allthread rod, a long-nut, a furniture bolt/hanger bolt, a two nuts for the Allthread and a few flat washers.
Make the Althread, Longnut and Furniture bolt one peice. Lock the two nuts together on the other end of the allthread. Drop the allthread /bolt down the barrel and use the top nut to press and turn the furniture bolt into the blockage. Once it's into the projectile, loosen the two nuts and remove, drop the flat washers down too the muzzle, run a nut down to the flat washers and slowly tighten the nut on the rod.
The nut will pull the allthread out of the bore hopefully with the projectile captured on the furniture bolt.
It works.

That there is some good, home-brewed advice. I think even I could follow that process...

I've pulled lots of round balls w/o a problem. Sometimes the saboted/jacketed/whatever projectiles are more difficult. Methinks a trip to the hardware store is in order, "just in case!"

Thanks for the great post!

P.A. Myers · « **Reply #20 on:** March 14, 2013, 12:28:54 PM »

Would it help to wrap the longnut with tape until its almost bore size that might keep it centered at the long end?

P.A.

necchi · « **Reply #21 on:** March 14, 2013, 06:56:06 PM »

I can see where that would help.
That move was made out of desperation with an original potsdam conversion 72 musket I had, the nipple was seized and couldn't be removed. The ball had stripped out with a the common puller then a large one was used, it punched a hole through the ball and stripped out too!
I had to keep going bigger, the flat washers and nut's to pull came along natural like when it was quickly discovered that pulling on an allthread rod, hurts,.