Stuck ball. Will ball puller even work??

[jlchucker]

Finally!  Those marks you left on your barrel will form the basis for many stories in years to come.  Don't do it again though.

[DEACONLLB]

Well I am glad you got it out and by the way that is a very neat looking rig you put togeather to do the job. I have a thought you might make up one for each of us who tried to give you some info. on a way to get it out just kidding but there might be a market for something like that one never knows. The lady who owns Ebay started by selling her Ped collection on the net. For those who do not know what a ped is it was small candy despenser that flipped out small squares of carmel candy. I think that was what they were called its been too many years sense I have seen one.
Deaconllb

[flintlock]

Pez...I had a Donald Duck... 

[Bladeforger]

Finally!  Those marks you left on your barrel will form the basis for many stories in years to come.  Don't do it again though.

No marks!  Just the normal spots where the brown has worn away over the years... I was going to do a rust brown when I bought her back in Texas, and then I ended up packing and moving to Florida.  Did other stuff.  Shot other stuff.  8 years later I finally dug her out and shot her.  Lots of oil on the whole works kept the brown about the way it was.  I'm not even sure I'd want to do a brown again--although it's more traditional. 

I won't do it again!  This baby still shoots, as I found out yesterday, and likes having a patch down the barrel between rounds.  Amazing how much comes out on one patch. 

I did have some brown, tar-like glop after shooting.  I think it's a reaction between the grease and the Bore Butter.  Or maybe it's a reaction between the Break Free I was using and the Bore Butter I switched to for the outside after doin' some reading about not mixing the two.  If it doesn't work itself out in the next few firing / cleaning cycles, I'll probably do an acetone cleanup.  I hate doing that because it removes all the oil from the steel, and I never feel good until I've brushed and wiped oil (or in this case it would be Bore Butter) back into every crevice and corner.  But I hate this tar glop worse.  I used a lot of soap and Simple Green.  I stayed away from the Hoppe's #9. 

And, Deaconllb, the only hard part of the rig is the brass nut.  However, everyone probably has different calibers.  I don't think a piece of 3/8 round brass would center too well in a .50 or a .54.  It's just snazzy for my .40.  DennyRoark and Necchi get the kudos for suggesting the setup.  I'm not sure, but I think that the normal 1/4 - 20 long nut would work fine for the larger calibers.  Across the widest point, they measure about .460--which leaves some room for teflon tape or big heat shrink to help prevent scratching and get closer to .50 or .54.  If I couldn't have tapped the brass, I would have gotten one of those and filed or ground the corners down.  I'm not saying I wouldn't make one for somebody asked real nice and had a .40.  I just think that piece has to be done different for different calibers.

Keith

[jlchucker]

You done good, Keith.  Sounds like you still had grease and goo in that barrel though after you shot it.  I think you'll be OK though.  You're able to load and fire.  I never did use Hoppe's 9 for muzzle loader cleaning.  Hot, soapy dishwater (stuff like Joy, Dawn, etc) and a nylon bore brush; along with plenty of patches, always seemed to do it for me, but I always took out the nipple and cleanout screw before starting to clean.  I never really had good luck with Hoppe's 9 Plus either, for any kind of serious, put-away-for-a while cleaning, either.  I think if you shoot that piece a bit and clean it every time like you have been all of that goo you mention will go away.  In the end, you may find that whatever lubricant soaked into your steel could have been beneficial somehow.  I suspect that the tar glop will go away, though, without your having to resort to acetone. 

Don't stir up any more trouble like this for yourself, and good shooting!

John

[DennyRoark]

I just passed on a trick I learned a long time ago, needing to pull a ball that got stuck after trying to reload after shooting a charge with just the short starter.  It was a timed shoot and I thought I could pull it off.  Clean that barrel with hot water and dawn and a nylon bristle, then pour boiling water down the barrel and run a few dry patches thru it while it is still super hot.  A coupl eof times of that will get most of it out.  Shoud add some carbon to the steel as well .  Some disagree with the boiling water, but after a good oiling when cooled, I never had any problems with mine.  Also, that was how they taught us to clean the MG's in Uncle Sam's Small Arms Repair School!

[jlchucker]

Exactly my BP cleaning method, Denny. I don't use Dawn all the time, sometimes Palmolive or one of the other better dish soaps.  Never tried any of the new environmental "green" stuff though.  Last time I tried that stuff on dishes it didn't get them very clean, so I basically wash my dishes with the tried and true brands.  Boiling water doesn't hurt steel--it just dries out quicker so you can push an oily patch thru.  Gun oil that is.  After that, a good wipe with a clean dry patch, snap a couple of caps and you're ready to load and fire again.

[DEACONLLB]

Ped-pez you are right I hear they were the rage but I never had one .
Deaconllb