Dry balled for the first time today.

[lakota]

Well for the first time in 15 years of shooting muzzleloaders I finally dry balled. I was absolutley positive I had poured powder down the barrel before I seated the ball and I snapped off pan after pan getting a good flash everytime with no discharge. I finally gave up and went home and pulled the ball(I forgot to bring my ball puller. do we see a pattern emerging here ? ) expecting to find my main charge clumped up and wet (even though I had no Idea how it would have got wet) Guess what? No powder!

[quickdtoo]

Been there more times than I care to admit, but it's real easy to push 4f priming powder thru the touchhole a little at a time with a pick until you get enough to push the ball out, it may be your first time, but it aint' likely your last. 

Tim

[BBF]

Tim:
Is that with a Sidelock?

[quickdtoo]

Yes, flinter or caplock, on a caplock just remove the nipple and sift a little priming powder into the flash channel and reinstall the nipple, make sure the powder is as far in the flash channel as you can get it and it doesn't keep the nipple from being fully tightened. If the ball doesn't discharge because there wasn't enough powder, reseat the ball with the ramrod before trying it again. It doesn't take much powder to get the ball out, just a few grains. This works on a wet load sometimes too, just depends on how wet or contaminated the main charge is.

Tim

[tacklebury]

Yep, I did it once on my hawken.  I took out the clean out screw and put some ffffg pan powder in from that side, since it's a little more potent, and used a toothpick to push it down and pack it in the channel.  Then put the screw back in and fired a cap.  Popped the ball right out. 

[groundhog107]

I dryballed my flintlock the other day and it wasnt pretty.   I found out that its handy to have a small hammer to tap the ramrod when using the ball puller to get a good purchase on the ball.                                         

[The Hermit]

Lakota, congratulations my friend, you are now a member of our exclusive club. This certificate(pretend) also entitles you to forget where you parked your car, your wifes birthday, and anniversary.
We've all done it, I even did it once on my .50 cal Kentucky pistol, with about a dozen people watching.

  The Hermit

[Gun Runner]

When my shooting buddy first got his 50 cal, and we went shooting, he dry balled it twice that morning. I bought both of us a CO2 kit for removing mistakes like that.

Gun Runner

[lakota]

Someone told me that there are only two types of muzzleloader shooters-those who have dry balled and those who are going to dry ball. I guess I just moved from one category to the other

I had to have my wife hold my rifle while I used two hands on the ram rod to pull the ball. Lots of fun!

[Semisane]

Shucks, I've done that so many times I've been nominated to the Dryballers Hall of Fame by the Honorable Association of Distracted Shooters. I've become so proficient at pulling the nipple or touch hole liner and trickling in powder that I've been asked to write a manual on the procedure.

By the way, if you don't have a couple of those disposable Otoscope covers in your shooting box (those things the doctor uses to look in your ear) you should beg a few the next time you go to the clinic.  Just put about ten grains in the funnel and tap the side of the bolster to sift it in.

[spooked]

Someone told me that there are only two types of muzzleloader shooters-those who have dry balled and those who are going to dry ball. I guess I just moved from one category to the other

I had to have my wife hold my rifle while I used two hands on the ram rod to pull the ball. Lots of fun!

Achshully four  kinds...add those who are going to remove the dryball the hardway and those who use the co2 device or my favorite a blast with the blow nozzle from my air compressor (easiest&cheapest)..

[Semisane]

my favorite a blast with the blow nozzle from my air compressor (easiest&cheapest)..

Problem is - I seldom have my air compressor handy at the range or in the woods.    Shooting it out is simple, easy and works just fine.

[lakota]

Well, perhaps I should ask for a MRI for Christmas. I went to meet my buddy to fling a few arrows yesterday. Left my bow at the house. Lucky I did remember that I needed a bow to shoot arrows with before I got too far from the house.

[spooked]

my favorite a blast with the blow nozzle from my air compressor (easiest&cheapest)..

Problem is - I seldom have my air compressor handy at the range or in the woods.    Shooting it out is simple, easy and works just fine.

I've always been close to the house when it happened to me , But....I gotta go to the Doc Mon. an if I don't forget I'm gonna get me a couple them tips fer funnels...Man I can see where they'd be real handy away from home..Ain't gonna take up much room to throw one in the ole possibles bag...

[Ron T.]

When I first got my flintlock, I "dry-balled" with regularity.  Soooooo... I bought one of those COČ "guns" and put it in my BP "tackle-box"... haven't dry-balled since!

An experience ML shooter showed me an easy way to use the screw device to de-ball a "dry-ball".  Don't try to pull the ramrod OUT of the rifle, put the handle of your range rod into a "V" in a tree or somehow secure the handle in something (a vice or the junction of some 2x4s), then "walk" the rifle off the ramrod.  You can get a whole lot better "hold" on the rifle than you can on the ramrod... and "walking" the rifle away from the ramrod uses the strength of your LEGS rather than your arms which makes removing the "dry-ball" quite EASY! 

Just make SURE you hold the rifle in line with the ramrod so you don't damage (bend a metal ramrod or break a wooden one) the ramrod.   


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[Winter Hawk]

I used a ball puller a couple of times on the ramrod, until the time I pulled the wooden rod out of the tip.  Now I had the ball with the screw and the ramrod tip down the barrel!  Pulled the nipple, worked some 4fg in and shot the whole mess out.  I haven't dry-balled since, but watch what happens now that I have posted this!

-WH-

[bckskin2]

I haven't  got any 4g powder. I do have an air compressor, but don't think it is srtong enough. I broke off a dowel rod. I may have made matters wors by putting oil in to try to stop rust.

[jlchucker]

I haven't  got any 4g powder. I do have an air compressor, but don't think it is srtong enough. I broke off a dowel rod. I may have made matters wors by putting oil in to try to stop rust.

Or maybe not.  If your gun has a cleanout screw and a nipple, when you take them out try poking around in the holes with a dry pipecleaner to see if you can wipe out any oil that may be in the drum. Then, put some powder in there--enough to pretty near fill the drum.  When you tighten down on the nipple and cleanout screw, you'll crumble up some of the powder.  Don't waste any time before putting a cap on and firing--MUZZLE POINTED AT THE GROUND!  If the gun goes pop, and the ball doesn't come out, you can try again--but remember to seat the ball down in there again first. But the ball should come out.

[srussell]

I used a ball puller a couple of times on the ramrod, until the time I pulled the wooden rod out of the tip.  Now I had the ball with the screw and the ramrod tip down the barrel!  Pulled the nipple, worked some 4fg in and shot the whole mess out.  I haven't dry-balled since, but watch what happens now that I have posted this!

-WH-

thats what i have to do first thing in the morning

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I lump muzzle loaders into two categories, those that have dry-balled and those that just don't shoot enough.

Never having a misadventure is usually just a result of too little risk.  Bouncing back from a misadventure is worth bragging about.

The best part about dryballing is you learn that it's not a big deal unless you've got hostiles bearing down on you with tomahawks.