Stuck bullet and brother-in-law. . .

[Sven]

I get to go visit my brother-in-law (actually my wife's bil). He's got a Hawkin type with a stuck bullet to get out. I'm not sure what kind, but I don't think it's a round ball. Guess he's alread pulled the tip off of his wipin' stick using the screw, but managed to get the end and screw both back out. I suggested removing the nipple set screw, working some powder in and snapping a cap. Maybe have to repeat a couple of times. Well, his set screw is froze in place, :roll: so I guess that's out. We'll deal with that later. I figure if I end up soaking the powder charge (if there IS one) with penetrating oil, stuffing more powder in won't help, anyway.

Read with interest the recent thread about steel rods. I plan on finding a piece of 3/8 round stock tonight at work and drilling and tapping one end for a 10-32 screw, and bending an "L" on the other end. I think he's got a shorter barrel, but I'll make it 33" so it will fit mine -- just in case!

Am I missing anything? Any other methods?

[waksupi]

Remove the nipple, put priming in the vent, and replace nipple. Seat ball completely down, and fire. Repeat as necessary

[mooman76]

Is the bullet/ball all the way in? Remove the nipple and put some powder in there, tap the gun to help the powder get in the drum and fire it. It doesn't take much and should have just enough power to push it out. Even if it takes a couple tries. If you can rig some sort of compressed air fitting you can push it out that way or they so sell item like that some use one of those co2 bottles air guns use. I'm not sure what you mean by nipple set screw but I think you are talking about the scre in the end of the powder drum, removable for cleaning. Other than that your method should work.

[Sven]

I'm not sure what you mean by nipple set screw but I think you are talking about the scre in the end of the powder drum, removable for cleaning. Other than that your method should work.

That's the one. The couple fo times I've had trouble, that's what I've removed to get powder in behind the ball. Maybe before we try again to pull the ball, we'll remove just the nipple to work powder in. He uses Pyrodex. Maybe I should bring my can of Goex along and use the good stuff!

[missionary5155]

Good morning YES Use some 3F if you got it... 2f is fine but 3f dribbles into small holes easier. I would give it 5 grains. And absolutly reseat that projectile BEFORE capping.
Another solution is remove the breach plug if possible. Some were never removed and will be a chore.
God Bless you !

[northmn]

I cannot ad to the advice given but it reminds me of a similar situation in which and individual asked me about removal. I gave the same advice. He said that might work but he replaced the nipple with a grease jerk and tried to push the bullet out hydrolically. I then mentioned that he needed to find a puller. Never knew how he got all that grease out of the breech.

Northmn

[Johnch]

Grease gun will do it
I used a air greaser

Then the clean up starts
I boiled the barrel after getting 95% of the grease out with a cleaning rod

I was told using gas or Napha ( white gas ) will cut the grease without boiling

John

[mikenbarb]

They sell those CO2 dischargers pretty cheap and they work great. And tell him to invest in some anti seize compound for his nipple so its easier to remove next time.

[Dakota's Dad]

I blow my hunting loads out at the end of the day with my air compressor. 120psi puts that ball out right smartly. Might try that. I pull my nipple, set my air nozzle against the hole and "poof" out it comes.. point in safe direction at all times. It will go through at least one layer of drywall.. trust me.

[skeet1]

Dakota's Dad has the right idea compressed air works great and has not danger of of damaging the firearm. Just make sure you're pointing it in a safe direction as the bullet will come out with some gusto.

Skeet1

[Sven]

Thanks for all the replies! I might just try that air compressor trick. Although I prefer routine "unloading" with the gun pointing at a tree stump out in the woods.

Wife and I were going to make a run to Moorhead tomorrow, but we had to postpone until next week. We'll get that ball out one way or another, then give his gun a good going-over! I think I'll do a search on how you guys like to clean your muzzle loaders. I have my prefered method which works for me, but am not sure how the bil does it.



I fill a 5 qt ice cream pail half full of hot water and some dish soap and put it the microwave for 5 minutes to get it REAL hot. I remove the barrel, nipple and "nipple set screw" then place it breach end in the pail and start swabbing. After a few strokes I can draw the soapy water all the way to the muzzle. I wear insulated leather gloves, because the barrel gets real hot. The I do a "rinse cycle" with just plain hot water, followed by a couple of dry patches. The barrel is hot enough the water evaporates away. Then I go over the whole thing with bore butter -- it melts right in. I am very fond of never-sieze, but I've had good luck with a liberal dose of bore butter on the nipple and set screw. I use a dry patch before loading and snap a couple of caps, too.

[idahoron]

I have found that if I use hot water on my blued barrels I will get flash rust in them as I am drying them, and the patches never look clean. I quit using hot water and now I use luke warm at the hottest. In fact most of the time I use water about 70 degrees. I paper patch so I never have lead fouling. So I take the nipple out put the breech into a pale of water swab a couple times with pure water. I take it out and shoot windex down the barrel and brush it. Then I put some liquid hand soap down the barrel brush again and then rinse. Then I run a dry patch down and then I use my compressor to blow any remaining water out the muzzle end by shooting the air into the nipple end. After it is dry I put knight breach plug grease on the nipple and shoot some Remoil down. I swab the remoil and shoot another short blast down the barrel. I fold a patch put it on the nipple and let the hammer down and store. Ron

[northmn]

The only reason hot water is used is to accelerate drying. As Idohoan stated it also accelerates rust. For a flintlock I use antifreeze such as Prestone, as it has some anticorrosive properties and swab the heck out of it with as little of liquid as needed until clean. Pipe cleaner through the touchhole and more importantly remove the lock and clean and lubricate its mechanism. For a percussion I put a plastic tube over the nipple and run water through the system or take out the nipple and cleanout screw if there is one and clean with pipe cleaners and antifreeze and clean the barrel the same as for a flintlock. To me the big thing in cleaning a ML is to recheck things the next day or so by reswabing with a good rust preventative oil. Often what I thoght was dry wasn't.

Northmn

[leadeye]

Thompsen Center has a tool to remove the breech plug if all else fails.

[Bigjohn]

A local member had trouble loading a Minie one day and left it short of fully seated. The CO2 discharged would not shift it, so he took it home, removed the barrel from the stock, the nipple from the bloster and flushed out the powder charge. He removed all the fouling from in front of the Minie and then filled the barrel behind the minie with water; allowed it to stand and then topped it up with more water via a syringe. He capped the nipple hole with a solid bolt and placed it into the freezer.

Once the water had frozen, it pushed the minie forward into the clean barrel area and when he drained out the water he use a co2 discharger to get it out the rest of the way.

He has the hole in the side of an old freezer cabinet to prove it.

John.

[nvbirdman]

Years ago a friend was using Crisco to lube his patches on a hot day and the ball jammed halfway down the barrel. I used an icepack to turn the Crisco from an oil back to a grease and the ball slid right down the barrel and I was able to fire it out.