I recently purchased an original French 1777 Tbis from an online auction. It is a rifle that started out as a smooth bore flintlock and later the barrel was rifled and modified for a percussion cap.
When I received it I found that it was still charged with a ball and I think powder as well. By the looks of the gun, I think it has been this way for a long time. Possibly over fifty years. I have been trying to remove the ball with a ball worm. Luckily I seem to have a good hold onto it, which has not always been my experience removing other round balls. I haven’t been able to loosen the nipple yet, but did unblock the hole with a small drill. There seems to be BP in the chamber. I’ve soaked the barrel and charge with Ballistol overnight, but the ball still won’t budge. I’m out of real penetrating oil, but will be getting some later today and try soaking it with that.
What to do next? If it were a gun that was recently loaded I would try to fire it out, by putting a little bit of 4F under the nipple. Because I believe it’s been stuck for so long, I am afraid there may be too much pressure, especially if some of the old powder ignites. The barrel is off the gun and I am considering putting the end of the barrel in boiling water to hopefully loosen things up. Would that be a good idea?
All ideas and advice appreciated. Thanks