Stuck Round Ball

[country gent]

With compressed air and the co2 you need away to catch control the ball as it will have some force. think air rifle here.... The grease gun works well and is a slower applied pressure as the grease gun adds pressure then it equalizes and levels with each pump. A high pressure grease gun can get to 2500 lbs pressure easily. It is a mess to clean up after and will be a job to get all that grease back out of the barrel. Im wondering if a grease gun dedicated too this and using vegetable oil might do the job, cheaper and easier to clean up after. The big thing is finding the right thread in a zerk. Ir making an "adapter to get the right threads.

THe problem with the ball wirms is they expand the ball when screwed in wedging them in tighter. a piloted drill the size of the shank in the worms thread to drill a pilot hole helps relieve this and makes pulling the ball easier. I made one for my 50 cal renegade. pilot is 1" long drill is 3/4" long I use this ona t handled cleaning rod to drill a hole threw the ball then put the worm on and they pull a lot easier , almost ae easy as they pushed in

[RU shooter]

They all have a removable breach plugs some are just harder than others to unscrew . Proper tools and maybe a touch of heat if needed . I would at least attemp to remove the plug if pulling the ball don't work just don't go all gorilla on it with a 3 ft cheater bar ,who know it may twist right out after a good soak in tranny fluid and and acetone .

[BigAlofPa.]

I'll soak it in some kroil. It would be handy to get it off. I tried putting the barrel in a vice with leather to protect the barrel. And a snap on wrench on the tang. No go.

[arcticap]

If the powder can be neutralized, it's possible to melt the lead ball which would let you simply pour the metal out.
A guy posted about melting a ball by placing the breech end of the barrel in a pot of molten lead.
I don't recall if he blocked the nipple hole or how.
Perhaps direct heat might even work such as if it were placed directly on top of an electric stove element.

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello GregLaROCHE,

I have used a manual grease gun on a stuck piston once.
Piston was froze above the ports of an OMC snowmobile cylinder, cylinder & head are one piece.
I made a plug to replace the spark plug and inserted a grease fitting after filling chamber with grease.
After a few pumps, the cast iron sleeve which is inside the cylinder busted around the ports and the piston came out.
I ruined the cylinder, and the bottom of the sleeve was still stuck to the piston, but I got it out.
I could not believe how much power a hand operated grease gun could produce.
Of course you would need to remove the nipple and design a fitting for it.

AntiqueSledMan.

[GregLaROCHE]

I have been wondering about putting heat on it, but I am worried about powder under the ball possibly making problems. I still am working on getting the nipple loose.

[mooman76]

Once you get the nipple out, get a grease fitting the same size. You don't need to fill the barrel with grease. Once it starts to get loose it should come out fairly easy. I wouldn't apply heat either. You don't know what kind of powder was used and it could be bad result.

[Good Cheer]

Have you measured the depth down to the ball and determined the length (looking at the outside)?
Perhaps that could give you some insight as to whether it had been loaded with no powder or is now double loaded. And, which path forward to pursue.

[idahoron]

I have been wondering about putting heat on it, but I am worried about powder under the ball possibly making problems. I still am working on getting the nipple loose.

PLEASE DONT HEAT A 200 YEAR OLD GUN!!

Please listen to the guys that have said use a grease gun. I have used one to remove a ball stuck for over 30 years.
You won't need to fill the barrel full. In fact when I did it I bet all I had was a tea spoon full of grease in the barrel. It washes out with hot water. A hole in your barrel because you heated a 200 year old rifle too much is not fixable.
Please just get the nipple out and screw in a zerk. It will be the safest and easiest way to do it. I promise, the guys telling you to remove the breech plug in a 200 year old rifle have nothing to lose. The guys telling you to heat the barrel hot enough to melt lead have nothing to lose. If you use one of those methods you will lose a 200 year old rifle.
The Grease zerk is the way to go.

[Gtek]

Bore and barrel length?

[Battis]

I had a barrel relined by Bob Hoyt. He tried to remove the breech plug but couldn't do it. He didn't want to ruin the barrel so he stopped trying. Smart to stop...

[GregLaROCHE]

I’m starting to think the Zirk fitting will be the way to go. I still need to get the nipple out and don’t know if I will be able to do it without some heat, that could cause other problems. After I get the nipple out, I will still have to adapt a Zirk fitting to the threads. How many different sizes and threads do Zirk fittings come in?

[samari46]

Zerk fittings come in inch and metric. At least here in the U.S. however the threads on your BP firearm are most likely a common thread when the rifle was made, today not so much. Track of the Wolf does sell taps in various sizes for nipples, but you have to get the old one out first. And then figure out what that old thread was. Might want to contact some of the museums over there or maybe a renactor group to see what they have to say. Frank

[carbine]

The ZERK will work. Caution. Made in different thread sizes. What size is nipple. Also is is a lot of pressure, be advised

[cas]

Man the idea of screwing a fitting into 200+ year old lord knows what thread would terrify me, even if you knew what the thread was supposed to be.

Me, I'd fully exhaust air and Co2 before I did that... no pun intended.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’m planning on trying air pressure tomorrow, since every place where I can buy Zirks is closed until Monday. I still need to get the nipple out too, if I’m going to try Zirks.

[idahoron]

If a guy was paralyzed by the fear of the wrong thread and pitch a machine shot can tell you what yours nipple is. They could also thread a long shaft grease zerk to fit the gun.
Then there are the guys that are paralyzed by the fear of some grease in the barrel. Air is not going to push out a ball like that. It has been stuck and probably has rusted a bit. It has adhered it's self to the barrel. Sure I would try it but I would not be too worried if it does not come out. The zerk will push it out. A machine shop could make you a zerk if your scared to thread one in.

[idahoron]

This projectile was in my friends gun.



I don't have a clue what it is. When I screwed a jag in it, the thing got bigger around and stuck harder. The gun was a 50 cal!!!



This is how it was in the barrel.



I put the grease zerk in and gave it two pumps. It built an amazing amount of pressure and popped. It almost came out of the barrel, it was right at the muzzle.
If you lived close to me I would have given a try at it. The biggest hurdle is the stuck nipple. But in reality that thing is done and it needs a new one. so I would get it out then do the zerk.

[GregLaROCHE]

I would like to remove the nipple so I can try the Zirk fitting method to break loose the ball. So far I can’t get the nipple to budge. I don’t want to drill it out to use an easy out.

This barrel was originally for a smooth bore flintlock. It was rifled and modified to use a percussion cap in 1860. The nipple does not screw directly into the barrel. An adapter has been installed in/on the barrel to accommodate the nipple. My question is how is this part secured in the barrel? Is it a simple press fit, screwed in, or soldered in place? At this point I am hesitant to use heat to help remove the nipple, because of the possibility of disturbing a soldered joint.

Advice please.

[godzilla]

im guessing a forge weld.