Need help with a stuck bullet

[ky_yankee94]

Ok, i feel stupid but here it is. I just bought a euroarms enfield from a guy. He won shooting competitions within his regiment with it. He told me things to do when i shoot it and i followed them step by step. The gun is .577 in caliber and the pure lead minie balls are .575. I shot a few blanks out before i loaded the ball. I didn't think about cleaning it but i put alot of lube on the ball (the grooves and hollow base). I rammed the bullet down and it got stuck about halfway down the barrel. I kept messing with it and got it down to about 5 inches from the powder at the bottom of the barrel. Well i'm new to live firing these old muzzle loaders. I shoot blanks all the time at reenactments but never have live fired them. Any way, I got scared and tried to pull the ball out with the ball puller and everytime it grips and just slides out. I used a drill one time and it got pretty tight and wouldnt come out at all. and is where it remains now. I've sprayed ballistol down the barrel and let it set. Is there anything i can do or use to help instead of taking it to a gunsmith? And yes as i'm sure as most of you can tell i am new to live firing these and can use all the help or advice i can get. Thank you!

[Maillemaker]

OK, first thing first, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SHOOT THE BALL OUT!

At best, you will "ring" the barrel (bulge it), ruining it, at worst the barrel may explode.

Never shoot a ball that is not completely seated on the powder.

Your safest way to unload it is with compressed gas. Your local skirmish folks should have a big bottle of air with a nozzle. You hook it up to your nipple and the air will push the ball out.

They make personal ones designed to work with the CO2 cartridges you can buy at WalMart for BB guns:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/CO2-Load-Discharger-Kit-and-Replacement-Cartridges/706432.uts

What *I* would do, and this is somewhat risky so try at your own risk, is use a wooden mallet to gently tap the ramrod and the bullet until you have seated it completely on the powder and then shoot it out. Make sure there is no cap on the nipple if you try this. Be sure you don't put any part of your body over the muzzle while you are doing this. If you can get the bullet to seat, then you can safely shoot it out. This assumes that with all your attempts to pull the ball with a screw puller you have not drilled a hole through the ball.

Steve

[Pat in Virginia]

You have probably realized by now that firing blanks causes a "magnificent" build up of fouling in the bore and you need to clean the bore out thoroughly before you attempt to load and shoot a bullet after firing blanks.

It shouldn't take a competent gunsmith long to de-breech the barrel and drive out the bullet if it comes to that.

Sorry, about your troubles. It's called learning by experience. We all do it.

Just don't do it again ;) now that you know the cause of the problem.

You done good by asking about how to cure the problem on the forum. :D


Pat in Virginia

[ky_yankee94]

Couple of questions. Is de-breaching a gun a bad thing? I mean will it make it any weaker and can I shoot it again? Also I've looked online at several other methods. Some people mentioned the co2 cartridge thing and others mentioned buying a grease fitting and putting it where the nipple goes and letting grease push it's way out. The only thing I'm concerned about is I've made the hole in the ball as big as my ball puller screw is so its not gripping anymore.

[Ken Hansgen, 11094]

Yankee, Too bad you flooded the barrel with Ballistol--you probably got it into the powder and now it probably won't ignite. If you hadn't done that, the easiest method would have been Steve's--to drive the bullet onto the powder and then shoot it out.

Now you either must use compressed CO2 or, more likely, take it to a gunsmith to pull the breechplug (assuming it has one) and drive the bullet out. Don't worry--this will not ruin the musket. Also it will then be easier for him to inspect and clean it up for you.

I sadi "assuming it has one" because some guns have a "patent breech" with no breechplug. Not sure about a Euroarms. But I believe a competent gunsmith could cope with that also.

[Kurt Lacko 7862]

When you say you used a drill and it got pretty tight and thats where it remains now. Are you talking about the drill bit or the lead ball or both still remaining in the barrel??? If the bit is still in there you have a big problem if its wedged between the ball and the rifling? If you take it to a gunsmith make sure you tell him what exactly is still in the barrel.


Disregard I just read your #4 post, I'm assuming its just the lead ball in there now.

[ky_yankee94]

The only thing with using co2 is there is a hole through the ball where I used the ball puller. Is there some way to plug it up so I can use the air?

[ky_yankee94]

Also would the grease method be bad? I mean I know it's messy but that seems like the cheapest way

[ian45662]

Hey ky I assume that you are from kentucky. Are you close to ohio and if so are you close to porstmouth ohio?

[Maillemaker]

If you have a hole all the way through the ball now then neither compressed gas nor grease is going to help you. Both the gas and the grease will simply pass through the bullet.

If you truly have bored through the bullet, then your only recourse is to remove the breech plug (assuming your gun has one), and drive the bullet out using a wooden rod.

Steve

[Southron Sr.]

The Euroarms Enfields have a standard breech plug in my experience. Here is what I would recommend and WHY as I have 40 plus years of experience with muzzle loaders:

1. Get the barrel to a COMPETENT Gunsmith who can pull the breech plug for you. That gunsmith should have the required, specialized tools to do the job. BE SURE TO TELL HIM THAT THERE IS A LOAD IN THE BARREL as sometimes gunsmiths put heat on the breech with a propane torch to loosen things up. HE CANNOT DO THAT WITH YOUR BARREL FOR OBVIOUS REASONS!

2. Removing and replacing the breech plug will not weaken the barrel in any way. Every year or so I generally remove the breech plugS from the barrels of ALL of my competition guns because of the build-up of "CAKE" IN THE JUNCTION OF THE FACE OF THE BREECH PLUG AND REAR OF THE BARREL.

"CAKE" is a hard ring of carbon that is impossible to remove without removing the breech plug. Cake can also cause "Cook Offs." which is another reason you want to remove it.

3. Like Pat said, I am guessing you have a "ring of fouling" in your bore due to shooting blanks. BLANKS ARE MUCH HARDER ON MUSKET BARRELS BECAUSE THE FOULING TENDS TO BUILD UP. When Minie Balls are fired, the bullet traveling down the bore removes some of the fouling from the previous shots.

4. Anyway, when the breech plug is out, you are going to have to clean the barrel from the rear end, probably with a 20 Gauge shotgun bronze bristle brush (available from your local Wal-Mart.) THIS WILL ALSO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO INSPECT THE BARREL by looking thru the rear end of the barrel.

5. When the gunsmith re-installs your breech plug he can coat the threads with "Anti-Seize Grease" or even applying Teflon tape. This will make getting the breech plug out easier the next time. When he re-installs the breech plug, make sure that the "Witness Marks" are lined up perfectly.

MY POINT; Getting the stuck bullet out is just ONE PROBLEM that must be dealt with. You also have to get that breech plug off to: [A] Remove the built-up Cake in the breech. [B] Clean up any hardened fouling in the bore from shooting blanks [C] Check the condition of the barrel for rust and pits.

GOOD LUCK!

[Eggman]

Well if you were across the street and handed me the gun here's what I would do (this exact event occured around 1977 with a Zouave musket).
First, I would do as suggested several posts above and tap the bullet down onto the powder with mallet and ramrod.
Second, I would remove the nipple, turn the gun upside down, and allow any liquid lube in the barrel drain overnight.
Third, I would take pipe cleaners and dry the flash channel as dry as I could get it.
Fourth, I would take pinches of 4f or 3f and fill the flash channel with black powder.
Fifth, replace the nipple and fire the musket.
In my experience black powder soaked with lube still fires.
If this doesn't work see previous post.

[ky_yankee94]

Thank you all for you're help and advice, with this being my first time live firing these i will probably just take it to gunsmith so i can see how it's done and if it happens again I'll know what to do from him and from all the advice given to me. Will it cost a lot to have a gunsmith pull the breech plug?

[ian45662]

What part of Kentucky do you live at mr KY?

[jonk]

I wouldn't have put the ballistol in or tried drilling a hole in it... there are few stuck bullets that a steel rod with brass muzzle protector and a 10 pound hammer won't get to seat, and that done it could have been fired.

But that's a moot point now.

I've tried packing the fire channel with 4FG on occasion, not with a musket but with a generic percussion rifle with the side mounted lock. Usually it works. I've also used compressed air, again, no issue if you have access too it.

But with what you've done, I'm squarely with the 'pull the breech plug' crowd. I also remove mine about once a year, also with a Euroarms Enfield, to thoroughly clean the breech area and plug. Given the gun is new to you, it's a decent idea to do anyhow.

[Blair]

For those wanting or in the need to know, Euroarms Enfield's do indeed have a breech plug that can be removed seperatly form th boster section.

[Muley Gil]

For those wanting or in the need to know, Euroarms Enfield's do indeed have a breech plug that can be removed seperatly form th boster section.

Off topic a mite, but what type of set-up do the Parker-Hale series (1853, 1858,& musketoon) have?

[Blair]

Gil,

A breech plug like the Eruoarms Enfield.
I hope this helps,

[Michael Bodner]

I removed a stuck bullet with a hole in the center (created by a ball puller) as such:

First, clean off the excess fouling in the barrel by pouring water into to. Literally fill it up and pour it out. Use some patches to clean the front half of the barrel. Your goal is to remove the fouling between the bullet and the muzzle.

Then, take a long threaded rod of slightly larger diameter than the hole created in the bullet (1/4 inch will probably do). Slide it down the barrel until it's resting on top of the bullet and tap it down. Thread it into the bullet. If it doesn't catch, then keep tapping.

Once you're good and deep into the bullet, place a washer over the muzzle of the barrel and thread a nut onto the rod. Start turning the nut and see if it starts to pull the bullet out.

Worked for me. Worst you'll do is make the hole in the bullet bigger by pulling the rod out.

This allows you to get a lot of force on the bullet using torque.

Good luck!

-Mike