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Thread: Need help with a stuck bullet

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Need help with a stuck bullet

    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!

  2. #2
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    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-L...ges/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

  3. #3
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    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.


    Pat in Virginia

  4. #4
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    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.

  5. #5
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    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.
    Last edited by Ken Hansgen, 11094; 09-08-2012 at 06:40 PM.
    14th Miss Inf Rgt, CSA/N-SSA, NRA Life Mbr, no longer shooting

  6. #6
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    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.
    Last edited by Kurt Lacko 7862; 09-08-2012 at 06:59 PM.

  7. #7
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    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?

  8. #8
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    Also would the grease method be bad? I mean I know it's messy but that seems like the cheapest way

  9. #9
    ian45662 is offline
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    Hey ky I assume that you are from kentucky. Are you close to ohio and if so are you close to porstmouth ohio?

  10. #10
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    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

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