AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: walt53 on July 30, 2019, 02:25:43 AM
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I;m new to flint locks and was wondering if you could shoot a dry ball out the same or similar to a percussion. thanks walt
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Sure, dribble priming powder through the touch hole then prime pan and fire downrange.
Dennis
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Yes you can, BUT, I would advise that you take it to a local club that has a C-02 discharger. Talk to someone there about either pulling the ball, picking powder in the liner, or discharging. The last course of action would be to disassemble the gun and remove the breech plug. You can get yourself into a whole bunch of trouble without knowledge. Learn the best way to do it without doing damage to your gun or yourself. This is not something that I would try without an expert nearby.
I’m assuming that you’ve already dry-balled it of course.
Good luck.
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If you don't listen to Wayne's excellent advice above and try to drill/screw and pull the ball on your own (assuming trickle trick is no bueno), SOAK WITH OIL first. And never* ever try to pull anything with a wooden stick. Steel is preferred, but I got one out with a brass range rod once too.
Local assistance by knowledgeable shooters is -most- preferred though.
Good luck.
*I ruined my first rammer that way, but also because was dry. Lack of guidance at that point.
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We've pulled many with the rifle's rod, but it is easier with a steel rod, as Wade notes.
Easiest is to have a 'bushed' drill (bushing holds the drill in the middle of the bore) and drill a small hole first, like about 1/8". Then
run in the ball screw (TOTWolf sells them) you buy or make yourself, bushed would be better. Run the screw in, and pull the ball out - no biggie.
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And when you get enough of them you can make yourself a dandy necklace. IF I had saved all of my dryballs it would be like a millstone around my neck. You know how some people can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I'm the same way trying to talk and load. Oh well, can't teach an old dog etc., etc. ::) ::) ::) ::)
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Retired fella is right. I do keep a CO2 discharged in my shooting box and a ball puller screw/bushing in my box and bag. I agree with the earlier posts to use a range rod if possible. I do do carry a brass ramrod puller I got from Jas. Townsends in my shooting bag. Hope I never have to use it but does look period correct.
I haven't dry balled very many times but each time I was talking while reloading. DON'T DO IT!
So sayeth the "Muskrat"
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I've, ahem! dry balled a few times and pulled a few with a steel range rod. But this can be difficult with tight loads and arthritic hands. While trickling in powder to blow out a dryball works great, it helps if the powder is 4F or finer. 3F is pretty difficult to get through most vent holes but not too difficult for most percussions.
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Now that i mainly shoot a smoothbore, and have embraced paper cartridges , I never have to concern myself with dry balling :) Tear off the end, stuff the whole works down, and ..done ! My cartridges are tapered, so that kind of eliminates putting them in upside down ;D Aging has some benefits after all !
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Aging has some benefits after all !
Can ya' name one more??? ???
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My cartridges are tapered, so that kind of eliminates putting them in upside down ;D Aging has some benefits after all !
I had to chuckle when I read that, Bob. ;D
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There are really only two variants of people in our world - those who have dryballed, and those who are going to.
Hanshi, the only other advantage I know of is cheaper coffee at McDonalds. But it ain't worth all the aches and pains, believe me!
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Shot my fair share of dry balls out....drissle some 4F powder in the touch hole or nipple.... Less Talking will reduce dry balls.....
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Not cool JW, not cool at all.
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There are touch hole attachments for CO2 discharges. I never shoot or hunt without one. I always get squeamish when someone grabs the butt of the gun & another tryst to pull a ball with a rod. Sometimes dry balls aren't really dry. I've never seen a discharge in that situation, but I ain't betting against it.
Roger B.
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Nessmuck is right. Talking while loading or having someone distract you by talking to you is the biggest cause. I have been tempted to make a sign to stick on my hat.....
"DON'T TALK TO ME...I'M SHOOTING"
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Well, Well, Well I just got back from the range today. Several guys came around to see my beautiful Jim Kibler SMR shoot. Got telling one of them how it all works and you guessed it. Dry balled it. Fortunately mine is a .40 caliber so the range rod screw and bushing pulls it right out with little effort. Would have used the CO2 discharger but go figure I am out of CO2 charger tubes.
Like the idea of the sign "don't bother me I am shooting".
(https://i.ibb.co/S3Fzg8D/Mike-Mc-Guire-Southern-Mountain-Rifle-1-of-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mcf3Kwr)
(https://i.ibb.co/Q8q2sGx/Mike-Mc-Guire-Southern-Mountain-Rifle-1-of-1-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/M8jYqLJ)
(https://i.ibb.co/jkLjVs7/Mike-Mc-Guire-Southern-Mountain-Rifle-1-of-1-3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/d4QHbxn)
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Oh and the talking doesn't just make a dry ball more likely. I've seen double powder charges (wow that was a lot louder than the last shot), double round balls (one shot but two holes in the target), and the best of them.....firing a perfectly good ram rod down range (talk about recoil !). :o :o ;)
P.S. Don't ask me WHO I have seen do all of this
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LOL- Dave - a double charge in the .69 can get your attention, whether it is double powder, or simply 2, 480gr. round balls.
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While shooting at the Ontario Provincial matches in Chatham, I got into a conversation, and accidentally double charged my 10 bore [ smoothbore match ] . 240 gr of FFg and a .735 ball will wake you up in the morning. ;D
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So will 330gr. 2F GOEX - a double load in the .69. Did that once while chronographing.
I was shooting sitting on a chunk of wood. That shot picked me up into the standing position.
Me feet were slightly behind me. As I was lifted up off my "chair", I was rocked into standing.
So- guess my rifle was proofed that day. Did that once since, but I was standing, so no big deal.
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I have to quit reading these postings>>>---> I red this one this week and you guessed it, I had my first dry ball ever, today . green mountain barrel .50 flinter I pre-measure my loads 5 at a time 5 tubes of powder 5 patches 5 balls and a witness marked range rod well some how I got the load order mixed up patch ball no powder >:( (1st time in 25yrs+) shooting muzzleloaders had to trickle powder in the touch hole (pushed in with pick) got it out not a bang more of a wush
(https://i.ibb.co/0BfZBry/DSC02748.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Xyzpytx)
(https://i.ibb.co/rQ1bFkw/DSC02740-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JcMxmns)
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I pull several loaded rounds a year during deer and turkey season. I like to keep my rifles loaded but sometimes want a fresh load, just in case. I use a 3/8 brass range rod with a pinned handle to screw the ball puller into the ball. I keep a small diameter rope hanging outside my shot with a loop on the bitter end. I slip the loop over the handle and cinch it tight. The rope is at a height that keeps the rifle pointing up. Then a couple of sharp jerks gets the ball started and a long pull clears the barrel. Real simple and easy. Everybody should learn and practice ball pulling.
There's no reason for anybody to hold the rod while another guy jerks on the loaded rifle. There's always tree trunks and limbs to tie to.
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All of my rifle rods have tips on both ends, one in 8X32 and one in 10X32, both pinned. I only use them to pull a ball if I am away from a range, if at a range I have a steel range rod. I made some handles that carry both 8X32 and 10X32 screws and are drilled for the screws to pass through the handle into the rod. They have come in handy a number of times and no matter what thread your ball puller has, it will fit.
Mark
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There are two types of people in this sport....... those that HAVE dry balled,
And those that LIE about it. It's gonna happen.!
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If you find yourself out in the woods or on a trail walk with a "dry ball" and no range rod you need to have one of these. There is never enough rod sticking out to get a good grip on the ramrod. Actually saw a person take out a set of pliers and wrap a patch around his rod to pull on it. Made me shiver just watching him ruin his nice wooden ramrod. Several people make one. This is the one I like because it is brass with leather on the "gripping jaws" and looks more period correct than the aluminium ones. Got this from Jas. Townsends and son.
(https://i.ibb.co/SV8QCsN/Puller.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qmf0QyB)
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I always carry a ss range rod when out plinking or at the range even though I don't use them for loading all that often. The reason is because I once tried to pull a dryball with a wood rod; I thought it was tapping into the ball but was actually twisting in two. Metal rods work great for pulling ball and cleaning, but I usually just use the wood rod for loading as that's what I use in the bush. If all the dry balls I've had were lined up in a row, they would encircle the Earth 2-1/2 times - based on the dia. of a .45 lead ball. :o
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Dennis G.; Sure, dribble priming powder through the touch hole then prime pan and fire downrange.
Dennis
If you are going to try this and the ball does not quite go out ( because you can't be certain of the powder load) Then make sure you seat the ball on the next dribble load of powder. Roger B is right, tho; get a CO2 discharger and keep it in your range box.
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All well and good IF you're at the range. Don't know anybody who carries a range rod out in the woods. I am just providing a solution when out in the woods, far from the shooting box and no range rod. Have a threaded and pinned collar on your ramrod to attach jag, worm or ball puller. Better than hiking back to the truck with a "tire iron" in your hand.
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This is one reason I liked the Patent Breech in my GPR ! There is a nice empty chamber, underneath the dry ball, that makes it easy to shove enough powder in to shoot out the Ball. I have a custom .45 that when I dry ball, the ball sets flush against the face of the Breech Plug thus making it almost impossible to get enough powder in to shoot the ball out. I have to use a ball puller to get it out....
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Now whats all the fuss with pulling a ball? I have pulled balls on my .58, my .54 and my .40 if you carefully put pressure on the screw make 3 or 4 turns and again I say gently pull on the ramrod or range rod putting constant pull and the ball slides out EACH and EVERY time. Now out here in the Pacific NW where we have no idea what humidity is, maybe it makes a difference. But if you are using pure lead round balls not lead from wheel weights or similar it just isn't hard to pull a ball. Take your time and genteel pressure is the word.
The "Muskrat" has spoken.
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We have a 'range rod', stainless, hanging in a split-trunk spruce tree at the start of our bush trail. Under the handled stainless rod
is a bullet box (yellow plastic) with collared ball screws and collared drills for starting a hole for the
screws for standard rifle's and smoothbores. The collars are standard bore diameters to get the drill and screw in the middle of the ball.
If someone dry-balls on the trail, they usually re-prime and fire the load out, dribbling 4F powder through the vent or into the nipple's flash
channel - tapping on the side of the barrel or breech helps vibrate the powder into the small area behind the ball. Then go-pow the ball out
the muzzle.
Or., we can pull the ball right there, behind the shooting line, or or they can walk back to #1 station, use the tool Taylor provided and pull the ball themselves.
LOL- last time we shot the trail, I dry-balled twice within 10 targets of the starting line. A bit of powder into the breech and go-pow-tuck. The .36's ball makes little
noise when it is travelling at a hand-thrown speed & hitting a tree.
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Sooo.
What do you all do when you aren't at the range or have a rod hanging in a tree? Am I the only one who actually goes out into the woods with my firelock? I don't believe in carrying all my worldly possessions with me but I do have all I need to take care of most problems while out on my trek without having to walk back to the truck or worse drive home. As a retired Firefighter/EMT we had a saying at our daily drills: "practice like you play". If you have what you need on your person when the time actually comes that no one has a range rod or CO2 discharge tool you know you can fix the problem. Now if someone has a range rod (and I am one of them) or a CO2 discharge tool in their box (I am one of them) then by all means use them.
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I have dryballed a few times and each time I was able to work enough prime behind the ball to shoot it out. That's what I do.
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I've had a couple of dry balls over the years. Always at the range when someone was talking to me. I was always able to get a small amount of powder in and shoot them out. I was amazed at how little powder it takes to shoot out. I would point the gun at the 25yd backboard and the ball would hit it with a loud smack.
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Sooo.
What do you all do when you aren't at the range or have a rod hanging in a tree? Am I the only one who actually goes out into the woods with my firelock? I don't believe in carrying all my worldly possessions with me but I do have all I need to take care of most problems while out on my trek without having to walk back to the truck or worse drive home. As a retired Firefighter/EMT we had a saying at our daily drills: "practice like you play". If you have what you need on your person when the time actually comes that no one has a range rod or CO2 discharge tool you know you can fix the problem. Now if someone has a range rod (and I am one of them) or a CO2 discharge tool in their box (I am one of them) then by all means use them.
guess you missed this, on the first page
*****
Posts: 6398
Re: dry ball
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2019, 05:30:49 PM »
(1st page)
"We've pulled many with the rifle's rod, but it is easier with a steel rod, as Wade notes.
Easiest is to have a 'bushed' drill (bushing holds the drill in the middle of the bore) and drill a small hole first, like about 1/8". Then
run in the ball screw (TOTWolf sells them) you buy or make yourself, bushed would be better. Run the screw in, and pull the ball out - no biggie."
I will now add to that - when hunting bunnies - many shots in a day, or when hunting moose - 1 or 2 shots I have NEVER dry balled. Not that it cannot happen,
but when hunting, there have been no distractions when loading. powder, patch, ball.