Oops. Ball stuck half way down the barrel

[Crabapples]

Wonderlube doesn't work, as you have discovered.  Perhaps you can salvage it if you cut it with neatsfoot oil or olive oil by at least 100%. But the oil alone will be so much better than adding the Wonderlube.

I bought the wonderlube, the only lube I’ve used, because Kibler sells their patches. I’m a little disappointed that this stuff has been gunking up my barrel, but it seems like at least the culprit is identified and I can get going with better options based on everyone’s responses. I appreciate your lengthy reply; I confess that running around fabric shops with a pair of calipers wasn’t exactly something I expected that I would find myself considering, but then again I don’t reload my my spent brass either, so I am just accustomed to looking for commercial options for lack of much spare time. 

I’m curious where my shots will land now, once I switch to a thicker patch and a less foul lube. I may find myself in need of a new front sight, as I took quite a bit off mine to get it on target. 

[smylee grouch]

Work up a new load before you change any sights. Some people use carb cleaner to clean the wonder lube gunk out of their barrels. 

[teakmtn]

Taylor, I have used your system successfully for a few years using Hoppe's Black Powder solvent as my wet lube shooting many shots fairly close together. The other day at a silhouette shoot, where there was approx 15 minutes between shooting sessions, needing to stand behind the line unloaded as targets were set back up, when I then went to reload, the fouling was incredibly hard and would not soften as before. I had to swab and wipe between the shooting sessions. Any suggestions? Wetter patch? If wetter patch, I've thought I would need some kind of wad over the power.

[JLayne]

I’ve had good results with Mr. Flintlock Lube and I don’t clean between shots. I have fired 15-20 shots this way with no cleaning between and no misfires. I used to swab the bore between shots and would get the occasional misfire, which I was told was due to the cleaning patch pushing some of that fouling down around the touch hole. Whether that was the case or not, it did stop happening when I stopped swabbing between shots. YMMV.

Jay

[Tumbledown]

Sidenote: how did you break the rod? Were you choking way up, or just a few inches up. Choking way up greatly increases the chance for breaking, and broken rods can do numbers on hands.

[dweber49]

Happened to me today with an 1815 Jacob Roop on the 6th shot.  I got the 44 ball in about 8”.  Primed the pan and blew it out.  The target looked like the ball had fragmented.  No lube or wad.  All is well.

[recurve]

I use mutton tallow like the brits did for 200 yrs  keeps fouling soft 10oz denim over a .490 ball reasonable to load . I keep 2 range rods, one take down in the range box (an army 50 machine gun cleaning rod 4 pc all brass but the T handle) and an all steel one from rice barrels (the bullet puller rod)  I might try the dawn+h20 


  these are load work up targets then I adjust the sights to point of aim after  finding   MY load
I  use a 45 cal jag in 50 barrels to load and wipe the smaller jag rides over the fouling on the way in to wipe turn to the right  the cleaning/wipe patch expands filling the bore and pulls the fouling out(insed of pushing it into the breach)

[Bob Gerard]

Wouldn't have happened if you just used spit patch.

[Crabapples]

Sidenote: how did you break the rod? Were you choking way up, or just a few inches up. Choking way up greatly increases the chance for breaking, and broken rods can do numbers on hands.

I was probably a little higher than I should have been, but not too high. The splintered rod stabbed me in the finger and produced a fair amount of blood. That was the end of my range day.

[Crabapples]

Wouldn't have happened if you just used spit patch.

I will try spit the next time I take her out.

[wolf]

try what mulebrain said, 40-60 water and dawn. i never swab a time! the 40th ball goes down like the first! but hey if that's to easy for you, i understand,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Taylor, I have used your system successfully for a few years using Hoppe's Black Powder solvent as my wet lube shooting many shots fairly close together. The other day at a silhouette shoot, where there was approx 15 minutes between shooting sessions, needing to stand behind the line unloaded as targets were set back up, when I then went to reload, the fouling was incredibly hard and would not soften as before. I had to swab and wipe between the shooting sessions. Any suggestions? Wetter patch? If wetter patch, I've thought I would need some kind of wad over the power.

I a situation such as you describe, there are a couple of things you can do to get through the crust.  You can use a plastic or metal tube to insert into the muzzle for a blow tube.  Blow long and slowly emptying your lungs, several times.  This will introduce moisture into the bore and wet the fouling so that when you load, you won't have to deal with the hard cake.  Also, a sopping wet patch on a jag followed by a dry one will also take care of the problem.  I concur that having to leave a fouled rifle for 15 min when the humidity is low is a problem.  I carry a jag and a worm, together with some patches or tow, in my patch box or shooting bag for occasions such as you describe.

[bigsmoke]

A co2 ball disch. arger is great for removing a stuck ball

That's true, but the ball has to be securely on top of the charge, else there is too much room for the CO2 to expand.
John (Bigsmoke)

[George Sutton]

Never fire your rifle with a ball stuck in the barrel. It's a good way to blow up your rifle. Not to mention the damage it can do to you.

[flinter49]

If you use loading blocks on a 20 shot 2 hour woods walk will the 40/60 dawn water solution dry out?

[rich pierce]

If you use loading blocks on a 20 shot 2 hour woods walk will the 40/60 dawn water solution dry out?

I only use grease or oil lubes in loading blocks.

[Hungry Horse]

 I prefer venison tallow, or bear grease, to anything I’ve tried in the way of store bought patch lubes. Most lubes have at least one ingredient that doesn’t tolerate high heat, and will eventually cause a stuck ball.
 I like to put a shoe polish tin over the open top of my candle lantern, with a short candle in it. And, dip my pre-cut patches in the melted tallow.
 If you just can’t consider doing anything for yourself, buy mutton tallow from Dixie Gun works. It works quite well, but not as good as venison, or bear, grease.

Hungry Horse

[satwel]

Throw the wonder lube in the trash and get a range rod. Use spit patch or Track of the Wolf Mink Oil.

Or jojoba oil, or neatsfoot oil, or Mr. Flintlock Lube. I'm a big proponent of liquid lubes. If you shoot immediately after loading, spit works just as well as anything else. I think Wonder Lube is totally useless.

[Daryl]

If you use loading blocks on a 20 shot 2 hour woods walk will the 40/60 dawn water solution dry out?

Due to low humidity at Rendezvous B.C.,  we who use a water/alcohol lube, add a tich of neetsfoot oil to the mix. This seems to slow the evaporation rate in low humidity situations.  I've never had a problem of lube evaporation in sub 10% humidity on Trail walks, however my lubed patches are carried in a tin  in my possibles bag. They are still wet at the end of the trail, whether its 40 shots here in PG, or only 22 shots at rendezvous. A rich of oil is about 2 ounces per quart of winter windshield washer fluid. I like Blue Thunder brand as that stuff has no "extra" chemicals.

[Steeltrap]

Throw the wonder lube in the trash and get a range rod. Use spit patch or Track of the Wolf Mink Oil.

Or jojoba oil, or neatsfoot oil, or Mr. Flintlock Lube. I'm a big proponent of liquid lubes. If you shoot immediately after loading, spit works just as well as anything else. I think Wonder Lube is totally useless.

I've always thought the name "Wonder Lube" was concocted by the user saying "I wonder why they call this lube?"

[Daryl]

I think the main ingredient in WonderLube, is chapstick with eucalyptus oil or some other stink-um to make it smell nice.

[Darkhorse]

Wonder Lube will leave a coating in your barrel that won't clean out with soap and water. The water might come out clean but that greenish-brown coating remains. I used to shoot a lot of wonder lube and brake cleaner is what I used to finally get my barrels clean.
For most of my shooting I use a dwindling supply of LHV or Mr. Flintlocks. However I do use Wonder Lube for my deer hunting rounds because you can leave your rifle loaded for days or weeks and it won't rust your barrel. It helps that I only fire a few shots during deer season. This is in my .54, WL is never used in my .40.

[Daryl]

I have left a rifle loaded with patched ball, for up to 3 months, without any deleterious effect.
The lube used, was melted Track's Mink Oil, saturated patch. I fired that loaded round off, at the
range on a 10" steel plate at 100 meters, hitting it almost in the middle - offhand. I immediately loaded
another and hit the same place the second shot.

[J.M.Browning]

I never hesitated to use a bit of cleaning between shots I only target shoot so many of my shooting sessions will be several shots . I tend to not over think ,nylon bore brush . 90% of my inaccuracies is me not the rifle load . I pre soak patch material in water Ballistol I dip the pre soak patches when loading in the same Ballistol & water solution shake  patch or squeeze load ball . This is subjective as most info online find what works for you .

It occurs to me, after watching a few “stuck ball” youtubes, that I may have been able to simply fire the gun and eject the ball that way.

Never ever try to clear any firearm bore with a stuck projectile by firing the firearm .

[Daryl]

I try not to overthink things as well.  I just don't have to wipe the bore at ANY time during a shooting session, no matter how long it is & with no loss if accuracy
on an offhand course of fire, like at rendezvous.
15 minutes between shots, if the loading is difficult, you have left more fouling in the bore than a tighter combination will leave. A wet patch, with a water based lube,
will soften the fouling, at least if sure does in my barrels- all of them.
I found with Track's mink oil and either a .311" ball or .320" ball in my .320"cal rifle and 10 ounce denim patch (.021") that the 50th shot loaded easier than the first.
With that barrel, which even had very narrow grooves and wide lands, as opposed to my Rice .36 barrel with wide grooves and narrower lands, loading was virtually
identical with the same 10 ounce denim patch. Easy as it could be.  With those small balls, a short starter wasn't even necessary as I demonstrated to the fellows on
the line. A choked up rod, was able to push the ball and patch into the bore. The largest cal. I have tried with with, was my .40, using a ball that was .002" larger than
the bore and with a .0225" denim patch. This material was also listed as 10 ounce, but I think it was the last of the USA made material we got. The new 10 ounce, likely
Chinese made is only .021" thick. It seems to work well in all my guns too.
Thus, I find smaller bored guns are easier to load than larger ones and this is likely because there is less lead that has to be moved. The smaller balls conform with the
patch, into the bore more easily.