I am occasionally tasked with clearing batches of "loaded" guns. Modern muzzleloading rifles that are actually loaded typically aren't that hard to clear with a T-handle rod and a ball worm, unless it is a patched round ball that has completely dried out and hardened in the barrel. Even then, I can usually put a little lubricant down the barrel and re-moisten the load and get it to move with some convincing. The more time consuming part is cleaning out all the powder afterwards. It sure seems like people that own T/C Hawkens or Inlines are prone to leaving their guns loaded for extended periods of time. I'm shocked at how many I see that have loads in them. I cleared one a while back that had a stout powder charge, a Great Plains bullet, and then another charge and bullet on top. I've seen a few that had pellet charges, a bullet, and then another pellet charge seated on top of the bullet.
The guns that are just full of junk are always a lot harder to get cleared. Some of the rusty old shotguns have a ton of just dried dirt and detritus build up in them, but occasionally, there is shot and powder under all that junk. Often it seems like someone got some oily rag, patches, wads, etc. stuck in the barrel. I've also pulled some funny stuff out of muzzleloaders over the years such as acorns out of a blunderbuss and a plastic model airplane propeller out of a rifle-musket. We even removed an 1970s "gentleman's" magazine from a cannon once.
Does anyone have any recommendations for some truly durable tools that won't wear out or break as readily as your typical ball and patch worms? The ball pullers tend to have the tips dull up fairly quickly, and all to often break off at the threads which then leaves you with a useless rod until you can get the threads clear again. The U.S. Model 1817 style worms look promising since they are more robust, but that would still leave the threads as a weak point.
