muzzleloader help ???

azgunnut2@yahoo.com

I dont normally "smith" on these but a customer brought one in with a broken ram-rodstuck in the barrel over a old lite load of powder...this is an org. kentucky type apx.45 cal. rifle....the nipple is smashed and rusted in (old) real bad...we need some help.any suggestions ??? azgunnut2@yahoo.com.....

AdamsQuailHunter

Use Kano Laboratories "Kroil" on the nipple. Telephone number is (615) 833-4101. A drop or so a day for a week or two. Hopefully, it will allow the nipple to be removed. Use a very sturdy nipple wrench -- not one of the little squirts that comes with a new gun. You may even have to put it in a vice and use vice grip pliers on the nipple after the couple of weeks of treatment with Kroil.Then you might try using a CO2 powered discharger to blow the charge/ball/ram-rod out of the barrel.[This message has been edited by AdamsQuailHunter (edited 01-07-2002).]

.280 freak

I'm assuming that the ramrod was broken in an attempt to remove a stuck projectile?A real concern here is the fact that there is a powder charge (presumably blackpowder, not a substitute?) of unknown weight. Blackpowder can still be ignited after years of being in a gun. There was recently an incident where a person blew off their arm when a 150 year old charge in a blackpowder gun went off. Combine this with the poor overall condition of the gun in the way you describe it and there is a possibility of the barrel failing if you attempt to get the nipple out and trickle in a bit of powder, replace the nipple with a new one, cap it and fire the gun, as I assume some might recommend.When a blackpowder gun has been allowed to sit with a charge in it, especially if it had been fired and re-loaded without proper cleaning, the projectile is quite probably stuck very tightly in it, raising the pressure when fired to possibly dangerous levels. This is apparently what went wrong in the incident that I described above.If it were my gun, I would first place the barrel, breech end first in a container of hot water for an hour or so before doing anything else. Then remove the nipple. Unless there is a breech plug that can be removed, the only feasible method that I would attempt would be to try to use compressed air to dislodge the projectile and ramrod.It's possible that you might be able to get the broken ramrod to stick far enough out of the barrel to get ahold of it in this way. If you can accomplish this, the battle should be about won.Hope this gave you some things to consider.

.280 freak

Azgunnut2 -How did you make out with this project?Inquiring minds want to know.

v35

It sounds like someone used a corkscrew attachment called a worm to pull the charge and it broke off as he was twisting it into the ball. This gun really needs to be unbreeched and the ball,patch and rod driven back out the muzzle but not by a powder charge.Make a nipple wrench out of a 3/8 or 1/2 allen screw by cutting off 1" from the headthen drilling and filing a close fitting slot for the nipple shoulder. This is tough alloy steel and wont readily break when you put force on it. Use it after the Kroil treatment. Sometimes an impact wrench will loosen a rusted thread better than an even pressure on a wrench. If you get the nipple out,load the hole up with Kroil Do not use heat and dont drill into the charge. Civil War shells have exploded from people trying to deactivate them by drilling.Dixie Gunworks in Union Tenn used to sell a breechplug removal wrench. Use after soaking the joint in Kroil for a week or so.Years back, I cracked a nice Tanner Jaeger flintlock barrel by shooting a leather patched bullet that was too tight to seat below the muzzle.

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."

BUCK/91/92

If the compressed air doesn't work try fitting a grease fitting (may have to make an adapter) into the nipple threads and then pump grease in with a grease gun. This will definitely push out the load and ramrod tip. You just will have to spend a little more time cleaning it. P.S. This should work much better than air as most grease guns will develop pressures up into the thousands of P.S.I. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

bsebast

You have received some very good advice here. I would like to re-emphasize one thing. Black powder does not lose its ability to detonate with age. Black powder that is 500 years old can be detonated by heat, friction, static electricity, impact, etc. About the only way to deactivate it is by soaking it in water. But even then, when it dries out, it's ready to go again. This is the reason most cities have ordinances banning black powder inside the city limits. It is classified as a "Class A Explosive," where smokeless powder is a "Flammable Solid."