Ball Pulling Rod Advice...

[Captainnoncents]

I'm very new to BP shooting and have been shooting a Kentucky long rifle with a 33.5 inch barrel. I haven't needed to pull out a ball yet but have been told that I eventually will need to. I have a ball puller attachment, but don't have a rod that's long enough for me to get a good grip to pull a ball. Before I spend money on a longer range rod, I'd appreciate guidance on what kind to buy. How hard is it to pull a ball? Do I need a t-handle on the rod? What material should the rod be made of? Where is the best website to purchase? Thanks in advance for your guidance...

 

[arcticap]

I've never pulled out a dry ball even though I've dry balled.
I've always been able to dribble come powder under the nipple to fire it out.
Loading with 3F powder makes it easier to get the powder into tight places like under the nipple, and helps to avoid ignition problems.
Even most flintlock shooters can usually coax enough powder into the vent hole to fire it out.
There are also CO2 dischargers that can expel a ball.
I would think that the longer the barrel, the more difficult it would be to pull a ball using a screw because the nature of rods are that they are a little wobbly anyway.
What type of ignition do you have, percussion or flint?
Does it have a round drum or a snail, which brand and caliber is it?
Was your barrel length measurement taken from inside the bore or just from the outside of the barrel?
When you put your ramrod in how deep does it go?

It's good to be prepared to pull a ball and to have the attachment, but I wouldn't want to need to do it.
The only real difference between ball pullers that I've ever heard of is if the screw's threads are too fine and not coarse enough.
I believe that fine threads make it easier for the screw to pull out of the ball due to not having enough bite.
I think that the TC ball puller would work fine, and I see that the Traditions and other pullers are pretty much the same as the TC.
The TC is caliber specific for .45 & .50, but the main reason for recommending it is due to its numerous good reviews on Amazon. --->>> https://www.amazon.com/Thompson-Center-Caliber-Bullet-Puller/dp/B000LC5N90

Which kind of ramrod works best with a ball puller may not make the best rod for ramming balls, but it could work out just fine for both purposes.
A one piece steel ramrod would probably be the best for pulling balls, and not one with a brass end that the screw attachment would be pulled out of
It should also have a handle that can be pulled on.
But a steel ramrod should definitely always be used with a muzzle guard or protector, a device that protects the muzzle crown from damage.
Otherwise under normal circumstances I'd buy a thick wooden dowel at the home improvement store to use for ramming balls.
Put a handle on it and make sure it has straight grain and is extra thick but still fits in the bore.
Here's a 36 inch steel ramrod that's long enough to use with your barrel but the steel rod may be harder to grasp in the middle of the rod.--->>> https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/33/1/RAMROD-C-36-10

I don't know if the 36 inch length includes the handle or not.
It may be longer than you need or like depending on your height and arm reach.
Perhaps you can ask them for more details before buying.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about buying a special ramrod for pulling a ball but you asked for the information.
Which rod to buy is very subjective, especially with a longer barrel.
Depending on the exact length of your bore, this Knight aluminum ramrod may also work but doesn't come with a muzzle protector. --->>> https://www.muzzleloaders.com/product/standard-muzzleloader-range-rod/
The rods with a rotating handle won't allow for it to be used to easily screw into the ball.
Welcome to THR!
Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[Armored farmer]

Do yourself a favor and get a dedicated range rod with the proper size end to fit your assortment of pullers, patch worms, and jags, etc.
It should be steel or brass and have a serious handle.
One piece rod if possible. If not....weld it together.
Stitch a sleeve I to your gun case and carry it with your gun.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

I wouldn't worry about the ball puller or a rod for it, but arcticap gave some good advice if you are intent on going there.
I've also never pulled a ball, even though I do have a couple ball pullers that came along for the ride in one deal or another.

 

[entropy]

The CO2 'unloader' kits are handy for such events, and also for unloading after not firing during muzzleloader season. But get a ball puller and keep it in your possibles bag anyway.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Haven't "dry balled". Yet. However, I often pull the ball at the end of hunting season, and clean the rifle, instead of firing it off. More often I fire it, just to make sure it would have hit the deer/bear/elk. I've also pulled balls when I had later "regrets" as to what patching I used, and have pulled the ball to change patching.

I have never pulled a ball from a fouled barrel. From a clean barrel they come right out. How difficult it would be, would depend on the tightness of the ball patch combination, and whether clean or fouled. Having said that, I've had no trouble pulling the ball from my .62", which is pretty tight. But again, clean barrel. I have both fine and coarse thread pullers, and the fine thread works okay, just have to make sure you run it deep into the ball. I've had the puller pull out of the ball a few times, don't remember if it was the fine or the coarse.

If you are in the field hunting, and in a hurry to reload after shooting something, adrenaline flowing, heart beating, one is also (more) likely to dry-ball. (it pays to know the difference between "hurry", and "quick but careful")(or: "don't be slow, but take your time") You won't have your range-rod with you. I wonder if a guy could make a short rod, maybe eight inches long, around that, with a male fitting that would fit into the female fitting of the rifle's ram-rod. ? Not ideal, but with care it might pull the ball that first few inches. If the fittings pulled apart for some reason, you'd not be any worse off. Or not much. One might want to take extra care mounting the rod-tips, perhaps an extra cross pin. ?

But, as the man said, it's probably just as easy to shoot the ball out. !!!!

Just a thought.

 

[Mike 56]

As posted there better ways of removing dry balls but at some point, you need to pull a dry ball you will need an HD ramrod with a handle. You can buy a steel rod at the hardware store. Using a centering punch you can mark the center of the rod. https://smile.amazon.com/Neiko-0262...000JI6HFA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 drill and tap the ends for a puller and a handle. For a handle, you can drill a hole in a large wooden ball and screw it on. It is hard to pull a ball with a ramrod it is easier to hitch a leather thong next to the ball end of the rod and attach to something solid and pull on the rifle.

 

[Captain*kirk]

Problem is, most rods are designed to PUSH a ball, brush or patch down the barrel. Same with spare ramrods. Consider making one from steel and have a generous T-handle WELDED on the the end so it can withstand PULLING force instead of pushing. You could cut it in threaded sections to make the package smaller, if need be.

 

[Mike OTDP]

Steel or brass rod, with a large knob or T-handle. And a thread protector. For my pistols, I have a dedicated ball-puller rod with the puller epoxied on. Not that I've had to pull balls...but the ball puller is the one sure way to pull a stuck patch. The patch puller gimcracks are worthless.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'm very new to BP shooting and have been shooting a Kentucky long rifle with a 33.5 inch barrel. I haven't needed to pull out a ball yet but have been told that I eventually will need to. I have a ball puller attachment, but don't have a rod that's long enough for me to get a good grip to pull a ball. ...

I'd say get yourself a Track of The Wolf, Delrin rod that comes with a jag and a built in bullet puller. You can use your bullet puller on the back end, with the jag installed to help you get a grip on the rod, and if you put the ball down without a powder charge. IF you have a ball that got jammed in the loading process so isn't on the powder, or for whatever reason the main charge won't "go"..., and the ball is seated on the powder, use the built-in ball puller. You can put a steel machine screw into the back end of the ramrod, to give you and a pair of pliers or vice grips something to grab when you extract the ball.

The biggest problem isn't the extraction...., the biggest problem is getting enough pressure to force the ball removal screw into the ball, deep enough to allow you to grip the ball and extract it, but without stripping out the lead in the hole where the screw is entering, and thus defeating your purpose. The nice thing about using one of these "in the field" and such is that a) they are pretty hard to break, and b) your rod, cleaning jag, and bullet puller are all right there ready to go.



https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/831/9/ramrod-324-50/RAMROD-330-54

LD

 

[alsaqr]

I've never pulled out a dry ball even though I've dry balled.
I've always been able to dribble come powder under the nipple to fire it out.

Works for me. When i was working on muzzleloaders every year i received 8-10 dry balled guns. Some were boogered badly by folks attempting to pull balls. Removed the nipple, forced powder into the flame channel or bolster with a nipple pick, filled the area under the nipple with powder, installed the nipple, capped and fired the ball out. Sometimes the owner managed to put a hole in the ball, i had a remedy for that too.

 

[Gator Weiss]

Ball pullers suck. Frustrating. Pinch of powder if percussion, under the nipple can work. Air compressor with a common rubber tipped air blower attachment placed tightly against the port the nipple screws into. Point it in a safe direction and apply the air. Usually the pinch of powder is what most people do.

 

[Gator Weiss]

On flint, you have to work flash powder in through the vent hole.

 

[Gator Weiss]

I recall the story of the idiot heating the Barrell with a torch to melt the ball with the Barrell in a vice. It fired and struck a bystander in the upper arm, lots of injury

 

[EccentricInTexas]

I usually try the ball puller first. Doesn't always work. Also its best to drill a hole across the cap that mounts it to the rod and pin it in with a nail and epoxy. Sometimes the come off. Some times the lead from the ball pulls out. the next thing to try is an air compressor. If that doesn't work you can sometimes unscrew the back of the breach and remove it that way (I have had to do this with a rifle a friend bought at a garage sale. I had two balls rammed down and smushed flat. The ball pull would not pull them.) Or VERY CAREFULLY you can slowly add powder through the nipple and try to pop it out assuming theres no powder load, Start VERY SMALL amounts and work your way up. One other option is to get a drill bit with a drill bit extension and drill it out. This also works for shot loads on old shotguns. Which ever you do BE VERY CAREFUL https://www.instagram.com/p/B5_EwRrBhJ4/