Stuck cleaning rod in 1863 musket

[CHM]

Well, I don't know how or why, but I took a thin 2 1/4" sq patch I have used a million times with a one piece, specific 58 cal cleaning rod, put a little oil du jour on it and pushed it down the barrel to the breech. Low and behold, it's stuck!!! I can move it around an inch or so, but had to give up and go to work. I have a few ideas to work it out, but would like to hear the experiences of you all. This has happened a million times in the past, so please share your experiences so I can get it loose without pulling the breech plug. Thanks.

 

[wittzo]

I had a stuck rod in my '63 Springfield, I was trying to pull a minie ball out using a screw. You can get a rod puller, but I had no success with mine.

I used a box end wrench and a hammer, but I was using a CVA range rod, not the rod that came with it.

I had to screw the head of the rod off (the CVA rod comes with an aluminum head that's about an inch in diameter) put a box end wrench below it and hammered on the wrench and knocked it out.

In your case, get a nut with the same threads as your rod, get a box end wrench that's smaller than the nut and put it on the ram rod, install the nut and whack away. You could clamp a vice grip on the shaft of the rod and whack at it. Use some scrap leather under the jaws so you won't scratch it up. Hopefully, it won't slip.

 

[CHM]

Yup, that's what I was thinking. I will first try the one person on each end method, but doubt it will work. Thanks. If the head breaks off the rod, more work for John Zimmerman I guess:banghead:

 

[Chawbaccer]

Pinch'o powder ahind the nipple and "bang" it out. aim fo the dirt so's ya don't hafta chase across the fields fo the ramrod.

 

[WALKERs210]

I had one to stick in a rifle once, as Chawbaccer said- Shoot it out aimed at the ground, worked great with only a small amount of powder under the nipple.

 

[wittzo]

That sounds like the most fun method.

 

[col.lemat]

I had to shoot mine out one time. Wait until some helpful person drops a ball down the barrel and neglects to tell you. After loading and trying to fire a round on top of that could not figure out how come I had a repeated misfire. Pulled the breach plug later and found someones elses ball in there. I guess it was an attempt to disable my rifle so I would have a low score in the compition. Luckily I had a spare rifle at the event.

 

[72coupe]

I think I would try compressed air through the nipple before gun powder.

 

[CHM]

Got it out! Padded vise grip on the end of the rod and tapped it out with a small hammer! I seriously only had one patch on it. I suppose there was enough crud near the breech to lock it in. Not sure. Thanks for the help!

 

[wittzo]

When I did it, I had my son hold the rifle while I whacked at the wrench. I had tried it with the vice grip with and without protective leather, but it was slipping. That's why I ended up using the box end wrench.

It's so amazing to me that as hard as it is to get something stuck out of the barrel, you just need a puff of compressed air down the nipple hole.