# Ramrod stuck, Need Help!



## Coonhunter23

I am at a loss. I bought a .45 cal. muzzleloader and shot one shot. I then went to run a patch down the barrel to clean it and the dang thing got stuck, the Whole thing! Rod and all! Now i can't get it out. :crybaby: How do I get it out without hurting the barrel?


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## Plainsman

The first thing to try is warm soap water down the bore from the top. A wet patch normally pulls easier. The second thing to try is wrap the end of your rod, put it in a vise and pull on the barrel. As a last resort I have pulled the nipple and trickled in a couple grains of powder, put on a cap, and shot it out. Just a couple of grains or your going to be looking for your ramrod a long time. The first time I was very careful and the ramrod only came 1/2 way out, but that was good enough.


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## Coonhunter23

Thank you for the help, I'll try these tomarrow.


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## Plainsman

If all else fails and you try shoot it out with two or three grains of powder try to unscrew your ramrod from the cleaning jag. I once got more powder in than I thought and I had to dig six inches deep into my brothers lawn to find my cleaning jag. I pointed it straight at the ground. Lucky his soil was soft and no rocks because there was not a scratch on my cleaning jag. It's only happened a couple of times, but if it ever happened again I thought I would use an old bag archery target that I have. Then I went and bought a breach plug wrench so now I can take it apart if all else fails.

I think it happens when you use a patch that is to dry and you have a lot of fouling, or you have a rough bore. I have not had it happen for 30 years now. Back in the 1970's the cheap CVA that I owned had a very rough bore. Two shots and I had to clean or something was going to stick.


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## Coonhunter23

Yeah, i'm always soaking my cleaning patches from now on. I'm shooting a traditional caplock so I don't have a breechplug. I just started trying it out. I already have a inline.


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## Plainsman

Hmmm, I currently have four caplocks and they all have breach plugs. I have owned another half dozen, and they all have breach plugs. They do require an octagon wrench to take them off. You also need a barrel vise. I simply inlaid my barrel into two oak halves then clamp the barrel between in a heavy shop vise. It does require a lot more equipment. I have a a bit of money sunk into gunsmithing equipment.

Just remember if your going to shoot it out only use a small amount of powder and shoot it into something to capture your cleaning jag. At least point it in a safe direction. A few years ago a fellow knocked down an ok buck on Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. He was trying to reload as he walked up to it and the deer was still struggling. In his excitement he forgot to pull his ramrod out and shot it through the buck in two pieces from about ten yards. I would have thought the thing would have disintegrated, but it held together (mostly). He thinks it broke after it hit the deer. I don't know, I came upon it a minute later while he was still looking at it slack jawed. He said he had never shot a muzzleloader and barrowed it from a friend. You can loan some things out, but I would sell or throw away a gun if I loaned it out. :wink:

Edit: If you use hot soapy water, don't let it set and try something else another day. You don't want to rust up your rifle.


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## Coonhunter23

Yeah i used the soapy water and i pulled out. And yes I cleaned it out. I may be kind of new to muzzleloading but i realize water and guns don't mix!


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## Plainsman

Coonhunter23 said:


> Yeah i used the soapy water and i pulled out. And yes I cleaned it out. I may be kind of new to muzzleloading but i realize water and guns don't mix!


I figured you did know that. I once had a fellow complain about a stuck ball. He said he would bring it to where we worked, next week. A stuck ball doesn't sound like much of a problem, but he had moisture in the patch from blowing down the barrel in cold weather. It left a ring in the bore for the rest of the life of that rifle. Sometimes odd things happen to those of us with years of experience. As I get older they appear to be getting more frequent. :wink:


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## alleyyooper

Alcohol as you know will almost dry itself. So you swab with it, then a dry patch and the bore is normally pretty dry. If it is a percussion lock, WINDEX works real well. The dollar store glass cleaner works fine. Spritz the patch and swab with that.
At the range swab between each shot to avoid huge build ups of carbon making it hard to swab. You don't normally hunt with a rifle with a fowled bore so why would pratiac with one.

I use patches that are pre loaded with alcohol some times. their sold in a box of one hundred for less than 5 bucks. I also use normal patching that I dip in a bit of alcohol to swab with between shots.

range sessions should not be just about working up a load. 
Once the load is worked up then you should shoot with out patching the bore to see how many shots before the groups fall off. Most of my ML's won't do over 3 shots before the groups take the hand cart to He77.
You should also shot with the protection you use on the muzzle for hunting during a misty rain or down right down pour.

 Al


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