Help,Front loader, may be something down there...

[BKE]

50cal. Hawkens that I've been posting about. I'd mentioned that the rod has had a bit broke off, I'm thinking it had a brass tip on it and it looks as if that is where it broke. Even so, wouldn't that tip have fallen back out due to the differance in Dia. of the rod and barrel. Regardless, I dropped the rod down (good end w/brass tip first) and expected to hear it hit bottom/metal agains metal, "TING" but instead got a dull thud.I'm thinking I have totreat this as if it were loadedsoneedthe recommendations of you experienced folks here. It's a percussion and I think the Bolster (?? what nipple screws into) is called a drum type that is held in place by a single screw.
For thelife of me I can'tsee how a small section of rod could snap off once it's down in the barrel, now snappinga rodtrying to geta real tight patch and balla few inches inI can understand. As it is when I drop the roddown the barrel now itdrops below flush about 3/4in. Any thoughts/recommendations are greatly appreciated.

[nchawkeye]

First...Plug the nipple and pour rubbing alcohol down the barrel and let set 30 minutes or so, this will neutralize the powder...

Next, you can remove the nipple and make up a fitting to screw into the drum...
Then you can push the obstruction by a grease pump, air tank or even the CO-2 charger kit that is made for doing so...Good Luck...

[cayugad]

If there is just a loading jag, it should be able to be brought out. Turn the rifle over and tapthe muzzle on some cardboard. If it is loose fitting it should fall out. Be sure to open the hammer before you do all of this.

First thing I would do is check to see if it obstructed. Open the hammer. Now,blow down the muzzle with your mouth.You should hear air escape from the nipple. If the barrel is plugged air will not pass through the barrel.

Another way.. Take a wood dowel and lower it down to the breech. Mark that. Now pull that back out and put the mark on the end of the muzzle and see how much dowel goes back to the bolster. It should almost reach the bolster if the rifle is not obstructed.

If you find there is something down there, you can try to fish it out which takes forever. Or I would shoot it out. Remove the nipple. Pack as much powder as you can through the nipple into the bolster. Push a couple clean patches down the barrel to the breech. Now cap it and fire it. Shoot it into a cardboard box at close range of say 5 feet. If the patches come out and you now see a hole in the box, what ever was in there is now out. If no hole, reach down there with the wood dowel again. Has the mark moved? That means something that was way in the bottom of the breech has moved up the bore.

So then pack that rifle through the nipple again. You now know it is obstructed. Same box, and try to blow that out of the barrel again. Don't forget the patch and be sure to reseat what ever had moved up the barrel, back to the bottom of the breech. Npw cap it and fire it in to the box. Look for holes.

[nchawkeye]

Cay...The only problem I see with shooting it out...What if the last guy loaded and then went to pull the ball and the tip came off??? There might be a charge of powder already down there, now you have the tip as well....Could be dangerous...

Now...If you broke the tip while cleaning and know there isn't a powder charge down there, shoot it out...

[RugerMike]

Remove the nipple. put a small amount of fff powder into the nipple hole, replace the nipple and fire a cap off with the muzzleloader pointed down to a dirt groundat aleaf if the leaf moves it is empty if it doesn't move you have a blocked barrel with something in it? You can then try to use a bullet puller or compressed air the dislodge the blockage? NEVER PUT ANY PART OF YOUR BODY INCLUDING YOUR HANDS OR FACE OVER THE BARREL UNTIL YOU FIX THE PROBLEM

[cayugad]

That's why I told him to use a wood dowel and check the debth of the obstruction. But if that tip is sitting on top of a powder charge, it will just come out with the original load. It was not uncommon during the Civil war to double load a projectile. Some smoothbores were loaded buck and ball for close range shooting. Some of the rifles were loaded double ball for that same reason.

If that jag is sitting on a live load, the wood dowel will tell him. I would still shoot the whole mess out.

[BKE]

Thanks everyone. I should have thought about another rod or dowel mysef but really didn't know howfardown it should go unloaded anyway. Sowhat I'm getting is that theboreends up at the breach (where BP,patch and ball are finally seated) which is butted up to the bolster. And the bolsteris a seperate chamber that allows the flash from the ignitor (cap)to pass into the powder??

[johnny2]

Sounds like somebody may have put the ball and patch in with out any powder..Why did you do that.lol
Remove the nipple and put a bit of 3 or 4 F powder in there and shoot her out...