I hope the mods don't mind me starting a new thread on this topic.

So I went out to the desert and did as was suggested. Cayugad thank you for reminding me to make sure the ball was properly seated.

Sure enough the powder made a pop like a loud cap gun. But it really did not feel like anything came out.

Unscrewing the vent liner, I dropped the rod down the barrel hoping to see it through the vent and thus confirm that the ball had left the barrel.

I didn't see the end of the rod. And no, I don't have my rod marked.

If the barrel is empty, would I have been able to see the rod tip? Or is there some sort of chamber just for the powder that has a narrow opening, preventing rod from going as far down as the vent? (If that makes sense)

I am going to try dumping some 2F down the barrel and see if I can shake that out the vent (with the vent liner removed!). I did not have any 2F with me today, just 4. So if after dumping the 2F down the barrel, if I can shake some out of the vent, that should prove the barrel is clear...?

Another question: one of my wedges is very loose. As in tip the gun to the side and it will simply fall out loose. Do I need to get another wedge or do I need to seat the barrel in the stock just right to get the proper resistance?

Thank again everyone for your help.
~Robert

Hey Robert, you'll probably have several other replies by the time I finish typing this. But I'll give it a shot anyway.

DANG! I should have told you to point the gun at something (safe/not "bouncy") so you could see if the ball came out. Well, at least now you know to do that. You will be doing it again you know.

A GP rifle has a "patent breech". That's a chamber an inch or so long that's smaller than bore diameter. It's about .30 diameter. Your ramrod will not go into that part of the breech so you would never see the rod through the flash hole, even with the vent liner out.

Just drop your factory ramrod down the bore. If it's empty, the rod will stick out of the muzzle 1 & 1/8 inch. If there's a ball in there, it will stick out at least 1 & 5/8 inches. (These measurements apply to GPs only.)

Another way to check is to set the gun on it's butt with the barrel vertical. Put the rod in the bore and let it free fall for the last ten inches or so and listen for the sound. If it's empty you will hear the sound of the rod hitting the steel of the breech plug - king of a ringing. If there's a ball in there you will hear the distinct "thud" of the rod hitting lead or part of the cloth patch.

First of all, try turning the wedge over to see if it's tighter one way or the other. If it's still loose, just lay the wedge on a flat hard surface and tap the center to cause a very slight bend. Go lightly - it doesn't take much. By the way, wedges go in right to left and the longer wedge is for the rear.

OK, here's a bonus. It's a good idea to make sure that patent breech is clean when you clean your gun. They can sometimes build up gunk. I use a 1/4 x 36" hardwood dowel from the hardware store for this. Use a hack saw blade to cut a slot about 3/4" deep on one end, and round off the end. Stick a piece of patch about 1/2" square in the slot. Use a twisting motion as you push the patch into the breech and as you pull it out. No, it won't come off (at least mine hasn't yet).

do a 3 stooges episode. Light a match, put it down into the vent hole and look down the barrel no, don't do that.

One way to see if it came out or not is to pull the barrel out of the stock and carefully pour some water down the bore. Or just attach the ball puller onto your ramrod and see if you can feel anything.

Hell even just puckering up and putting your mouth around the vent hole and blowing will confirm if it came out or not.

Normally if you blow down the muzzle of the rifle barrel real hard and hold your finger by the vent hole, you will feel and hear the wind coming out through it. If the ball was in there it would restrict the air flow.

If you drop the ramrod in most rifles, if it is a factory rod, it usually about disappears down the barrel. Because you heard a POP! I would guess it blew the ball out.

Brilliant! I will give that a try.

Shortly after starting this thread, I took a rod and using the corkscrew attachment, I "felt" around the breech. Sure enough it felt like the corkscrew was going in to some sort of narrow opening. So it seems like the ball did come out.

Semi the wedge with the problem is the forward wedge. Thank you for your suggestion, a few taps with the rubber hammer should fix it.

Thanks again everyone!
~Robert