Removing a stuck bullet

[enfieldspares]

Stick the cylinder in the freezer. Leave it overnight or if you are at home all weekend. Then use a drill press to drill a large enough hole in the lead bullet to allow access to the powder. Remember that in a worst case that heat may be enough to ignite the powder so the most cold that you can get it the best. Also given that lead and steel expand and contract differently in cold (and heat) that may very slightly break the seal. The other thing is that mercury will dissolve lead. But both are poisons. Mercury if handled without care is not your friend regardless that as a kid fifty plus years ago they gave you beads of it to roll in the palm of your hand in school science lessons.

 

[shoppe]

Do people not use a blast of compressed air to unstuck bullets in cases like this?

 

[C h r i s]

Jeez... Tap it in a bit further with a non marring drift so the cylinder fits and just shoot the damn thing!

 

[sy247]

 

[C h r i s]

Keep going, almost there!

 

[sy247]

Bit of a mess...

 

[C h r i s]

Shame you're not closer, would take 30 seconds to push in with a vice and/or a drift.

 

[Smellydog]

Cut the excess off with a knife.

 

[Smellydog]

Get this discussed with muzzleloaders a lot.
The range of suggestions range from absorb to highly dangerous and then you get the chemistry set users pushing their ideas and there is always at least one thermal dynamic expert that thinks a freezer can work the same as frozen nitrogen.

Just shoot the thing out.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Oooooh yessss!
Can you someone video you sorting it out and post it here please?

 

[Smellydog]

Oooooh yessss!
Can you someone video you sorting it out and post it here please?

Just when we might be getting somewhere FB you go and fritten him .

Don't video it OP, it'll be the world's most boring video in the world, just go and shoot it out.

 

[Trickyd66]

No expert, but having seen the photo now I would say a sharp wood chisel would get that flush fairly easily, then press it in a bit further before firing it out?

 

[Stevie/P]

Chuck it in a fire and melt the lead out

 

[Foxyboy43]

Just when we might be getting somewhere FB you go and fritten him .

Don't video it OP, it'll be the world's most boring video in the world, just go and shoot it out.

Spoilsport!
I would offer to do the camera work but I have this unfortunate history…..

 

[Klenchblaize]

1. Place cylinder in a vice equipped with leather or lead lined jaws.
2. Carefully shave slivers of lead with a sharp implement until flush with cylinder.
3. Assemble and shoot.

K

 

[Donkey Basher]

View attachment 361307
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Looking at that my first thoughts are what is stopping you seating that bullet?

Could it be possible that you have a double powder charge compressed under it?

I'd still pull the bullet as per my previous post as that's safest.

BUT, if you want to shave the end of the bullet off with a chisel then fire it I would suggest once it's flush you try to seat it as normal - if it still won't go then you have something (a powder column) stopping it!

 

[RoryB]

Looking at that my first thoughts are what is stopping you seating that bullet?

Could it be possible that you have a double powder charge compressed under it?

I'd still pull the bullet as per my previous post as that's safest.

BUT, if you want to shave the end of the bullet off with a chisel then fire it I would suggest once it's flush you try to seat it as normal - if it still won't go then you have something (a powder column) stopping it!

Double charge: Now that is a damned good thought! Double charge and just fire it out wouldn’t sit well with me, on that alone, drill and pull sounds like a good plan.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Double charge: Now that is a damned good thought! Double charge and just fire it out wouldn’t sit well with me, on that alone, drill and pull sounds like a good plan.

Another flipping spoilsport….

 

[RoryB]

Another flipping spoilsport….

 

[RoryB]

Sorry!