Slugging gone horribly wrong

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Well, I was tapping a lead ball down the barrel of my 91/30 Mosin with wooden dowels. Yup! The ball got stuck near the chamber and the dowels jammed and started to break off. I panicked and tried to tap the lead ball back toward the muzzle. I got it about halfway back, but the dowel is not coming back out. Then I got a brass rod and tried going back through the original way.
End result is I've compacted about 10 inches of dowelling against the lead ball, which is about midway down the barrel. I've come to conclusion that I'm totally screwed. I know there is no magical cure for this. I saw this method online and it looked fairly simple. I'm slightly relieved that it was a $139.00 Mosin and not something more expensive.
I'm going to drink now.
 
Get out your brass rod and hammer and come on to her. Don't hit it with your change purse;) Really give it to her, it will go. You only have very soft material jammed in there so it will go.
 
Unforunately the dowel is not protruding from the muzzle. I mashed it in behind the lead like a moron. I totally panicked.
Propane, Propane, start the flame.
 
Typically, this type of problem results fro using a dowel that is too small.
You need a close fit to the bore, to prevent the dowel wedging in the lead.

As mentioned above, a stout brass rod, close to bore size, and a good mallet should remove the plug. Lube, and warming the barrel, not to melt the lead, but rather to expand the barrel, should help. A paint gun should give all the warmth you need.
When driving on the brass rod, follow through with each strike don't bounce the mallet off the rod.
Good luck.
 
Thank you for the good advice. Yes, my dowel was too small. It broke and jammed itself. I'm sure I will get it out, but I just had to step away a bit and get my bearings.
I might have damaged the bore already, but it is what it is. This is my test Mosin, and I have already learned $139 worth of what not to do today. When I get the shtuff out of the bore, I am going to proceed with my reloading plan. I am going to get this right, even if I have to buy another rifle.
 
Take a loaded round, pull the bullet and dump out half the powder. Keeping rifle vertical, chamber the case (no bullet) and shoot the obstruction out.

Done it many, many times.

If you just hear a load PHFFFFT, repeat with more powder.

I have never seen damage from this system. Have seen barrels riuned by pounding with rods..
 
That sounds down right scary. I've got this wood and lead plug
wedged in there so tight i can't budge em with a 2 lb hammer. And you think I should shoot it it out??? Sounds brilliant.
 
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Can't find my thread now but I did the exact same thing my first (and last, btw) slugging. I ended up going to crappy tire and getting a 1/4 inch metal rod and wrapping tape around it every few inches so only the tape would contact the bore. I had the slug and dowel out in a minute or two and my rifle was no worse for wear... but my heart was... until I got it out.
 
Ganderite said:
Take a loaded round, pull the bullet and dump out half the powder. Keeping rifle vertical, chamber the case (no bullet) and shoot the obstruction out.

Done it many, many times.

If you just hear a load PHFFFFT, repeat with more powder.

I have never seen damage from this system. Have seen barrels riuned by pounding with rods..
Click to expand...

I have thought of this telling guys to try this when they get an obstruction, but you are the first person I have ever heard tell of actually trying it.......

Would that work with a squib as well? The only time I thought of trying this was when a fella at the club got a squib with a 28" barreled 416....... I didn't have the balls to try, and it wasn't my rifle in any case.....
 
aletheuo said:
Can't find my thread now but I did the exact same thing my first (and last, btw) slugging. I ended up going to crappy tire and getting a 1/4 inch metal rod and wrapping tape around it every few inches so only the tape would contact the bore. I had the slug and dowel out in a minute or two and my rifle was no worse for wear... but my heart was... until I got it out.
Click to expand...


Yeah, this will be my next attempt. I bent the brass rod and have no other options right now.
 
Fill the barrel with acetone or some other good solvent and leave it there for like a week. This should soften the wood and lead plug.

Then use the hydraulic method once everything is nice and soft.
 
The reason I have used partial cases of powder to blow out squib bullets, etc is that it can be done in the field, with no tools, in a couple of minutes.

I have done this more times than I can count, without incident. I start with an estimated half powder charge and then work up if needed.

If I am doing this at home, i switch to using about 20 gr of shotgun powder in a rifle.
 
DO NOT FIRE ANYTHING IN THE GUN. Be it a light charge or what have you. While it CAN work, it CAN also totally bugger your gun, hands, face, life etc. Just don't.

I had the same thing happen a couple of months ago with an m96 mauser. Here's what I did:

First, walk away and leave it for a day. Getting frustrated isn't going to help at all.

Second, take your brass rod and insert it into the muzzle end. Use a hacksaw to cut it off an inch or two away from the muzzle. Pound it in, then remove. Insert longer piece of brass rod, cut off an inco or two from the muzzle....you get the idea :) Once you get it in there, you can start re using/stacking short pieces so you don't use 15 feet of brass rod. This will work. If you want, you can try GENTLY heating the barrel using a hair dryer, heat gun, etc. Don't use an open flame if you can avoid it. This is what i did, and it worked just fine. I bought 2 3 ft rods, so now i have one in pieces, and one whole one, and will never use a wooden dowel to slug a bore again.
 
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