Best method for unloading a cap and ball cylinder

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  • Without shooting it. I would prefer not to go to the range just to shoot six rounds from my cap and ball walker. I'm preparing to ship it to goon works to have it tuned and obviously it has to be unloaded for shipping before I experiment is there anyone who has done so how is he was it and how did you do it?

    Tia
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,278
    HoCo
    ball puller. screw into ball and pull out.

    not sure if safe or not, but could pull nipple, soak the powder to neutralize it, then push out from behind with brass rod
     

    mauser58

    My home is a sports store
    Dec 2, 2020
    1,755
    Baltimore County, near the Bay
    I had a round ball that had to be removed from an old CVA 50 cal. I didnt have a puller adaptor that screwed into the brass threaded end of the ram rod. I made my pullers. You can silver braze a drywall screw to another screw head that fits into ram rod threads. Either that or braze a drywall screw head to some type of metal or stainless rod. Screw the drywall screw into lead ball and pull it out.
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    Easiest way is to pull the cylinder, remove the nipples, dump the powder, and hammer them out with a dowel or brass rod from the back.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Make a puller formed from a small diameter rod, screw it in to the ball capture it in a vise and pull the cylinder free from the work rod by hand.
    I don't think driving a rod in from the rear would be very efficient.
    A piece of small diameter steel rod with a couple slots hack sawed into it and then ground down to a point would probably do the trick.
    Or just shoot the pistol to empty it out back then clean it.
     

    Art3

    Eqinsu Ocha
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 30, 2015
    13,267
    Harford County
    I'd be careful with the compressed air approach (safety glasses for sure ;)...and a good backstop). I bought a .32 squirrel rifle from a gun show that was loaded (in the show, my gut told me not to drop the ramrod down the barrel. I did when I got the car, and, sure enough: dull "thud" with a lot of rod sticking proud. I'm glad I didn't find out if that would have made for an uncomfortable situation inside the show:innocent0 ). Since I had no idea of the condition of the charge, I figured it would be prudent to just blow it out rather than try to shoot it. I tried my compressor with the soft rubber tip on the blow gun, but 120 psi wasn't enough. The compressor on my Jeep goes to 150, but that didn't seem to do anything either. I rigged up a way to use my CO2 cartridge powered inflator on it. I stuck the muzzle into an empty ice tea jug so I could collect and study what came out. It was a little tricky getting a good seal, but, once I did, there was a crack! (almost like the sound of an air rifle going off :tap: ). The projectile blew through the bottom of the jug and clattered through the woods. I couldn't find the powder or patch either. I'm pretty glad that I did this outside :o

    Since the OP can take the cylinder out and pretty much access the balls directly, he doesn't need to mess around with a puller on a rod. I would think a wood screw could be turned into the ball, then pried out like a nail (protecting the face of the cylinder with something soft and sacrificial, of course). With the right size pipe nipple or stack of washers, he might be able to just keep winding the screw it and make the ball ride up the threads and out.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    I'd be careful with the compressed air approach (safety glasses for sure ;)...and a good backstop). I bought a .32 squirrel rifle from a gun show that was loaded (in the show, my gut told me not to drop the ramrod down the barrel. I did when I got the car, and, sure enough: dull "thud" with a lot of rod sticking proud. I'm glad I didn't find out if that would have made for an uncomfortable situation inside the show:innocent0 ). Since I had no idea of the condition of the charge, I figured it would be prudent to just blow it out rather than try to shoot it. I tried my compressor with the soft rubber tip on the blow gun, but 120 psi wasn't enough. The compressor on my Jeep goes to 150, but that didn't seem to do anything either. I rigged up a way to use my CO2 cartridge powered inflator on it. I stuck the muzzle into an empty ice tea jug so I could collect and study what came out. It was a little tricky getting a good seal, but, once I did, there was a crack! (almost like the sound of an air rifle going off :tap: ). The projectile blew through the bottom of the jug and clattered through the woods. I couldn't find the powder or patch either. I'm pretty glad that I did this outside :o

    Since the OP can take the cylinder out and pretty much access the balls directly, he doesn't need to mess around with a puller on a rod. I would think a wood screw could be turned into the ball, then pried out like a nail (protecting the face of the cylinder with something soft and sacrificial, of course). With the right size pipe nipple or stack of washers, he might be able to just keep winding the screw it and make the ball ride up the threads and out.

    Yeah good idea! Just capture a screw into a vise and then wind the cylinder right onto to it and quickly pull would probably do it just as well.
    If it doesn't just hit the face of the cylinder with a rubber or soft faced mallet to drive it clear.
     

    BeoBill

    Crank in the Third Row
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 3, 2013
    27,058
    南馬里蘭州鮑伊
    I actually found my spare cylinder today so I'm probably just going to put my spare cylinder in it which is not loaded and keep the loaded cylinder loaded and fire it when my pistol comes back from goon works. I'm looking forward to that

    I hope you have the caps off the nipples in the loaded cylinder.

    Simplest way i found to unload the cylinders (if you're at the range) is to send balls downrange. DONE!

    No hocus pocus method or if you're at home: Uncap; drive a wood screw an eighth of an inch or so into the ball; pull said screw/ball out with pliers; dump powder; repeat as necessary.
     
    I hope you have the caps off the nipples in the loaded cylinder.

    Simplest way i found to unload the cylinders (if you're at the range) is to send balls downrange. DONE!

    No hocus pocus method or if you're at home: Uncap; drive a wood screw an eighth of an inch or so into the ball; pull said screw/ball out with pliers; dump powder; repeat as necessary.

    If I had the time to go to the range and shoot it I would but work has been hectic and I really want to get this pistol down to Georgia so he can tune it up. He's running about 4 weeks behind schedule right now but he told me to go ahead and send it in. I'd like to have it back before the weather gets warm so I have it for some summer shooting. I've always shot traditional round balls through it but I've found some more conical hollow base style bullets that I want to try..
     

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