# Sabot trouble



## Flatty01 (Aug 9, 2008)

I hate loading sabots and had one get stuck in the upper third of the barrel while loading and it will not move any farther. Tried but it wont. Can they be pulled back out? Any advice would be appreciated.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

I think they make a little corkscrew looking thing to pull bullets but that probably only works for lead. Couldnt you just take the breech plug out and shove the ram rod in through the back and just push it back out the way it came in? I guess that would be assuming you have a break action ML where you would have room to do so.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

They make an attachment that looks like a short wood screw that screws into your ramrod by way of a machined thread. 
[After removing the breechplug & powder on breakdown or inline MLs-and the breech on conventional Hawken style or other side-nippled ML's w/o breech plugs should be soaked in water(overnight) prior to removing the ball/slug.] 
You have to carefully, but forcefully, screw it into the lead bullet and pull it out. If hard coming, I put the end of the ramrod into the vise and pull the gun slowly away from it(you have to allow for the rifling by turning the gun the way it wants to rotate 'off the sabot'! If the plastic sleeve doesn't come out, I screw the attachment into it and pull it out, or push it thru. If I don't shoot mine during a season, since I hate to shoot it just to unload it(and then have to CLEAN it), I use that attachment to unload it. I then use a lightly oiled patch down the barrel and put it away til next time. If you use the plastic tipped powerpoint type bullets, it might not work on them, I never tried those?! It will work also on maxi balls and round patched balls. You might try a light lube around the sabot before loading it-or make sure you have the correct size bullets for your gun. My .50's for example, use 45 cal. slugs with the plastic sabot sleeve taking up the extra space.
ps-Never fire the gun with the ball/slug not tight against the powder!


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

a ball puller will put it out without any trouble.


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## River Anglin (Feb 18, 2008)

I've never tried this, but I always wondered what I would do in situations like this. I don't know why you couldn't make an attachment to blow it out with an air compressor (pointed in a safe direction, of course).


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i've never tried that either,but wouldn't waste my time to find out what i'm already pretty sure wouldn't work


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

You know, now that you mention that, my wife went through hunters ed a few years back and I sat through it with her. The instructor was a ML junkie and he was showing how to extract bullets and he had a little device that used those cartridges like you would put in a bb gun or paint ball gun to blow the bullets out into the trash can. It worked quite well. I dont know if this was something he had made or if you can buy it. Sorry I didnt mention it earlier but I forgot all about it untill I read the air compressor thing.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

they do make co2 ball removers that apparently work well.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

I have a CO2 cartridge for my flintlock and they do work well. I would suggest trying it if you have a older MZ. If the MZ is an in-line there no sense in buying one if you can just push it out from the breech. Good luck.


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## bulafisherman (Apr 11, 2004)

I loaded a ball without a powder charge in my 50 cal percussion once and could not get it out with a ball puller, ended up unscrewing the nipple and loading a tiny charge of powder though the nipple hole and popped it right out.


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## Flatty01 (Aug 9, 2008)

yea its not an inline unfortunatlly. I will pick up a corkscrew thingy next time i'm out and try that. thanks for the good ideas.


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## jeffmo (Apr 7, 2004)

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat603824&hasJS=true


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## stumpsitter (Jul 3, 2004)

The corkscrew thingy almost always strips out of the lead.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

I've never had that happen. It takes a minor level of skill to do it properly as I tried to outline in my reply. That Cabala's link looks interesting(kinda like a hand grenade) but the corkscrew thingy is only a couple bucks. One thing I didn't mention is you might want to put some wraps of electrical tape over the end of the ramrod sticking out of the barrel, to protect it, and then turn the screw slowly into the slug with some downward force which can be applied with some channel locks(clamped over the tape). By the way, the attahment is shown on the right in the link below. If you got a starter kit with the gun, you might already own one.
http://www.thegunsource.com/category/1201-Bullet_Pullers.aspx


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## Dawitner (Apr 25, 2004)

I read your thread and I'm not sure but were you talking about inlines with the breech plug and powder removed ??? If you are trying to pull a bullet out of a traditional ML with the power still in it you can get your head blown off !!!!

Think about it, you are pulling a bullet out of a loaded firearm. If the "little screw thingy" goes sideways and makes the slightest of spark or if you compress the black powder while trying to push down and get the threads started . . . 

I have always been told on a stuck ball, bullet BEFORE attempting to use a bullet puller, remove the nipple and soak the breech in a bucket of water overnight. Hopefully that will soak the powder charge and make it inert.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

You make some good points-I modified my orig. post to include your safety tips. Always best to be safe than sorry. Thanks for the input.


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## firemanstevec34 (Apr 14, 2008)

I had this happen with a older Thompson Center Hawken. Tried using a bullet puller ( the screw type.) This didnt work. Ended up that a grease fitting was the same thread. I unscrewed the nipple and screwed in the grease fitting and used a grease gun. The bullet pushed out with no problems. Needless to say I had a mess to clean up afterwards but it was the safest way I could think of.


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## Rednek (Nov 6, 2006)

firemanstevec34 said:


> I had this happen with a older Thompson Center Hawken. Tried using a bullet puller ( the screw type.) This didnt work. Ended up that a grease fitting was the same thread. I unscrewed the nipple and screwed in the grease fitting and used a grease gun. The bullet pushed out with no problems. Needless to say I had a mess to clean up afterwards but it was the safest way I could think of.


Very ingenious!


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## River Anglin (Feb 18, 2008)

firemanstevec34 said:


> I had this happen with a older Thompson Center Hawken. Tried using a bullet puller ( the screw type.) This didnt work. Ended up that a grease fitting was the same thread. I unscrewed the nipple and screwed in the grease fitting and used a grease gun. The bullet pushed out with no problems. Needless to say I had a mess to clean up afterwards but it was the safest way I could think of.


Ingenious, indeed! I don't know if all nipples are threaded the same, but that was a tip to remember. Perfectly safe and a great lube job for the barrel. I think I could rig an air compressor fitting to blow most of the grease into a trash can and then just swab it out really well.


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