Dryball? What's a dryball?

[hotfxr]

Oops. While at a certification class for, ahem, modern handguns, in the discussion of reloading the instructor had asked me to bring a muzzleloader to graphically demonstrate reloading speed over the years. I was on course to three shots in less than a minute when (of course) I was distracted for a moment and rammed that PRB down in the breech without the benefit of powder behind it. This was on one of my "Kentucky" flintlocks that only has a hole drilled in the side for a vent. After the laughter died down and I meekly loaded up my gear for the trip home, I figured, how hard could it be to get that ball out? Got home and used a screw type ball extractor, it stripped out. Then used a hard corkscrew type extractor, it broke off. Did I mention the ball was blocking the vent hole? Fortunately I am not just another pretty face so I disassembled the rifle, set it up on the drill press, and drilled a hole for a vent liner. Was able to lever the ball forward and dropped a little powder behind it and (after safely securing the barrel, of course) stuck a fuse in the hole and very gently blew what was left of the ball out the barrel. Now back to the shop after a well deserved break to tap out the hole and install the vent liner. Sometimes I am so good it scares me. 

[pilgrim]

     could the ball extractor stripped out of the ball because the screw was not in far enough??   I've had several dryballs and screw type ball remover has always been the ticket for removal of the ball.

     try getting out a broken ramrod brass tip,  very interesting if a blowout kit is not available,  so I never ever use solid brass tips,  MUST have a steel screw with the brass tip.

[Dogshirt]

There is much to be said for a patent breech! 

[hotfxr]

There is much to be said for a patent breech! 

Yes, I think a patent breech would have made my life a lot easier today. All said & done, the rifle has a nice new vent liner and I touched up the bluing a bit, so all in all, good day after all.
(That was a lot of "all's" as y'all can see.)

[Patocazador]

Go buy a CO2 discharger from Cabela's. My set-up is like yours and it has already cleared 2 "DUH" loads for me and one for a friend.

Before I got it, I was able to trickle-feed some 4F into the touch hole and that worked too. My ball wasn't blocking the touch hole.