✅ SOLVED Pistol ball extraction method?

villagenut

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Oct 18, 2014
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Have been finding several of these pistol balls at a site where lots of roundballs were found. There have been these in the mix that looks as if they were pinched with needle nose pliars. Question is, was this common practice, and was it done because of them not fitting in the chamber properly.....left to right are 80 grain, 78 grain and 60

20200524_184514.jpg20200524_184434.jpg
 

kinda looks like their sprue cutter wasn't cutting properly (possibly damaged) or they were inexperienced at using it
 

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Hard tellin...
Could be a loading lever of a revolver squished them while forcing them into the cylinder.
The detents look a little over sized for that though...

Could be the short starter/loading rod used on single shots while loading.
Pure lead is quite soft and a tight patch will require more force.
Or...They could have been pushed out of a loaded cylinder with a loading rod / short starter.

Or...L.o.l.. They could have been loaded together in a smoothbore and deformed as they collided and jostled for position on the way out. Or after hitting what they ended up hitting.
 

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To get a ball out of a loaded cylinder, you would not use pliers in my opinion. When I’ve needed to do it with my black powder Colts, I remove the cylinder from the gun, remove the nipple, empty the powder, then push the round out with a dowel. I think you’re are fire buckshot or buck and ball. A loading lever leaves a distinct mark on the ball much as a ramrod does on a minie ball.
 

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I never pull a revolver ball, always push it out
 

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I always use Rum... lots and lots of Rum...

Then tweezers.

Puts a real damper on my day or evening... have to stop everything to remove them.

If they are deep...

I just leave them in and glue on a patch of some sort... only if eyepatch is unavailable.

:P
 

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Thank you all for the suggestions and experience.....that's what I was look in for:thumbsup:
 

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