Pucker time

I like to take my guns down and wipe and oil pretty regularly. Today was my ‘make and mend sunday.’
Ran patches down, no sign of rust, every thing clean. But, I was using a spring wire worm that just screws on to the plain end of the rod. I had strips of flannel greased with lard and ran down. Pulled back and the worm slipped off.
I’ve never had this happen and had an oh manure what now moment. It got worse when I could do get it to fit back on the rod.
Uuuugggghhhh.
Am I going to have to pull the breech? Do want to do that
Shoot it out, not good option
Ran another worm down and caught the cloth, but there was a few minutes I was, shall we say, concerned.

is it a flint or percussion? if it is a percussion, shoot it out.

Next time you can try sending down the bore a rare earth magnet with a hole in the center to catch the worm.

Hope there is not a next time
I haven’t had something caught down the bore in years.

Glad you got it out, a suggestion a piece of heavy gauge copper wire with the coating still on it like you would wire a house with, just use one strand, longer than your barrel bend a small hook on one end fish it around down there and slowly work out the wire worm. Go slow so as not to straighten the hook out.

My Dad taught me how to twist squirrels out of a hollow tree at an early age...

He always carried an old speedometer cable wound up in his hunting coat pocket.
With the cable end slightly frayed it would easily catch the squirrels tail or hair , I can't see why it wouldn't work in a barrel to snag the rag..

Run tube down that just fits bore. Bevel inside to help guide brush in. Brush should stick inside tube for easy removal.

Don't think it was a brush he had stuck, But you are correct on the brush removal tactic.

Oh well. Might work anyhow?

I've had that type of worm pull off too. I won't use that type anymore.

I've used a worm to remove lost attachments more times than I have used one to remove lost patches.

Mine was a worm meant to hold tow.

Yes it’s the spring type sold with originals. Usually they are hard to get off. Never thought I would have one pop off.
String used to be tied to wads of cleaning tow to get it out. I think I will start doing that.

I use one of these now. Is one end of your rod threaded?

One like the far right. I have a wiping stick for each gun that can take them. I only have one with a tip on the ram rod.
It was that worm I used to grab the other with.
I also have a few modern ones in my cleaning tins

The one on the far right is the same one to the left of it. It's a combo tow holder and ball puller. That's not a good ball puller though because there's nothing to keep it centered.

Mine is the second one from the left. He makes them for any caliber and thread.

A lot of times, things like that can be pulled out by pushing a cleaning brush down the bore and it will grab the culprit on the way out. I have seen brushes come apart and stick in the bore. I can normally remove one by sticking something like a .30 caliber brush down alongside it and it will pull the stuck one out.

I just wrap a patch around a well used or slightly undersized brush. Patch sticks to it real well.

MtnMan said:

The one on the far right is the same one to the left of it. It's a combo tow holder and ball puller. That's not a good ball puller though because there's nothing to keep it centered.

Mine is the second one from the left. He makes them for any caliber and thread.

Click to expand...

Must be one to the left then as the ball puller is separate

MtnMan,
I finally picked up one of the combos (right 2) but had the same qualms about centering the screw. I made a thick lead washer, a loose bore fit, which will jam-fit on the tapered shaft of the screw. It works fairly well-and was easy to cobble up, but it's heavy to add to my pouchj, si I'm looking for a suitably thick piece of fiber, wood or composite, maybe even leather to do the same w/ less weight.