Stuck cleaning brush

I was cleaning the channel at the bottom of my GPR flintlock barrel and got a .22 cleaning brush
stuck. The brush unscrewed from the cleaning rod.
I have tried air, a small powder charge and screwing the rod back onto the brush. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to remove the brush?

Keep trying to thread it back on the rod is your best bet. I guess you now know NOT to turn the rod to the Left... :shake:

Keith Lisle

Plug the flash hole and after you get the rod screwed back on to the brush.........pour some "Sweets 7.62" down the barrel and give it a couple hours then turn the rod/ brush to the right and try to pull it out.If no luck give it another hour. After you get it out...clean well with regular solvent/ then warm water and oil it.
Macon

I long ago made some "Pulling" tips for my ramrods which have a large champhered and tapped end and a 10/32 male thread on the other end for lining up brushes that have unscrewed into the bore. You just put the pulling tip on the end of your ramrod and then "fish" for the brush. The tips also work to grab cheaper brushes that have "pulled out" of their threaded end.I find that about once a year someone at a rendezvous or club shoot needs the use of one. You could have any one with a metal lathe make you one. :idunno: :idunno:

try to make a corkscrew like out of a metal coat hanger, then fish it down the bore and twist it around to get a grip on your brush, as you try to pull it back out.

"Wow!" That can be a tough one. It won't shoot out, the air will go right through the brush. As suggested, best bet is to get it rescrewed and pull mightly. Failing that you might try a corkscrew type wad puller.
Last resort, debreech the barrel and push out.

A trick Roundball shared was to push a piece of copper tube over the brush, but yours might be hard to slip the tube over. You might try wrapping the rod in masking tape near the end to hold it centered in the bore and try to screw the brush back on (righty-tighty!)

I got one stuck in the late 70's and that taught me to keep brushes out of my muzzleloaders - and I have since then. I ended up pulling the breech and buggering up the barrel. :cursing:

This might be someting to try. Use a 1/2 dowl about 1 inch long or so. drill out the center so it will slide on a cleaning rod. Next use a large drill bit to cone the end of the dowl. just to guid the male end of the cleaning brush to the center so it can be threaded back on to the rod. A small amount of hot melt glue should hold the dowl on the end of the rod. when you have retrieved the cleaning brush a little heat will remove the dowl guid and everything as it was before. Good luck

Yes, do that, and practice screwing the rod back on. THEN put a drop of super glue in the threaded rod hole and screw it on. Let it set a couple of minutes and try turning it out. I used this superglue trick once on getting a cleaning jag out of my .45 Green River Leman bore.

Do let us know the results.
Tough situation.
I would rather live trap a skunk.

Rifleman1776 said:

I would rather live trap a skunk.

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Ghee.... :hmm: ....that's a 50\50 call there. I mean, at least with the skunk, you could stand back and whack it with a 22-LR or a 22-Mag and not end up stinky.

With the stuck brush, you could work like crazy and end up with a brush still stuck. :idunno:

Dave

I am not sure why the Sweets 7.62 suggestion always falls on deaf ears? Has anyone EVER used Sweets on a brush? One or two uses and a .22 cal. brush is about 19-20 cal. and that is without letting it soak for a couple hours.
Macon

Macon, I think you've got a great idea there!

After 40+ years of 30 caliber service rifle competition, I know too well what Sweet's will do to a bronze bristled bore brush. I would brush ten stokes, then rinse the Sweets of with lots of water. If I failed to rinse, the brush turned to blue gooo.

I suspect a dose of household ammonia left down the bore for a while would have the same effect, but Jim Sweet's concoction would do less damage to the barrel.

White Fox

Herb, your idea worked. I WILL NOT use a small cleaning brush again. Thanks for all the suggestions that were posted.

:grin: I don't think it was the brushes fault. :wink:

Keith Lisle

Macon Due said:

I am not sure why the Sweets 7.62 suggestion always falls on deaf ears? Has anyone EVER used Sweets on a brush? One or two uses and a .22 cal. brush is about 19-20 cal. and that is without letting it soak for a couple hours.
Macon

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Macon, it did on mine because I don't know what it is. I saw the 7.62 and figured you were talking about some kind of bullet and just skimmed past without understanding what you were trying to say. Is it some kind of solvent/acid that affects bronze? If so and it doesn't hurt steel, that would be the answer.

Copperhead 65 said:

Herb, your idea worked. I WILL NOT use a small cleaning brush again. Thanks for all the suggestions that were posted.

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Don't feel badly, at least not worse than you do already, it is possible most, or even all, of us here have had the "brush experience". As you push a bronze brush down the bore the bristles bend backwards (up) then when you go to pull it out they expand and act as a kinda brake and grab the bore walls. Just not what you want with a rifle barrel not open at both ends. We feel for you. Tough lesson learned.

Macon Due said:

I am not sure why the Sweets 7.62 suggestion always falls on deaf ears? Has anyone EVER used Sweets on a brush? One or two uses and a .22 cal. brush is about 19-20 cal. and that is without letting it soak for a couple hours.
Macon

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Per Sweets

We do not recommend letting Sweets remain in your barrel for over 20-25 minutes at a time.

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If you don't get that brush out and remove the Sweets you could have a much larger problem than a stuck brush. :idunno:

My ears are deaf 'cause I don't use bore brushes in my muzzleloaders. With cloth (rifle/smoothbore) or paper patching (smoothbore) there is no metal fouling, and with my loose shot shooting smoothbores a tight jag and J-B Paste followed up with Shooter's Choice lead remover solvent removes the lead fouling. I do this routine about annually and just soapy water the rest of the year.

Did some Googling on this stuff and found this comment in one review:

Do not used bronze type brushes with this solvent as it will dissolve the brush!

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Stump
They do say that but as with most things it is not strictly true. I have left it several times in military barrels for well over "20min".Faced with a stuck brush and few options.......I would go for the Sweets! As far as the brush still being stuck and now having the sweets in the bore,just flush it out with rubbing alcohol and reg. solvent, but I bet that never happens.
Macon