CO2 Dishcharger ... How did I live without it?

[Sparkitoff]

The other day I had to grab something at Wal Mart, a bicycle tire tube. I noticed a CO2 Tire Inflator made by BELL. It comes with 2 cartridges and was on sale for $9.00. I bought it and a set of 3 tips made by SLIME. Two tips are plastic cones of different sizes for inflatable "toys" and one is a metal pin for inflating sports balls. The tips were 99 cents. Yesterday I spent the day and night deer hunting and I saw deer a little out of range so I did not shoot. I live in the City limits so I can't shoot the rifle outside the house, and the range is closed on Monday and Tuesday. I'm not going to use this rifle for at least 2 weeks. I remembered my Tire Inflator and got it out. I pulled the nipple on the rifle, installed the red plastic cone on the CO2 device and put a cartridge in. Pressed the plastic cone hard to the nipple socket and let her rip. Thunk. The patched ball came right out, no noise no fuss. It was not fast enough to damage anything and only traveled about 10 feet before falling to the ground. I shot another blast of CO2 down the barrel to clear anything remaining. 2 patches later it was clean and ready for the rack. I've not seen CO2 dischargers for guns readily available and on-line they tend to be $34 or so. I encourage you to try this tire inflator from Wal Mart. It worked for me.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I have a CO2 discharger marketed for the BP world. It came with the associated and required tips.
I have used it a few times, but that was when I was early in my BP journey.
It is VERY rare that I need to pull a ball anymore.
Experience has taught me not to dry ball, and a couple of times I had to remove a ball I used a puller - about 15 seconds to remove a ball.
I do keep it and a few spare cartridges in my big range bag though. It's a pretty good tool for other things too....

 

[ord sgt]

I have a T/C CO2 ball discharger, bought many years ago. I have needed to use it a few times to clear my oopps. At my local range where I am a Range Safety Officer, I have used the CO2 charger to clear stuck roundball and sabots from rifles just before hunting season opens. The wannabe M/L hunters trying to get their rifle sights checked. M/Lers have been stored away since last years deer season.

 

[Sidney Smith]

First off, you couldve left the charge in the gun for those two weeks easily as long as you hadnt hunted in wet weather.

Ive used my air compressor to dislodge balls.

 

[Grimord]

One note on using CO2 dischargers, be sure to clean the bore after the projectile and powder has been blown out like the OP did. I have found that heavily compressed powder charges may cling to the inside of the breech. The CO2 discharge blows a hole thru the powder charge leaving a "donut" of powder still stuck to the inside of the breech. If this is not removed, corrosion may occur. Don't ask me how I know this.

 

[Col. Batguano]

I've found them ineffective about half the time. Particularly with flint guns. Fishing more powder through the TH or under the nipple is effective almost all the time. Often a perceived dry ball is really a ball that isn't fully seated, so the powder isn't smack up against the ignition channel. In those cases fish in a bunch of powder, and thump the ball home.

 

[HiDesertHunter]

I live in the City limits so I can't shoot the rifle outside the house,

Couldn't you have just discharged the rifle in the area you were hunting prior to leaving?

 

[Sparkitoff]

I had a 3-day drive home and did not want to shoot and then clean in the dark, nor wait 3-days, so I left it loaded but uncapped and used the discharger at home (where I had left it). But yes, I could have just shot it once it got dark if I wanted to.

 

[jdw276]

I had a 3-day drive home and did not want to shoot and then clean in the dark, nor wait 3-days, so I left it loaded but uncapped and used the discharger at home (where I had left it). But yes, I could have just shot it once it got dark if I wanted to.

In the dark would have way more fun and make a cool video!

 

[nhmoose]

I have used 1 since the early 90's. At many shoots of the First Congress of New England I have been asked to help a fellow competitor with a dry ball or one that would not fire. I used my discharger to get the fellow going.

The ones who paid attention of this was the Maine rep who ran most of the State NMLRA territorials. Dave made up a discharger from a 15 pound Co2 extinguisher. It worked fantastic!!!!!!!

 

[Spikebuck]

Just be careful when discharging as I have had them go nearly 100 yards. The first time I ever used the one I had was in the dark one morning while loading for the day and apparantly still half asleep! I dryballed the load. I stepped outside and pointed it down my ravine and pushed the trigger on the discharger...a second later I heard a "Ding!!!" Apparently it made it all the way to my metal shed way down the ravine. Oops.

 

[flntlokr]

I have a CO2 rig, but make these for use with a bike pump or compressor. My flinters are all set up with liners with 1/4x28 threads, so these thing work with them also.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I had a 3-day drive home and did not want to shoot and then clean in the dark, nor wait 3-days, so I left it loaded but uncapped and used the discharger at home (where I had left it). But yes, I could have just shot it once it got dark if I wanted to.

I have done the same. My last hunt of a weekend and leaving late Sunday night to drive several hours home leaves no time to clean first.
Just pulling or co2 discharging and cleaning the next day - usually late evening, is a much more comfortable choice.