Ball Dischargers

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Two Kinds Of Shooters: "There are two kinds of (black powder) shooters: Those who have dry-balled, and those who will." Everybody will dry-ball, or load without a powder charge, at least once in their shooting careers. Some will do it several times. As for my own experiences, I take the Fifth.

During the Spring 2024 Rendezvous, I needed the services of a CO2 ball discharger not once, but twice, and with the same shooter using the same Lyman Great Plains rifle. Since I didn't have a discharger in my camera bag (gasp!), I had to retrieve the Club's discharger from the Stat Shack twice. Luckily for me there were two full CO2 cartridges, and as of this day, we now have none.

In an earlier post I described the ways one deals with a dry-ball rifle or pistol, and if you've never had one, the first impulse is to panic. I've seen muzzles pointed in all directions, often in directions unsafe. It is important to remember that what you think is a dry ball may be a hang-fire, a case where there is a noticeable delay between when the hammer drops and when the gun discharges. I had this  happen a few times. Once, I had a hang fire on a flinter that lasted a second or two. I kept the gun on target, and eventually it went off, and in front of witnesses, I managed to hit the long gong I was aiming at. The other time it took about 5 seconds for the rifle to discharge, and since I kept the fusil pointed downrange, the ball flew safely into the backstop.

I own a beautiful Thompson Center discharger that was machined from solid aluminum. I have also owned a plastic one made by CVA, which appeared to have been a repurposed bicycle tire pump. A check on eBay found no samples of either, a fate expected for so esoteric a tool. The location of my Thompson remains unclear. When I find it, I may keep it with me as my range duties transition from shooter to club official. But every shooter should have one for the measure of safety it provides. Sure, they didn't have them in the 1830s, but  dislodging a ball in an unsafe manner could result in a seriously injured Mountain Man or Woman. Dying a period-correct death is never a good thing.

To use the discharger, you must first attach the special spout that properly fits your percussion nipple (also called a cone). Next, remove the outer plastic cover and screw the CO2 cartridge firmly in place. Finally re-attached the outer capsule. Press the nozzle firmly onto the nipple, just as you would re-inflate a tire. Point the rifle in a safe direction and press the discharger trigger. In a moment, you'll hear a "foop" and the ball and patch exits the muzzle. Wipe the bore with a clean dry patch, reload, and fire.

One final note: The ball discharger pictured requires the use of a 16 gram threaded C02 cartridge, not the 12 gram unthreaded version we're used to seeing. Judging from the packaging, the cartridges were designed to zap moles and ants. Go figure. Get some extra cartridges, just in case. Can you clear more than one dry-ball with a single cartridge? I wouldn't count on it.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that it can't happen to you. Trust me, it will.

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