How embarrasing is this...

**Shane Tuttle** · October 20, 2008, 09:09 PM

I have a Remington Speedmaster Model 241 .22 rifle I inherited from my father a few years ago.

I got a wild hair recently and thought I'd clean the loading tube. So, me and my infinite wisdom decided to shove a cleaning patch down the tube. Unfortunately, it's stuck.

I've tried everything under the sun, but I can't gain access to it from either end. Even tried blowing compressed air with no avail. Is there some type of chemical that will dissolve a cotton patch but not hurt the rifle?

Idiot in Iowa....

Walter · October 20, 2008, 09:22 PM

My first thought would be to tack-weld a #10 wood screw to a 30"
piece of 3/16 round steel rod, push the rod down the magazine tube
screw-first, twist the rod until the screw grabs the cloth patch, and
then pull it out. Kind of like an "easy-out".

Walter

tony pasley · October 20, 2008, 09:27 PM

If you can get a .22 brush to it it will stick to the bristles

Wildalaska · October 20, 2008, 09:36 PM

Tut mail it up

WildwhywasteeffortAlaska TM

SteelJM1 · October 20, 2008, 11:41 PM

Did you try one of those pickle-grabbers? or a semi-stiff spring stretched out a bit into a coil shape attached to the end of a rod with the first few flat coils snipped off so you have a pointy end, if you twist that into the patch, it should catch the cotton patch.

hardhit · October 20, 2008, 11:44 PM

You can get a flexible cable type of tool for picking up things in tight places were you cant get your hand, is got a spring loaded button on top of the cable and 3 small wire fingers that slide out.. to hard to explain you get it from auto supply very cheap I go one for 2 bucks.

SteelJM1 · October 20, 2008, 11:48 PM

hardhit: That's a pickle grabber

Swampghost · October 20, 2008, 11:53 PM

Try a bullet puller, there are several different kinds. One looks kind of like a double corkscrew and I think would work the best. All blackpowder shooters know about these things. Quickie search; http://www.dixiegunworks.com/advance...=bullet+puller

These are the screw type but you get the idea.

ƒORTE · October 21, 2008, 01:23 AM

Fasten a a flattened fish hook to the end of a rod. The barbed end should do the trick.

hardhit · October 21, 2008, 02:18 AM

hardhit: That's a pickle grabber
yep SteelJM1 thats it but the one im thinking of is about 1 and a half foot long

tranks · October 21, 2008, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Fasten a a flattened fish hook to the end of a rod. The barbed end should do the trick.

thats what i was thinking. if that doesn't work, attach a small screw to the end and screw it into the patch.

**Shane Tuttle** · October 21, 2008, 05:44 PM

Thanks fellas for the replies. I'm going to give some of those ideas a shot.

Quote:

Did you try one of those pickle-grabbers?

We call 'em grabbers at work, but not "pickle" grabbers.

The thickness of the grabbers is too big to go down the tube....at least the one I have.

I'm going to try pasley's method first since I already have the supplies. Then, I'm going to work my way down the list of suggestions until I get that bastid out.

Thanks for y'all's replies. By all means, keep 'em comin'. You never know what other ideas are out there...

**Shane Tuttle** · October 21, 2008, 05:55 PM

And, the .22 brush didn't work. It's packed in there so tight that it didn't even tease me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walter

My first thought would be to tack-weld a #10 wood screw to a 30"
piece of 3/16 round steel rod, push the rod down the magazine tube
screw-first, twist the rod until the screw grabs the cloth patch, and
then pull it out. Kind of like an "easy-out".

I think your idea is similar to Swampghosts. I think I'll have to fire up the welder...

SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 · October 21, 2008, 06:20 PM

G'day. You could try taking a length of bronze welding wire ( or similar ) , cut a 45 angle on one end. You are trying to create a sharp burr on the end of the rod. The burr is trying to do a similar job as the fish hook. instead of trying to stab the cotton, try to twist it on more like an easy-out/drill.
Good luck, and I'm glad I am not the only person who gets 'good ideas' that go bad.

tranks · October 21, 2008, 11:42 PM

i've you tried just using the rod without any of the tools screwed on the end?
try screwing the rod into the patch.

Gbro · October 22, 2008, 07:06 AM

If you worked the action at all in your effort to remove the offending patch it could be pinched in good.

I like the spring idea from steelJM1,

Quote:

or a semi-stiff spring stretched out a bit into a coil shape attached to the end of a rod with the first few flat coils snipped off so you have a pointy end, if you twist that into the patch, it should catch the cotton patch.

It should work just a any patch worm would work.
Then work the action a little, Mind you, that is if you have worked the action already.

Falcon5NZ · October 22, 2008, 04:07 PM

Don't worry I've done it too but to the barrel of a Stirling Model 20 with an otis pull through. Luckly it was only bout 2-3 inches from muzzle.
Lighter fluid down the muzzle to burn it out-No joy
Wire heated by a "combat fire" (tin of sand and any HIGHLY flammable liquid-petrol, av-gas, JP4) to singe/burn it out- No joy
Compresser through breech to blow it out-No joy
Screw into patch- JOY!!
Scratched up the barrel a wee bit but put a few shots through it and the appear to fix it. It never was/will be a tack driver. While a say that the screw did it but it could have been a combo of all of them with the screw removing it.

JAYBIRD78 · October 22, 2008, 04:27 PM

DREMEL...DREMEL...DREMEL...

Wood dowel rod just undersized and then pilot hole to not split the wood as you screw in a drywall screw. Then take your handy dandy lineman's pliers and cut off the head. Push it in and turn. Just like drilling for gold.

OR YOU COULD USE THE DREMEL!

Atticus Thraxx · October 22, 2008, 06:54 PM

Tut....is your loading tube hollow or have a spring loaded follower like Remington 512-X?

CWizard · October 22, 2008, 07:10 PM

There is a little doodad like that for black powder rifles. Has two curved wires. You might have to make one small enough.

**Shane Tuttle** · October 22, 2008, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranks

i've you tried just using the rod without any of the tools screwed on the end?
try screwing the rod into the patch.

Yeah, that was one of the first things I tried. It didn't do a thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gbro

If you worked the action at all in your effort to remove the offending patch it could be pinched in good.

The action is on the bottom and the spent brass ejects as such. I can cycle it but it doesn't lock back. Also, I can't see the patch in the action. It's really stuck in the tube deeply, but not so close to fish it out.....yet.

Quote:

Wood dowel rod just undersized and then pilot hole to not split the wood as you screw in a drywall screw. Then take your handy dandy lineman's pliers and cut off the head. Push it in and turn. Just like drilling for gold.

I might do this but a dowel slightly smaller than the tube will probably be a bit stiff. I have a stiff yet flexible cleaning rod that appears to get into the tube OK. Swampghost's link has a setup that I'm going to try to fabricate myself with my welder. I probably won't have time until Sunday to reconfigure the welder's electrical connection and set it up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atticus Thraxx

Tut....is your loading tube hollow or have a spring loaded follower like Remington 512-X?

I'm not familiar with the 512, but the tube in the gun is basically a long brass insert. The loading tube is a smaller diameter tube with a spring/plug on the end. What do you have in mind?

Atticus Thraxx · October 23, 2008, 01:50 PM

Quote:

What do you have in mind?

Boll Weevils...if you have the patience:
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg198.html

JAYBIRD78 · October 23, 2008, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Boll Weevils...if you have the patience

That was too funny.

You said you already tried to use compressed air but that made me think of necking down the hose on a shop vac and trying to suck it out. Just another thought. You would have to find some plastic tubing to fit down the tube mag. and then use duct tape to attach plastic tube to shop vac hose.

**Shane Tuttle** · October 23, 2008, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Boll Weevils...if you have the patience:

Now, THAT was funny. Dry humor at its best. Thanks, but I don't want Boll Weevils competing with moths in our closets. That could end up ugly...

Quote:

You said you already tried to use compressed air but that made me think of necking down the hose on a shop vac and trying to suck it out. Just another thought. You would have to find some plastic tubing to fit down the tube mag. and then use duct tape to attach plastic tube to shop vac hose.

Forgot to say I used this method. I think I compacted it too tight before trying it.

Tom2 · October 23, 2008, 07:39 PM

Well you could pour some nitric acid down there and it would dissolve it into nitrocellulose, I think. Then you could make it into powder after you extracted the gooey glob and dried it. Or you could heat the tube with a torch and burn it out. That is kinda hard on the gun too. Maybe some bore cleaner/gun oil on it would slick it up a bit so one of the hook and pull methods would be more successful. That pickle grabber picture gives me bad vibes, it looks like something the urologist uses and it will make your skin crawl among other things.

October 20, 2008, 09:27 PM	#3
tony pasley Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2006 Location: western north carolina Posts: 1,641	If you can get a .22 brush to it it will stick to the bristles __________________ Every day Congress is in session we lose a little bit more of our Liberty.

October 20, 2008, 11:53 PM	#8
Swampghost Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: Florida, east coast Posts: 2,106	Try a bullet puller, there are several different kinds. One looks kind of like a double corkscrew and I think would work the best. All blackpowder shooters know about these things. Quickie search; http://www.dixiegunworks.com/advance...=bullet+puller These are the screw type but you get the idea. __________________ NRA Patron Member

October 21, 2008, 06:20 PM	#14
SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2008 Location: Far Nth Wst QLD Australia Posts: 992	G'day. You could try taking a length of bronze welding wire ( or similar ) , cut a 45 angle on one end. You are trying to create a sharp burr on the end of the rod. The burr is trying to do a similar job as the fish hook. instead of trying to stab the cotton, try to twist it on more like an easy-out/drill. Good luck, and I'm glad I am not the only person who gets 'good ideas' that go bad. __________________ If you're not confused, you're not trying hard enough! When you're confused, I'll try to use smaller words!!!

October 21, 2008, 11:42 PM	#15
tranks Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2008 Location: MN Posts: 272	i've you tried just using the rod without any of the tools screwed on the end? try screwing the rod into the patch. __________________ -Mike "Stan, what did I tell you about watching the Osbournes? It's going to make you retarded!" Stan's Mom (south park)

October 22, 2008, 04:07 PM	#17
Falcon5NZ Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Somewhere North of the Roaring 40's...Just Posts: 275	So I'm not alone Don't worry I've done it too but to the barrel of a Stirling Model 20 with an otis pull through. Luckly it was only bout 2-3 inches from muzzle. Lighter fluid down the muzzle to burn it out-No joy Wire heated by a "combat fire" (tin of sand and any HIGHLY flammable liquid-petrol, av-gas, JP4) to singe/burn it out- No joy Compresser through breech to blow it out-No joy Screw into patch- JOY!! Scratched up the barrel a wee bit but put a few shots through it and the appear to fix it. It never was/will be a tack driver. While a say that the screw did it but it could have been a combo of all of them with the screw removing it. __________________ It is New Zealand's role to send out its bright young men and women to help run the rest of the world. And they go, not hating the country of their birth, but loving it. From this loving base they make their mark on the world. Pro-1080 Poison and proud of it!!

October 20, 2008, 09:09 PM	#1
Shane Tuttle Staff Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 9,443	How embarrasing is this... I have a Remington Speedmaster Model 241 .22 rifle I inherited from my father a few years ago. I got a wild hair recently and thought I'd clean the loading tube. So, me and my infinite wisdom decided to shove a cleaning patch down the tube. Unfortunately, it's stuck. I've tried everything under the sun, but I can't gain access to it from either end. Even tried blowing compressed air with no avail. Is there some type of chemical that will dissolve a cotton patch but not hurt the rifle? Idiot in Iowa.... __________________ If it were up to me, the word "got" would be deleted from the English language. Posting and YOU: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

October 20, 2008, 09:22 PM	#2
Walter Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2004 Location: North Texas Posts: 641	My first thought would be to tack-weld a #10 wood screw to a 30" piece of 3/16 round steel rod, push the rod down the magazine tube screw-first, twist the rod until the screw grabs the cloth patch, and then pull it out. Kind of like an "easy-out". Walter

October 20, 2008, 09:36 PM	#4
Wildalaska Junior member Join Date: November 25, 2002 Location: In my own little weird world in Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 14,172	Tut mail it up WildwhywasteeffortAlaska TM

October 20, 2008, 11:41 PM	#5
SteelJM1 Senior Member Join Date: April 1, 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 496	Did you try one of those pickle-grabbers? or a semi-stiff spring stretched out a bit into a coil shape attached to the end of a rod with the first few flat coils snipped off so you have a pointy end, if you twist that into the patch, it should catch the cotton patch.

October 20, 2008, 11:44 PM	#6
hardhit Senior Member Join Date: August 18, 2008 Posts: 343	You can get a flexible cable type of tool for picking up things in tight places were you cant get your hand, is got a spring loaded button on top of the cable and 3 small wire fingers that slide out.. to hard to explain you get it from auto supply very cheap I go one for 2 bucks.

October 20, 2008, 11:48 PM	#7
SteelJM1 Senior Member Join Date: April 1, 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 496	hardhit: That's a pickle grabber

October 21, 2008, 01:23 AM	#9
ƒORTE Senior Member Join Date: September 16, 2008 Location: Forgotten lands of the mythical Crimson Tide Posts: 395	Fasten a a flattened fish hook to the end of a rod. The barbed end should do the trick.

October 21, 2008, 02:18 AM	#10
hardhit Senior Member Join Date: August 18, 2008 Posts: 343	hardhit: That's a pickle grabber yep SteelJM1 thats it but the one im thinking of is about 1 and a half foot long

October 22, 2008, 04:27 PM	#18
JAYBIRD78 Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2007 Location: People's Republik of Illinois...in "gun valley" Posts: 366	DREMEL...DREMEL...DREMEL... Wood dowel rod just undersized and then pilot hole to not split the wood as you screw in a drywall screw. Then take your handy dandy lineman's pliers and cut off the head. Push it in and turn. Just like drilling for gold. OR YOU COULD USE THE DREMEL! __________________ Forgive me ....I can not spell. NRA LIFE MEMBER 2009

October 22, 2008, 06:54 PM	#19
Atticus Thraxx Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2007 Location: Yolo County CA Posts: 314	Tut....is your loading tube hollow or have a spring loaded follower like Remington 512-X? __________________ "No Curling in the Squat Rack!" Looking for K98 bolt #5954 and K98 bolt #31942 for trade. DM me if you have a match. Prizes will be awarded!

October 22, 2008, 07:10 PM	#20
CWizard Member Join Date: October 12, 2008 Posts: 39	There is a little doodad like that for black powder rifles. Has two curved wires. You might have to make one small enough.

October 23, 2008, 07:39 PM	#25
Tom2 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,676	Well you could pour some nitric acid down there and it would dissolve it into nitrocellulose, I think. Then you could make it into powder after you extracted the gooey glob and dried it. Or you could heat the tube with a torch and burn it out. That is kinda hard on the gun too. Maybe some bore cleaner/gun oil on it would slick it up a bit so one of the hook and pull methods would be more successful. That pickle grabber picture gives me bad vibes, it looks like something the urologist uses and it will make your skin crawl among other things. __________________ Your gun is like your nose, it is just wrong for someone else to pick it for you!