Totally can relate to this 
I have had 3 fully loaded weapons in my collection  
2 were easy  enough to get ball and charge out of 
 
The brown bess was a lot more troublesome 
I had to weld a wood screw to a steel bar  
hammer bar and screw into lead ball (carefully with nothing delicate in front of barrel)  
then twist rod to dig screw into lead ball and remove the rod + ball 
 
wish i kept the ball but interestingly  the powder under it flashed quiet well when match applied. 
 
Keep safe and this is how I rectified my issue. I am not recommending it to anyone as the prefect method. 
 
Ken
		 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
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