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Gunsmithing Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

waste_knot

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 7, 2012
301
0
Tidewater Va.
Help please. Toaday at the range I was getting to the end of the session and I chambered a round. The bolt didn't cam over so I pulled the bolt back but the round is still in the chamber. I tried driving it out with a cleaning rod. How hard can I drive on the bullet. I'm sure I drove the bullet into the case already. Should I heat the chamber? 308 178 Amax. Stiller TAC30 action
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Bolt wouldn't close. A long way from closing. I have the bolt out now. Could have the wife tap the primer witha a long nail.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Don't heat it up. You might have to give it a good whack to break it loose. You could stand the rifle up and pour something like Kroil down the barrel and let it sit for a while. That might help the stuck case come out. Don't try to fire it period.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

get the extractor to catch on the rim
hit the bolt handle to the rear with a rubber mallet
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Fill the bore with heavy oil. Make a form fitting bore seal that you can push through the bore and hydraulic it out.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 1shot2kill</div><div class="ubbcode-body">get the extractor to catch on the rim
hit the bolt handle to the rear with a rubber mallet </div></div>
Tried this also after removing the firing pin from the bolt since I'm in the kitchen now.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Sounds like the case was not properly sized. The Kroil thing would probably help loosen it enough to get it out with a cleaning rod and a blunt jag. But be sure that you don't flood the trigger with Kroil.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jrm850</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Fill the bore with heavy oil. Make a form fitting bore seal that you can push through the bore and hydraulic it out. </div></div>
How about 120psi air, outside.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Do a search for "stuck case". There are several threads on this subject. Do not attempt to drive case out with rod. There have been several barrels damaged using the metallic rod method. Pour oil in barrel and hydraulic press out case. Get a dowel that will barely slip in barrel and tap. You can also add a patch on end to help seal.

Good luck,

Kevin
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

if you have a freezer that the barreled action will fit, put it in there for a few hours...should pop right out.

Kroil should work...let it sit an hour

The only problem I see with compressed air is sealing the barrel. If you can and with a valve, I'd put no more than about 50psi in there and let it sit (after I used Kroil).

if you can find a 30cal brass rod, drop it in there then use the dowel rod. Don't hit it as hard as you can...a couple sharp raps should do it...again, after you use something like Kroil.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: seanh</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="color: #CC0000">if you have a freezer that the barreled action will fit, put it in there for a few hours...should pop right out.</span>Kroil should work...let it sit an hour

The only problem I see with compressed air is sealing the barrel. If you can and with a valve, I'd put no more than about 50psi in there and let it sit (after I used Kroil).

if you can find a 30cal brass rod, drop it in there then use the dowel rod. Don't hit it as hard as you can...a couple sharp raps should do it...again, after you use something like Kroil.




</div></div>

The freezer usally works
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Update: The freezer idea gave me an idea of squirting canned air which is really R134 freon into the chamber counter bore. If you hold the can upside down you get liquid. I also built a slide hammer from 1/4" rod with a groove for the rim. I was able to move the rim out a little probably beyond the chamber. I'm still going to have to have the barrel removed from the action to get it out. I can't believe this happened. I had just mounted it in an AX chasis and was on this second OCW test. I found a node that was 1/4moa. This is with a crappy bipod and I could see it shaking. Now I know why people spend the money for an Atlas.
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Slide hammer.

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That's just brass in the action I've pulled off most of the rim.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Guys <span style="font-weight: bold">please</span> don't ever try and drive a loaded round out from the muzzle. I know of one death from the round going off caused by the powder being compressed by either the bullet or the cleaning rod. Someone <span style="font-weight: bold">will</span> die. Besides you're running a very high risk of screwing up your barrel. Beating on anything only makes things worse.

The only way to do it is remove the barrel and go after it with several screwdrivers under the rim.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Thank you Dave for your real world input. I got a nervous feeling about driving anything against the bullet.
The slide hammer pulls from the rim but all I managed to do was pull the rim off all the way around.

I ended up having to remove the barrel and use two screw drivers as you stated.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Holy Cheese and Rice!! The ONLY answer that should have been posted is "take that sucker to a gunsmith and let them remove it". Anything else is asking for trouble. I mean, really, do you want to prove Darwin right??!!
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Problem is .......you're driving around with a LIVE round in the chamber and god forbid......
this needs to be handled at home and like has been said do NOT
pound on the bullet/muzzle end
be careful!
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Exhogflyer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Problem is .......you're driving around with a LIVE round in the chamber and god forbid......
this needs to be handled at home and like has been said do NOT
pound on the bullet/muzzle end
be careful! </div></div>

A live round with no bolt in the rifle is no different than a box of ammo on the seat beside you.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

I fail to see what the horrible problem with pushing a bullet back into a case? We have pounded out dozens of stuck rounds before using a brass rod with a steel insert.
That rod hammer pictured above however bothers me. All it takes is the claw to rip off of the rim and then bounce back down on that primer and your in for a wake up call.

Personally never had a problem with a live round getting stuck that hard in a chamber though myself. Only time I have seen one stuck so badly that it had to be pounded out was the wrong round for the rifle. All the rest came loose after soaking in kroil and sliding our brass rod down the barrel and knocking it into the round.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

I recall seeing at thread one time where a guy tried pounding out a .338 Lapua round and the pressure generated ignited the powder and caused the gun to blow up. The reason this happens is when pressure is created in a enclosed area, it creates heat. Diesel engines ignite their fuel in the same manner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_piston
Also the same way a fire piston works.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TGagnon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I fail to see what the horrible problem with pushing a bullet back into a case? We have pounded out dozens of stuck rounds before using a brass rod with a steel insert.
That rod hammer pictured above however bothers me. All it takes is the claw to rip off of the rim and then bounce back down on that primer and your in for a wake up call.

Personally never had a problem with a live round getting stuck that hard in a chamber though myself. Only time I have seen one stuck so badly that it had to be pounded out was the wrong round for the rifle. All the rest came loose after soaking in kroil and sliding our brass rod down the barrel and knocking it into the round. </div></div>

Just reporting what I know for a fact. A lady was holding the rifle by the butt stock for her husband. He was driving a round out with the cleaning rod. The round went off and the cartridge case lodged in her abdomen. She bled out on the way to the hospital.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Man, I don't ever want to go through that again so I saved the round to inspect. These were from a box of 10 rounds I loaded to test 178aax. The tube has a round count of 80 so I've not shot anything but 168smk. After I had the barrel free and clear I inserted another round from the box. It stuck also. The other 8 round slid right in and out. The only explanation is I had a couple of pieces of bras from a AAC-SD and I neck sized only. The Amax was the only bras neck sized.
Anyway I got it all back together and put the MTU barrel on it.
Had to use a strap wrench on the action.

 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Wouldn't soaking the action in oil to render the primer and powder inactive be the safest first step before pounding or prying on anything?
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

There would be no guarantee it got to the primer.
The best and safest way is to remove the barrel.
Let me rephrase that. The best and safest way is not to force anything to start with. If it doesn't feel right, stop, engage brain and consider the possibilities.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: waste_knot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">... The only explanation is I had a couple of pieces of bras from a AAC-SD and I neck sized only. The Amax was the only bras neck sized.
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</div></div>

We can speculate as to what the issue could be but I doubt it's a neck size only issue. You should be able to neck size only without issue...countless people neck size only without any problems.

As to the lady that was killed...why was she standing in-line with the gun? Not knowing her education with firearms, I blame the husband.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: seanh</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: waste_knot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">... The only explanation is I had a couple of pieces of bras from a AAC-SD and I neck sized only. The Amax was the only bras neck sized.
2usdfdx.jpg
</div></div>

We can speculate as to what the issue could be but I doubt it's a neck size only issue. You should be able to neck size only without issue...countless people neck size only without any problems.
</div></div>

Read it again- he neck sized it after it was fired in a factory Remington chamber. That can- and probably will- cause a problem.
 
Re: Oh Crap!! Round stuck in chamber

Seanh

Please read the quote below from my previous post.

"A lady was holding the rifle by the butt stock for her husband. He was driving a round out with the cleaning rod. The round went off and the cartridge case lodged in her abdomen."