Author Topic: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice  (Read 5303 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline chigger

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 11
Please advise. 
I was out shooting with some friends a couple weeks back.  We ran out of my reloads and he stuck one of his reloads into the chamber.  (.223 contender.) 
He told me afterwards that it was a snug fit when he set the round in.  So he gave it a little push when he closed the action.  It didn't want to close fully, so he was unable to fire the round.  Yes, it was a .223 case that was put into the chamber.  Someone is going to ask.

The barrel and the action are seperated.  At this point in time.

Now I have a pistol that will not close to fire, due to different dimenstions on the different chambers these pieces of brass were loaded for. 
 
I went to the hardware store and picked up a 3/16 dowel to pop it out.  Well that didn't happen as smooth as I hoped.  The dowel rod splintered after a couple good taps.  I tried to pull out the dowel rod by the splintered pieces. That part tore off. 
Now I have a loaded round in the chamber, a dowel rod in pieces stuck in the barrel, shorted to almost the exact length of the barrel. 

I talked to a buddy up in Wyoming that he did a similar thing 5-6 years ago with his Savage.  Which I then laughed at him.  So after he stopped laughing and calmed down a bit.  He said he picked up a 1/4" dowl rod and chucked it into a drill, sanding it down to a rod that will fit snuggly into the bore.  Using that to tap out the slintered rod and round 14" down on the other end of the tube.  I have been tapping for a little while to get both pieces out.   I'm into the barrel about 3/4" of an inch now.  Hoping this would have pushed out both pieces by now.  Nothing yet.

I've read about others removing a stuck case py putting the barrel in the freezer for (x) time frame.  I am guessing the brass and the steel constrict at different tempatures.

Thats my next option. 
Anyother options would be greatly appreciated.  So after you stop laughing, take a moment to put down your thoughts on stuck case removal. 



Offline Dee

  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 24113
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2010, 11:22:16 AM »
I'd try the freezer. It shouldn't take that long to find out if it's going to work.
You may all go to hell, I will go to Texas. Davy Crockett

Offline luckydawg13

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (27)
  • A Real Regular
  • *****
  • Posts: 982
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2010, 11:30:41 AM »
you may wont to remove the extractor then try to push the case out try the freezer or dry ice good luck
kids that hunt and fish dont mug old Ladies
and drive a F150

Offline charles p

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (1)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2374
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2010, 11:41:07 AM »
I had a round stuck in my Vanguard 7mm Rem mag once.  A gunsmith removed the barrel from the receiver, put it in a freezer, and somehow removed the case.  I did not see him do it.

Offline Junior1942

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1157
  • Gender: Male
    • The Frugal Outdoorsman
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2010, 11:53:44 AM »
Moral to this story: never shoot someone else's reloads.

Offline Dee

  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 24113
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2010, 12:00:19 PM »
Moral of this story is never let a friend shoot HIS RELOADS, in YOUR GUN. ;)
You may all go to hell, I will go to Texas. Davy Crockett

Offline BCB

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 928
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2010, 12:02:40 PM »
If you have an old cleaning rod, you might be able to put the female end down the bore and have it fit over the bullet.  Then tapping the cleaning rod might knock it loose.  Maybe after you freeze it—don’t know…

Otherwise, you might need to get a brass rod that is the size of the bore and use that as a punch.  I have used a brass rod to remove bullets from the bore…

It really isn’t a major problem you have if you have the right equipment to get the job done.  Improvising can sometimes make a problem worse.  When all else fails, a gunsmith might be worth the money…

By the way, I think chigger probably feels badly enough without telling him the moral of the story.  Wait till he gets the bore clean and then reveil what he already knows.  If a person ain't ever stuck something in a bore of a weapon, he ain't been using that weapon--only looking at it and cleaning it.  But people won't be truthful on this statement if they reply...

And finally, remember it is a LIVE round, so other than self-attemps, a professional might be your best bet...

Good-luck…BCB

Offline BBF

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10042
  • Gender: Male
  • I feel much better now knowing it will get worse.
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2010, 01:54:39 PM »
My 2.2 cents worth.
Liquids are basically noncompressable. therefore act like a solid,

 If you can get a metal rod(brass) with a close close fit, add some sort of plastic or rubber washer, as close to the bore diameter as possible. Take some light weight oil or even water and fill up the barrel leaving  just enough room to get the washer tipped rod into the muzzle. Give that rod a good firm blow with a hammer. The cartridge should get expelled pronto.

BTW In case you ever need to remove a Berdan primer the same principle works.
What is the point of Life if you can't have fun.

Offline RangerRiz

  • Trade Count: (10)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 93
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2010, 02:56:02 PM »
I would also try the freezer first. If that does not work I would try filling the barrel with penetrating oil or get a piece of pvc that it will fit in and put a cap on one end and fill it with oil. Let it sit for as long as you can. Then I would try to push it out with a rod .

Justin
God did not create all men equal, Colt did!
ROLL TIDE!
Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions

Offline quickdtoo

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (149)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 43304
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #9 on: November 20, 2010, 03:38:12 PM »
That's not gonna work with the wood dowel still in the bore, any liquid will likely swell the wood making it that much harder to remove.  :-\

I think the extractor removal and working from that end would be the best route on a frozen barrel. Pounding on the dowel is likely forcing the bullet into the case compressing the powder and expanding the brass tighter into the chamber....or a visit to a gunsmith.

Good luck,

Tim

Now I have a loaded round in the chamber, a dowel rod in pieces stuck in the barrel, shorted to almost the exact length of the barrel.  
"Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest" -  Mark Twain

Offline P.A. Myers

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (65)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1344
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2010, 07:15:18 PM »
This may be a bit involved. Drive the extractor rearward with a brass drift [rod]. This will either pop out the round or rip the extractor groove out. If the groove rips out or the extractor breaks, knock out the extractor pin and remove it. This will expose the case from the bottom, where the extractor was. Drill a hole [it has to be small to fit into the small exposed area]. Using the red plastic tube flood the case with WD-40. This will kill the primer. SLOWLY drill out the primer[avoids heat]. With the primer out , drill and tap the rear of the case and extract with a bolt.
 Drive the dowel out with a 3/16 brass rod [keep steel off the bore]. Replace the extractor if you broke it. Stay out of the line of fire front and rear at all times.

This is not for the timid, in fact don't do it.

P.A.
“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty -
never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”
 Winston Churchill

Offline Dee

  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 24113
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #11 on: November 21, 2010, 12:45:57 AM »
I have thought about this since reading it, and agree with one other, whom has already said it. OIL may cause the wood dowel to swell and fit it tighter into the bore. If on the other hand the primer ruptures, the case head will give way but the bullet should not come down the barrel. A lot less has plugged a barrel.
I still think a brass rod of proper diameter is the best option.
You may all go to hell, I will go to Texas. Davy Crockett

Offline Dezynco

  • Trade Count: (38)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 970
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2010, 02:07:46 AM »
I would fetch the tip of the extractor a good rap with brass punch.  That's the little wedge shaped part under the barrel, just in front of the barrel lug.  If this does not work, then you might need to drill and tap the cartridge and remove the case with a stuck case removal tool.

Here's how I did this once with 7mm TCU that got stuck:
Use a hand twist drill only to drill the primer. DO NOT use an electric or cordless drill, this my set off the primer.  Use a HAND TWIST drill only like a tip drill.  These are available at hobby stores and welding supply stores.  Clamp the barrel securely in a gun vise or use a padded jaw of some sort that will hold the barrel with marking it up.  Wear a good leather glove while slowly drilling a hole in the primer.  Do this carefully so you won't set the primer off.  Remember, it usually takes an impact to set off a primer, so carefully drilling it out should be safe enough.  However, stay away from behind the cartridge and wear the glove and eye protection, just in case!  Once the hole is drilled in the primer, squirt some WD-40 into the primer to kill it.  Now use a screw to catch the primer and pull it out with a pair of pliers.

Now you can go ahead and squirt more oil into the powder itself just as a precaution.  Now drill and tap the case just as you would to remove a stuck case from a sizing die.  I used a 1/8" bolt and matching thread tap, a socket, and a fair sized washer.  Slip the bolt through the washer, then through the socket (the socket must be large enough to fit over the rim of the case, but small enough to push against the breach end of the barrel).

As you tighten the bolt, the case will be pulled from the chamber.  As any advice you get from the internet, use at your own risk and descretion!  I'm sure that Greybeard would not condone such activity, I'm just telling you how I did it!

Offline PowPow

  • Trade Count: (16)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1838
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #13 on: November 21, 2010, 03:32:56 AM »
When I got a 223 stuck exactly how you did, I used a 3/16" brass rod from ace hardware to tap it out. I cut the rod so it was only a couple of inches longer than the barrel so it would not bend. I put a sand bag over it as a blast shield and made sure I was perindicular and away from the ends that might go boom.

If it happened again I would try the freezer trick first.
The difference between people who do stuff and people who don't do stuff is that the people who do stuff do stuff.

Offline quickdtoo

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (149)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 43304
  • Gender: Male
"Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest" -  Mark Twain

Offline Dezynco

  • Trade Count: (38)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 970
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #15 on: November 22, 2010, 12:26:18 AM »
Thanks Tim!  Interesting article, that's good information to know.

Still I think that if he's very careful and takes his time removing the primer, he should be OK.  It usually taks a sharp blow to ignite a primer.  Like I said, that's the way I removed a 7mmTCU from a barrel once, but he should make his own mind about performing the task or not.

I wonder if anyone has ever experimented with killing the powder with spray lubricants.  If you can soak the powder inside the cartridge, it wouldn't matter if the primer went off or not, you would just need to be careful to keep fingers and faces away.  You could fairly easily drill a hole through the brass rim into the cartridge and soak the powder using the spray lube method, or even squirt water into the hole somehow.  This would involve the use of a powered drill because a hand twist drill would take forever.

Offline hunt4570

  • Trade Count: (13)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 604
  • Gender: Male
    • Harley FLT?FLH bikes and Rides
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #16 on: November 23, 2010, 04:37:13 AM »
  How deep is that wood dowel into the barrel? Can you drill a small hole in the end of it and drive a screw into it so you can pull that dowel out and start over with a brass dowel?
PETA.....P eople  E ating  T asty  A nimals

  Come visit my forum  http://forums.delphiforums.com/anyride/start

Offline Blackhawker

  • Trade Count: (38)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1486
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #17 on: November 23, 2010, 05:39:10 AM »
I've got an idea:  Sell the barrel "as is" on Gunbroker!   ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

OK, that was just a joke, sorry...had to do that!

Have you tried an extra thin and long pair of forceps to pull the splinters back?  Maybe as one splinter comes loose, the rest will follow?

Here is a long shot:  If you can get access to liquid nitrogen.....not everybody does but I work in a lab so it is available.....maybe you can pour some down the tube.  The wood should contract much quicker than the metal and it should be able to be withdrawn form the barrel with a pair of fine forceps.  (maybe).  ...again, that's a long shot. 
My only issue is that I don't know how powder or primers act under cryogenic conditions.  Liquid nitrogen can condense oxygen from the air and the oxygen is explosive...especially when absorbed into wood or other organic solids. 

You've got yourself into quite a bind here.  If you do get this to work out, the next time NEVER use a wooden rod for this.  Just use a cleaning rod...a METAL one.  You might trash the cleaning rod but then you'll have one for the next time.

Good luck.

Offline RangerRiz

  • Trade Count: (10)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 93
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #18 on: November 23, 2010, 07:14:06 PM »
I doubt that the oil would cause the wooden rod to become any greater problem than it already is. The primer must be dealt with. You don’t want to go smacking on a live round. There are oils that do much better at penetrating than wd-40. I agree with the others stay away from it. If you were really worried about the rod swelling from the oil, just fill a tube enough to cover the chamber portion of the barrel. Let it soak and then try to drive it out again. Hopefully the prime will be dead and it might lubricate the case.

Justin
God did not create all men equal, Colt did!
ROLL TIDE!
Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions

Offline Keith1

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 65
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #19 on: November 24, 2010, 05:53:10 PM »
I have been reading this thread and remembering a situation that happened back in the late 1970s or early 80s. If I remember correctly it was at a bench rest match and a round got stuck in the chamber. They were trying to drive the cartridge out and for some reason it went off killing one person. I really don't remember more details than that.

Regards, Keith


Offline wreckhog

  • Trade Count: (55)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2997
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #20 on: November 25, 2010, 12:00:21 AM »
Mail it to TC

Offline Junior1942

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1157
  • Gender: Male
    • The Frugal Outdoorsman
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #21 on: November 25, 2010, 02:05:24 AM »
Try hydraulics.  Find a brass rod which will barely enter the bore.  Fill the bore nearly full of heavy oil such as 30W motor oil.  Start the rod in the bore, and wrap the bore/rod junction in a rag to catch splatter.  Give the end of the rod a whack with a hammer and see what happens.

Offline quickdtoo

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (149)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 43304
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #22 on: November 25, 2010, 05:01:34 AM »
Not gonna work Junior, the bore is full of wood dowel.  :-\

Tim

Now I have a loaded round in the chamber, a dowel rod in pieces stuck in the barrel, shorted to almost the exact length of the barrel. 
"Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest" -  Mark Twain

Offline Junior1942

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1157
  • Gender: Male
    • The Frugal Outdoorsman
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #23 on: November 25, 2010, 05:17:58 AM »
Not gonna work Junior, the bore is full of wood dowel.  :-\

Tim
I know that.   But if he can make oil get above the broken dowel, i.e., fill the bore with oil enough to cover the end of the dowel, hydraulic pressure from a hammer whack will blow out the oil, the dowel, and the stuck round.

Offline Junior1942

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1157
  • Gender: Male
    • The Frugal Outdoorsman
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #24 on: November 25, 2010, 05:26:48 AM »
Not gonna work Junior, the bore is full of wood dowel.  :-\

Tim
I know that.   But if he can make oil get above the broken dowel, i.e., fill the bore with oil enough to cover the end of the dowel, hydraulic pressure from a hammer whack will blow out the oil, the dowel, and the stuck round.
I just noticed that scatterbrain in post #7 made basically the same suggestion as I did.  However, I think heavy oil would work better than light oil.  Pour oil in the bore and give it a few seconds to settle into the spaces around the broken dowel.

Offline quickdtoo

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (149)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 43304
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #25 on: November 25, 2010, 05:42:45 AM »
Good luck with that, sounds like a recipe to make a bad situation worse since there's not enough empty bore at the muzzle to get sufficient seal within the rifling, when it fails to work the wood dowel will soak up the oil and expand making it that much more stuck.  :'( If it was a smooth bore and you had a rod that just fit the bore, it might work tho.

Tim
"Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest" -  Mark Twain

Offline Slowpoke Slim

  • Trade Count: (18)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 579
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #26 on: November 25, 2010, 07:06:31 AM »
OK chigger,

It's been nearly a week. How about an update? Did you get it out?

If not, where you at? What city, state? If you're near Phx, AZ, I'll get it out for you. Maybe you can ship it to me. Might be interesting shipping the barrel with a live round in it. Maybe have to placard it with the ORM-B "small arms" placard?

Just pay for the shipping here and back, I won't charge you anything for the job. I'm pretty confident that I can get it out without much fuss.

Offline Junior1942

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1157
  • Gender: Male
    • The Frugal Outdoorsman
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #27 on: November 25, 2010, 08:13:45 AM »
OK chigger,

It's been nearly a week. How about an update? Did you get it out?

If not, where you at? What city, state? If you're near Phx, AZ, I'll get it out for you. Maybe you can ship it to me. Might be interesting shipping the barrel with a live round in it. Maybe have to placard it with the ORM-B "small arms" placard?

Just pay for the shipping here and back, I won't charge you anything for the job. I'm pretty confident that I can get it out without much fuss.
+1 on an update.

Offline hunt4570

  • Trade Count: (13)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 604
  • Gender: Male
    • Harley FLT?FLH bikes and Rides
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #28 on: November 25, 2010, 08:43:02 AM »
Yeah, inquiring minds want to know!!
PETA.....P eople  E ating  T asty  A nimals

  Come visit my forum  http://forums.delphiforums.com/anyride/start

Offline luckydawg13

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (27)
  • A Real Regular
  • *****
  • Posts: 982
  • Gender: Male
Re: round stuck int he chamber, dowel rod in splinters and looking for advice
« Reply #29 on: November 25, 2010, 09:50:17 AM »
Yeah, inquiring minds want to know!!

SEE CANT LET US HANG
kids that hunt and fish dont mug old Ladies
and drive a F150