Squib. Aluminum rod or gunsmith?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Take the gun apart, find a brass rod of some kinda and a small hammer. Place the rod or punch on the bullet and lightly tap it out. It should not take much force to remove. I've done it at ranges with cleaning rods. On .22lr's usually you can just push them out of the barrel with a cleaning rod. You shouldn't have to use a vice.
 
Take the gun apart, find a brass rod of some kinda and a small hammer. Place the rod or punch on the bullet and lightly tap it out. It should not take much force to remove. I've done it at ranges with cleaning rods. On .22lr's usually you can just push them out of the barrel with a cleaning rod. You shouldn't have to use a vice.

That depend on where the bullet stopped. I primer only squib your probably right in most cases. I popped one out once with a rock and the rod off my chronograph. But a squib with a small fraction of the correct powder charger can push a bullet much further down the barrel. I squib one once that stopped a 200gr 40-caliber bullet about half-inch from the end of a 6.5 inch barrel on a revolver. That meant I had to drive that bullet back 6-inches since I couldn't come from the breach end. That took a good vice, with soft jaws, and a lot of pounding with a hammer on a 3/8 aluminum rod. A rifle bullet stuck part way down a barrel can be even harder to deal with due to smaller bore diameter, longer barrel.
 
That's what I ended up using. The rifle cleaning rods from a old cleaning kit. Worked Well once I switched from the dead fall hammer to a real one.

Captain Quack.
 
I see several posts with NO WOOD, and at least one saying it might make matters worse. I'm puzzled by this. What, exactly, is the problem? Surely barrel steel is harder than the wood? What might splinters do?
 
Yes. Out of the barrel. Wife even go to see a bullet with the rifling on it. All cleaned and good to go. Now it's how do I CCW my big Ruger P95 while my Max 9 is in the shop.

Captain Quack.
 
I see several posts with NO WOOD, and at least one saying it might make matters worse. I'm puzzled by this. What, exactly, is the problem? Surely barrel steel is harder than the wood? What might splinters do?
The end of the wood rod will (with surprisingly little force) splinter and grow in diameter, just like a wooden hammer handle wedged in the head eye. And just like removing a hammer handle from the head eye, it's quite difficult.
Even worse, all of the splinters will wedge in gaps between the bullet ogive and the bore, making the bullet even mo' stuck'er.
 
This is why I hang out here. I know lots about a few limited subjects, but I can always count on THR members to educate me when I need it.
 
The Brass Rods from Brownells are quite adequate for pistols.

Rifles, on the other hand...

...not to sidetrack the thread, but what's everyone's opinion on using a lighter - charged case with cotton filler to minimize volumetric burn issues (for instance, 30 grains of IMR 4064 in a .308 Winchester Case - typically accommodates between 40 and 44 grains) to clear rifle squibs?

I've been doing this on my bolt - actions, seems to work fine - the sound's somewhat comical, with the bullet being "farted" out.
 
A buddy had 100 rounds of 9mm with a few known squib loads therein. It gave me a good excuse to find some adequate diameter brass rods for all my rifle/pistol calibers. He shot them and I think we poked out less than half a dozen. Brass works slick. I have an old copper headed hammer my dad came up with somewhere. It's always in my kit with the rods. (never needed it for my loads, yet)
 
At our local range they have a couple of "Squib Sticks" hanging on the wall. Long ones for rifles. I've never taken a close look at them so I don't know what caliber or what material. I'm also pretty sure dumping some Kroil down the muzzle as someone suggested and just letting it seep down over night did help get it out. I didn't have to hit it that hard and it popped out after only two strikes with the metal hammer.

Captain Quack.
 
For a rifle I have used steel rods by wrapping the rod to bore size about every 3-4 inches with duct tape. Works fine with no issues or damage. As others have said " do not use wooden dowel ".
 
Great Scott, NO, NO, NO Flat rod end to flat bullet base. Use a steel rod, wrap the rod in tape to fit he bore at three places to keep it centered so it never, ever, touches the inside of the bore. Cut the front edge of the rod with a file so the edge is broken to make very sure you can never dig into the lands. With a small steel hammer tap the bullet in the same direction it was going to start with, do not ever try to drive it by the nose, backwards..... If you use oil, use penetrating oil, like Liquid Wrench. Most hardware stores carry short sections of solid steel rod.
I have a rod on my barrel rack just for messes like you are fixing to create.
 
I never use a steel rod for such issues. I have several brass rods for slugging a barrel or removing such squibs. Just my opinion! The only squibs i have had are from factory ammo, rim fire; I can remember 3 from rim fires. Or done intentionally working in to trying to find a minimum load.
 
The thread owners problem was with a short pistol barrel accessible from both ends. A hardwood dowel is more than adequate for the task of moving a bullet a few inches in or out of that barrel.
Long rifle barrels maybe a different situation.
 
I have also shot out a stuck bullet. It works with a fully enclosed chamber. Not for a revolver though. Being a reloader I just take a primed brass and use the max load of propellant followed by a large wad of toilet paper pressed in. Then load and shoot. Or you can take a loaded round, pull the bullet, add toilet paper and shoot it out. Only time it didn't work was with a .22 rifle with four bullets stuck in it. For revolvers I have a 1/4 inch by 12 inch brass rod and small ball peen hammer.
The only wood rods we use at the private range are blooper sticks used to remove a shotgun wad in a round that did not exit the barrel.

Had a guy bring me a rifle that had a stuck jacketed bullet and broken wood dowels in both ends of the barrel. Used the acetylene torch to gently heat the barrel enough to burn/char out the wood and then drove out the bullet with a brass rod.
 
If wood is all you have, use wood as long as you understand the risks. Otherwise there are better materials to use. A steel rod will definitely work on the strength but may damage something in the barrel if you aren't careful. As a gunsmith I have three brass rods of different lengths. One is about 12 inches for just about any kind of pistol, and 2 longer ones for rifles. Standard length and something long like a Mosin 91/30. They are solid brass but softer than steel, so you won't harm the metal parts of the gun. Start tapping lightly. If it doesn't move, add oil. Any type will work but stuff like Kroil oil or tapping oil will work better. I can't remember where I got the rods but Lowes carries small brass stock.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-1-8-in-dia-x-3-ft-L-Brushed-Brass-Solid-Round-Rod/3057647
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top