Advice on removing bullet brass from barrel?

[wildeboer]

A friend tried to develop subsonic loads in his .303Brit using a small load of pistol powder and a .32 auto bullet. It seems he used not enough powder and the bullet stopped 6 inches from the muzzle. He then took a second shot and the bullet stopped behind the first....

Now the rifle comes to me to remove the stoppage. I made a special drill bit protruding through brass bushes to drill through the bullets and removed the lead successfully without damaging the rifling. But now the copper is still left in the barrel....

Only thing I can think of is using a plug and filling the barrel with some M98 copper solvent to dissolve the copper. Or try to collapse the copper and then try to remove it but with no damage to the rifling will be almost impossible. The two pieces of copper is about 1/2" from each other and around 6" from the crown.

Any advice will be appreciated

 

[edwardware]

They would probably have been easier to drive out before you drilled them. . . but that moment's past. This is what brass range rods are for.

If you can make a punch that will fit the rifling and catch the jacket, that would do; even better if it has a hollow conical tip (like a hole punch) to partially collapse the jacket.

Copper solvent would work, but it might take a very long time.

 

[RPRNY]

With the core gone, a softer than steel rod - probably a .310" wooden dowel even - should be able to collapse and push the jackets out the remaining length of the barrel. Hope there's no bulge.

 

[wildeboer]

You cant drive 2 bullets out at the same time, same principle as with pelletguns as the first bullet will cause the second to expand. Sorry for my bad explanation but English is my 3rd language.
My plan is to get the two copper thingies out separately, dont think they will come out together. I'm too scared to use a wooden dowl as it can split and cause another obstruction again!!
Think I'll try my hand tomorrow on making a "jag" to see if I cant get the copper thingies to collapse and then use the brass cleaning rod to drive it out.
My plans are getting less with almost no results except drilling through the bullets themselves

 

[Odd Job]

Would this work:

1) cork the muzzle
2) pour in a small amount of casting resin from the breech end, just enough to completely submerge the copper jackets
3) wait until that sets, then drive that plug out with a brass rod

There are all sorts of resin, with various hardness ranging from a wine gum to a car tyre to a roller skate wheel. I'm thinking a hard rubber one stop further than tyre rubber will do the trick since it will not release the copper but also won't damage the barrel as you drive it out.

 

[wildeboer]

Thanks a lot, I think thats a brilliant idea. I'll try your advice tomorrow , but think I'll slightly oil the barrel and then mix up some epoxy to form a plug.

 

[boom boom]

Also the plug idea works with cerrosafe aka Wood's metal which sometimes gives better adhesion. Other possibility, if you have access to the wire gauze in the old British .303 kit, you can use that with an old jag to remove it if you have a strong enough cleaning rod to take some wooden mallet persuasion. A lewis lead removal tool can work as well for bullet jackets.

 

[boom boom]

If the resin plug does not work, fill the barrel with penetrating oil and plug both ends. The oil should work under the bullet jackets and loosen them for subsequent attempts at removal. Not sure if you can get Kroil at your location but that works well to do that.

 

[AABEN]

A brass rod some oil and drive it out from the rear I have done this before it works good! I have never used any thing else like a plug

 

[Kp321]

You should be able to push the jackets on out the muzzle with a rod that is near bore size, either steel or brass, not wood. Take a piece of brass about 1" long and have a machinist turn it to bore size -.001", just small enough to slide down the bore. Then use a steel or brass rod to knock them out.

 

[boom boom]

The O/P's problem is that two bullets were lodged which is why he had to drill out the obstruction. If you have a ringed barrel, then a rod can end in frustration as the jacket remnants conform to the bulge. That is why you sometimes have to use a cast plug of some sort to keep the bullet jackets from trying to line the bore when you use a rod.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Cerrosafe and knock it out.

 

[wildeboer]

The rifle is sorted out, thanks everyone for the advice given so freely.
I oiled the crown side for just in case, turned a 3/4" brass plug that fits tightly in the bore. Tapped it from the bolt side and keep tapping it with a nylon covered steel-rod. The first jacket sort of collapsed and centered itself onto the second, out came the drill-bit and slowly cut the inside of the now inside "each other" jackets. Drill bit went through and then tapping again with the brass plug. Suddenly the last jacket started moving towards the crown freely(oiled part) and dropped out. Checked the rifling with a Lyman borescope and its perfect, not a scratch!!!
Owner says he is finished with subsonics for the next few years

 

[boom boom]

The rifle is sorted out, thanks everyone for the advice given so freely.
I oiled the crown side for just in case, turned a 3/4" brass plug that fits tightly in the bore. Tapped it from the bolt side and keep tapping it with a nylon covered steel-rod. The first jacket sort of collapsed and centered itself onto the second, out came the drill-bit and slowly cut the inside of the now inside "each other" jackets. Drill bit went through and then tapping again with the brass plug. Suddenly the last jacket started moving towards the crown freely(oiled part) and dropped out. Checked the rifling with a Lyman borescope and its perfect, not a scratch!!!
Owner says he is finished with subsonics for the next few years

Glad it came out. Have to save your description if it ever happens to me.

 

[wildeboer]

Glad it came out. Have to save your description if it ever happens to me.

You are quite welcome, hopefully you wont try "homemade"subsonics in your rifles

 

[The Bushmaster]

And a final idea. Don't EVER let your friend play with YOUR rifles!!! You might even talk him into giving up all of his firearms while you're at it.

 

[edwardware]

When seeking to make your own subsonic data, work DOWN from known data, and stop when you reach subsonic.

 

[boom boom]

Mouse fart loads are intriguing because some of my milsurps are pretty old and may have questionable parts, expensive brass, or simply vicious recoil such as the 8x56r. Have done some in SR 5744 but now understand that some problems have arisen with that particular powder. CE Harris likes Red Dot so I might move that way with cast boolits but just not now. Need some time to spend at the range reacquainting myself with some of my rifles with factory brass before that.