lodged bullet

[WPD230]

A partner of mine (not the brightest obviously if you read on) lodged a lead bullet in a barrel by using the wrong caliber. He then tried to pound it out using an aluminum cleaning rod from the muzzle end and broke a second piece of aluminum and part of the rod off in the barrel, jamming it into the rifling and distorting the bullet even more, making it impossible to apply the usual fix: tapping the bullet out with a strong, close-fitting steel, brass tipped rod toward the action. How would you fix this without damaging the barrel or leaving pieces of metal in the grooves?

 

[Thernlund]

Too late it sounds like. Gunsmith time. No way the untrained should tackle this problem.


-T.

 

[machinisttx]

Sounds like he needs to send it back to the manufacturer and get an expensive education in not screwing up your guns.

 

[rcmodel]

lodged a lead bullet in a barrel by using the wrong caliber.

Care to expand on that?

I can't think of a combination of calibers that would both fit in the chamber, and lodge a bullet, without the gun blowing up.

What kind of gun are we talking about here anyway?

rcmodel

 

[jwr747]

if you watch those Bozo's on Wed. night tv Guns and Ammo,I think,it takes a lot to "blow up " a modern weapon. so ,just about anything that can be done to a gun,may not cause a blow up. jwr

 

[rcmodel]

The Bozo's haven't done any caliber mis-matches that would cause a bore obstruction, like firing a 7.62x39 in a .220 Swift.
If they had, the gun would very likely blow up.

The stuff they do is just stupid, not dangerous.

What I am wondering is what combination of gun / cartridge caused a bullet to stick in the bore?

If the caliber was too small, the bullet wouldn't have stuck.

But if it was so large it stuck, the chamber pressure would most certainly have to find another path out.
That = blow-up.

rcmodel

 

[ieszu]

It could have been an undercharged round, those do happen (although rarely) from the factory. But that would be the correct cartridge, which is not what the OP said it was.

I too would like some more information as to what the OP's friend was shooting.

 

[Bubbles]

Depending on the type of firearm, this is either a very easy and relatively cheap fix, or a very difficult and expensive fix. Given the damage to the lands and grooves, and potential damage to the muzzle, the OP's friend needs a new barrel for his gun.

 

[HZOX221]

Talk to a gunsmith. If it is just lead, you may be able to melt it out. Use only enough heat to melt the lead, but not enough to affect the metal of the barrel.

 

[machinisttx]

Talk to a gunsmith. If it is just lead, you may be able to melt it out. Use only enough heat to melt the lead, but not enough to affect the metal of the barrel.

IIRC, lead melts at around 700-800 degrees, which is hot enough to affect the heat treating of the steel.

 

[WPD230]

Ok so unfortunately in my line of work you come across a lot of people who claim to know what they are talking about. However, upon actually inspecting this M1 rifle of his myself (along with the spent cartridge) here are the findings. It was NOT the wrong caliber of bullet, it was military surplus ammo. The bullet appears to be oversized but not the wrong caliber the cartridge is stamped correctly. I too was confused hoe the wrong size bullet would chamber but he was adamant that that was the problem and not him. I recommended getting a brass rod, some lube and a hammer, supporting the barrel on a piece of hard wood and some elbow grease. I’m no gunsmith so does anyone see anything wrong with this or have a better solution other than banning retards from owning guns?

 

[ieszu]

instead of supporting the barrel on a piece of wood, I would suggest locking it down in a vise with padded jaws. Instead of lube, use WD40 or lots of Kroil, so that it can seep in between the bullet and the barrel (if at all possible).

Also, make sure it gets knocked out toward the muzzle.

Just my $.02

 

[dbones]

lock it in a vise and drill a small hole through the center all the way through the bullet. This should relieve some of the pressure holding it in and collapse it some. It should fall out then.

 

[rcmodel]

Also, make sure it gets knocked out toward the muzzle.

It's an M1 Garand (with a squib 30-06 mil-sup load, not the wrong caliber).
That's gonna be pretty hard to do unless the barrel is removed from the receiver!

And it's a jacketed bullet.
DO NOT try to melt it out.
DO NOT try to drill it out.

Drilling will only result in a stuck bullet jacket, which is a bigger mess then what you already have!

Your best bet at this point is going to be a closely fitted brass rod & a hammer. Unfortunately, the closest fit you will find locally will probably be 1/4" brass rod.
5/16" is too big, and they don't make 19/64".

If you have access to a lathe, you could turn down a short steel rod to a polished finish .300", and use it between the brass rod and the bore obstruction.

Use plenty of penetrating oil or bore solvent, and let it stand muzzle up for a day or two to give it time to work.

Then try to drive the whole mess out towards the chamber.

If that fails due to the broken-off cleaning rod, the barrel will have to come off so you can beat on the base of the bullet and drive the whole mess out the muzzle.

rcmodel

 

[WPD230]

thanks for all the help ended up having to pound it out towards the muzzel as rcmodel recommended, the first option did not work.

 

[brickeyee]

"IIRC, lead melts at around 700-800 degrees, which is hot enough to affect the heat treating of the steel."

621 F, possibly lower if alloyed.

Most barrels are not heat treated for hardness.

The more junk you have jammed in the barrel the more expensive it get to remove it.

Long drill bits with a brass sleeve to protect the bore work well.

 

[Jim K]

Hi, WPD230,

Please don't get mad, but your original post is a good example of not giving enough info. A lot of time would have been saved had you told us the type of gun and ammunition in the first place. The best way of handling that situation is dependent a lot on the type of gun involved.

Jim

 

[WPD230]

Jim no problem sory about the lack of info ill keep it in mind for future questions

 

[Cosmoline]

If penetrating oil and the proper rod aren't budging it, take it to a smith. The rifle will also need to be inspected to make sure there's no real damage. I'm having a hard time understanding how the bullet got stuck in the first place if the round went off. Something is screwy.

 

[ralfus]

The "melt the lead" suggestion was ironic considering that Garands were annealed by dipping their receiver heals into molten lead during WWII.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

ditto #14.