'Mortar' clearing a malfunction?

[g_one]

I read something today that referenced mortar clearing a malfunction from an AR. I searched around and found a few examples of people referencing doing it, but not what it actually is. As someone who has never owned a semi automatic rifle, anyone care to enlighten me?

 

[rcmodel]

When a cartridge gets stuck in an AR-15, you often cannot pull on the charging handle with two fingers hard enough to dislodge it.

The method you are referring to is to pull on the charging handle as hard as you can, and at the same time, slam the butt on the ground as hard as you can.

The mass & inertia of the bolt carrier group will pop the stuck round out of the chamber.

The method is pretty much specific to the M16/AR-15 platform, as most other semi or full auto military rifles have a steel bolt handle attached to the operating rod that can be beat open with a stick of wood, or kicked open with a combat boot heel.

Those methods will not work on the M-16/AR-15.

rc

 

[rbernie]

It's also called 'pogo stick' method. Different name, same thing.

 

[HOOfan_1]

If you are not in dire need of your rifle, and you can break it down, you can also take a wooden dowl and a mallet and knock out the bolt carrier.

 

[Stress_Test]

Cool, learned something new today....

And I hope I NEVER have to do it!

 

[68wj]

If you have an adjustable stock, it is best to collapse it completely to prevent damage.

 

[gdcpony]

If you have an adjustable stock, it is best to collapse it completely to prevent damage.

+1!

I made the mistake of trying one of my daughter's .223 rounds in my AR. She neck-sizes for her gun. Need I say how that went?

 

[Stress_Test]

If you have an adjustable stock, it is best to collapse it completely to prevent damage.

Score one for the ol' A2!

(I like old school ARs )

 

[C-grunt]

Ive only seen it done a couple times and both involved blanks.

 

[JShirley]

Edmund Rowe did it to clear a stubborn malf on my Sub-9.

Wow...that was almost 15 years ago.

 

[herrwalther]

Never heard it called mortaring or pogo sticking. Just thought it was clearing a very stubborn or dirty rifle.

I have seen it used a few times. Quiet amusing to see it used while shooting prone as you have much less distance to build up force to slam it into the ground to pull the charging handle.

 

[243winxb]

M16A1 Jam

Didnt work on this jam. Looks like the action short cycled, trapping the empty fired case between the charging handle & bolt carrier. The mouth of the case is resting against the front of the charging handle. The bolt will move back and forth with the carrier, but they are locked together. The action can not be opened, as the hammer is not cocked. Had to flatten the case mouth as it was in contact with the front of the charging handle.Then pryed case mouth up to clear. Pushed charging handle forward while pushing the bolt back with a wood dowel. It was really stuck good. All fixed. No harm done.

 

[jakk280rem]

I did it once. It was my first AR and didn't think of pulling the front pin and going that route. It was a a CMMG M4-LE and had an out of spec something that caused the gas ring to jump its groove and lock up the carrier.

 

[Liberty1776]

I knew a guy had a Cetme - can't remember if it was a real one or a copy or what... but he used to have to "kick-start" it to chamber a round. Actually would put the stock on the ground and use his foot to work the charging handle. I saw that and suggested he not do it anymore...

 

[Devonai]

It's what Brinks told us to do with a jammed Remington 870, back in the day.

 

[gdcpony]

Didnt work on this jam. Looks like the action short cycled, trapping the empty fired case between the charging handle & bolt carrier. The mouth of the case is resting against the front of the charging handle. The bolt will move back and forth with the carrier, but they are locked together. The action can not be opened, as the hammer is not cocked. Had to flatten the case mouth as it was in contact with the front of the charging handle.Then pryed case mouth up to clear. Pushed charging handle forward while pushing the bolt back with a wood dowel. It was really stuck good. All fixed. No harm done.

We see this all the time at the range (USMC). We pry back on the bolt face- usually through the ejection port- with anything we can to clear it. I must say it is usually an OE issue. The one I actually witnessed as I coached a guy he put his hand over the ejection port cover and the brass never got out and was forced up by the next round out of the mag. The result was as you show.

 

[Welding Rod]

Before mortaring, be sure the bcg doesn't need to go forward instead.

It is possible to have the bcg tied up part way back on extraction by a hammer that won't go back as a blown primer is in the works.

 

[MrCleanOK]

243winxb,

The malfunction you had is called a bolt override. The trick is to insert a cleaning rod section, multitool, etc. through the ejection port to pull back on the bolt face. Pulling on the charging handle will only make the malfunction worse. There is no reason you would have had to mangle up the case that badly with the proper technique.

And to anybody who doesn't know any better, never insert a wood dowel in a barrel and hit it with a mallet or hammer, ever. You run the risk of splitting the dowel, and wedging the two split halves tightly into the barrel. If you miss it when it happens, any subsequent hits only wedge the two halves together even tighter. This is a nightmare to fix, if it can be fixed at all.

 

[HOOfan_1]

And to anybody who doesn't know any better, never insert a wood dowel in a barrel and hit it with a mallet or hammer, ever. .

Except what I was talking about was breaking the gun down and using a wooden dowel on the back of the Bolt carrier....

 

[okiewita40]

We do this same thing with the dept's remington 870p shotguns.

 

[MistWolf]

...The method you are referring to is to pull on the charging handle as hard as you can, and at the same time, slam the butt on the ground as hard as you can...

...The method is pretty much specific to the M16/AR-15 platform, as most other semi or full auto military rifles have a steel bolt handle attached to the operating rod that can be beat open with a stick of wood, or kicked open with a combat boot heel...

Pogoing works with many types of self loading rifles and is less damaging and a more sure method of removal than pounding or kicking the charging handle. Pounding on a charging handle or trying to kick it open with a boot is a bad idea. Striking the charging handle can bend or break it.

Take a Garand or M14 for example. Where the charging handle meets the op-rod becomes a stress riser. The impact from the hammer has to turn 90 degrees there. The charging handle could bend or break or bend the op-rod. Then, the force has to be transferred to the bolt. This is metal to metal contact and could cause peening.

By using the pogo maneuver, all the force is inline with the stuck case. The impact to the stock has less potential for damage than beating on the charging handle.

You could try kicking it loose, which would be less likely to crack the charging handle than beating on it with a hammer, but there is still potential for damage to the op-rod. If you miss, you could end up gashing your ankle

If you are not in dire need of your rifle, and you can break it down, you can also take a wooden dowl and a mallet and knock out the bolt carrier.

It was later that I saw you were talking about using a dowel to tap the carrier to the rear. Originally, I thought you were talking about dropping the dowel down the bore which will not work.

But to be clear, using a hammer to pound on a rod to clear a stuck case is a waste of time because the energy is used up flexing the rod. Instead, take a solid rod and toss it down the bore. The energy gets concentrated at the case head and will knock it out with much less effort

 

[Ian]

It's usually a good option - but not always. I used it to clear a malf on a rifle with no metal buttplate and a hollow stock, and had a little whoopsie moment:

Did I mention it was a borrowed $5000 reproduction FG42?

Fortunately, the manufacturer was cool. And FWIW, I've used the method more than a few times on a bunch of other rifles (mostly M1s and M1As) and never had a problem.