removal of bullet stuck in barrel

[G. Glock]

Some good advice here. Now you tell me, afer I've lost three fingers, my left arm, a foot, and one eye. Guess I should quit using a magnum round to blow these squib loads on out the barrel, especially since it never seems to go well for me.

 

[Thirties]

I got my brass rods from the machine shop, one for .32 and one for .38 calibers. They cost me $20 for the pair of them.

I worked on hammering the stuck bullet out of my Nagant revolver, and it would not come out, althought it moved a little.

So I poured some CLP Break Free down the barrel from the chamber end with the gun pointing muzzle down, and left it there for a week. The liquid did not run out, but stayed at the same level the whole time.

Today I drained the oil and tried whacking the rod again (from the muzzle end). At first, nothing. Then I finally got the bullet out. Took about four or five whacks with a plastic hammer.

Inspected the barrel, and there is no damage or sign of anything unusual -- just a shiney bore (after running a bore snake through it.

So, those two rods were a good investment. A gunsmith would have charged at least $20 just to remove one bullet from one gun. Now I have a rod for each of my two calibers. I'm glad I didn't get wood ones, as the brass seems to be the perfect material.

Next time I have the problem, I'll use the rod and hammer right way, before the lead has a chance to cool. It should come out much more easily.

Thank you all for your help!

 

[P95Carry]

Glad you have a good result!

before the lead has a chance to cool.

Just a point .. the higher the temp of the lead the more expanded it will be!!! Shrinkage occurs with cooling!!

 

[BluesBear]

I'll use the rod and hammer right way, before the lead has a chance to cool.

What makes you think the lead was hot?
If there was no powder there was no heat generated. The primer won't heat the lead.

Yes it taks a few smart whacks with a hammer & rod to drive a bullet out of a barrel. There's a lot of friction involved. It takes thousands of pounds of pressure just to get the bullet through the barrel.

Remember it's a gas tight seal. Oil won't penetrate past the bullet.

 

[Sunray]

You don't need to freeze anything. Use Al or brass so it doesn' t bugger up the barrel and bash it out. No oil, cryogenics, teflon coating, magic or anything else required. If it near the breech end, put the barrel into a vice padded with leather and bash it out from that end.
Steel is harder than brass or Al. It'll never be bothered by either. This shouldn't cost you more than $5 or so. Into a metal convenience shop and buy a hunk of bar stock. Cut to length and you're set.

 

[1911Tuner]

Stuck

Before you do anything...Spray lots of WD-40 in the muzzle and point the
gun muzzle up to let it work its way around the bullet. Let it penetrate
overnight. Get a wooden dowell rod as close to bore diameter as you
can find, and drive it out with the rod and a hammer. Use a long enough
rod to keep the hammer from hitting the muzzle crown when the bullet turns loose. Putting the gun in a freezer for a few hours may also help.

Good luck.

Tuner

 

[another okie]

I probably should start another thread on this, but I also jammed a bullet in a barrel, a jacketed .45 ACP round. When I drove the bullet out it left part of the jacket behind. What's the best way to get the jacket out?

I feel really stupid and think I must have loaded one with primer only.

 

[P95Carry]

Altho it might take some whackin ..... a soft lead slug (as you'd use to slug barrel) ..... and using a well fitting hardwood dowel ... could drive the jacket out ahead of it .... the copper is quite thin but of course is already engraved with rifling.

To do it chemically might need rather an excess of time with ''nasties'' in the barrel.

 

[Powderman]

Folks, I'm kinda surprised that no one has mentioned the best thing to use for help in freeing REALLY stuck bullets--good old Kroil.

You can get it from most any hardware store.

Most of the time, use of a non-marking rod and a hammer will get the stuck bullet out. However, if you can't, then:

Point the muzzle upright.

Squirt some Kroil down the bore. You don't have to wait long--about 10 minutes.

Place the rod down the bore, and lightly tap. The bullet will come forth.

If you have a jacket stuck, try the bore brush trick. Run a bore brush in, then back out. It should pull the jacket with it. If not, repeat the Kroil operation, and try again.

 

[bdhawk]

i keep a few dowels around in various diameters and legnths for drivin' out stuck bullets. but, i like the brass rod idea. would be cheaper in the long haul. what grieves me, is that somehow, on occasion, i end up with powderless rounds in my reloads. i have people bring me their own stuck bullet guns too, cause i am a bit of a shadetree gunsmith.

 

[Stainz]

I didn't mention price in my earlier post... $1.99 for the 1/8 " and $2.99 for the 3/16 " 3' brass rods at the local Ace Hardware. It was a Sunday PM when I bought the last one - it came in a tube with a replaceable cap - it resides in my 28" barrel CZ-452 'Super Exclusive' case... a short length is always in my range bag... and a pair of slip-joint pliers for 'impact' assistance. Worth their weight in gold when you need them!

Stainz

 

[Jim Watson]

A friend of mine carries a 7" stainless rod with a 3" knob on the end in his ammo box. He can drive a LEAD bullet out with just a palm whack. A jacketed bullet will take a mallet. He has made a lot of friends on the range with it. He once stuck a .38 wadcutter during a PPC match. Drove it out, reloaded, and finished the string in time.

A jacketed bullet will take a brass or steel rod as large as the bore will pass and a hammer. I have seen it recommended to use a HEAVY hammer so a long slow swing with a lot of momentum will drive out the bullet where a series of sharp raps with a light hammer will upset the bullet tighter. I haven't had to try that. Yet. But I am just studying subsonic rifle loading and will have to have the possibility in mind.

 

[Spartacus451]

I had my first squib last night in a 9MM 226. I am gonna go with primer only, the bullet is stuck an inch or so from the chamber, bullet is lead. I ordered squib rods and a nylon hammer from Brownells. Which direction should I push the bullet out? Muzzle or chamber?

 

[gamachinist]

adweisbe ,

Drive it back towards the chamber for two reasons,

It's a shorter distance,and the bullet will already be sized to fit that part of the bore(just in case there is a tight spot further down the barrel).

If it was an inch from the muzzle,I'd drive it on out that way,since it is the shortest distance.

Jim,

I see things all the time where one heavy hammer blow would have started it moving instead of several small whacks that just upset it as you noticed.
A sudden swift blow will start things moving that a 30 ton press wouldn't budge(like king pins on a Ford truck axle).