Steel cased round stuck in AR-15 chamber

[thewillweeks]

Or, alternate follow up on the former idea of mine. After threading the coupler on the shell, vice the barrel and carefully tap on the coupler in an attempt to sheer the shell casing. In theory, the coupler will overlap the whole primer area keeping it from being misshaped and detonated.

 

[45_auto]

I can guarantee that will drive the primer out of any case, thereby defusing that bomb we are trying to disarm.

I don't believe that your grease could get by the pounded cleaning rod and loaded bullet and into the case. Best you could do is push the bullet back a little until it exerts 340 pounds of force trying to compress the powder, but the powder isn't going to act like a liquid and transmit much force through the flash hole.

I've seen a LOT of loaded cartridges attempted to be hammered out with a range rod (not a cleaning rod). Many times some pretty significant hammering was required, putting MUCH more force than 350 pounds on the bullet. I've seen bullets smashed back into the case, never saw a primer forced out by the powder.

But if you're willing to guarantee that the primer will come out for say $500, I'll guarantee that it won't for the same amount. We can agree on someone on the forum to send the money to.

I'll drill out an old AR15 bolt so the firing pin hole is bigger than a primer, then use it to lock a loaded cartridge into the chamber. Then I'll either thread a hydraulic fitting to fit the barrel threads or weld a hydraulic fitting to a cut-down flash suppressor (threads only), whichever I find easier. Easiest way to plug the gas port would probably be just to rotate the front sight till it's covered. Then we just pump grease down the barrel at 3000 PSI and see if it pushes out the primer.

If the primer comes out, you get the money. If the primer doesn't come out, I get the money.

Heck, if the OP wants to do it, I'll use his screwed up barrel for the test. If he's lucky, it might get the cartridge out for him. Since you're guaranteeing that the primer will come out, worst thing that will happen is he gets the cartridge defused and you make $500.

Let me know when you want to start.

There's a small portion of shell casing visible and accessible. Get a pipe coupler of appropriate size (1/4in?) that will tightly thread over the visible part

You really ought to drop a cartridge into an AR15 chamber and pay attention to just how much of the shell casing is visible to be threaded.

 

[dave from mesa]

I have nothing to help here but sure would like to hear what you end up doing with it.
Plz post the final results.

thanks
dave

 

[HankC]

If the barrel is not recoverable, cut the barrel, on a lathe is better, at the throat or neck of the chamber, that should clear the cleaning rod jam and the round can be removed easily. At least, you don't have a live round stuck in the chamber when you dispose it. In the worst case, sink it to the bottom of deep ocean and the salt water will take care of the steel case in a few decades.

 

[Joea132]

As much as I think you should get ride of it, have you considered a stuck case removing tool for reloading dies? You would need render the primer inactive, I would think by soaking it for quite some time. The stuck case removers drill the flash hole and tap them. Then you have a shroud that fits over the case and is supposed to hold the edge of the die. In this case I think it would rest on the rearward portion of the chamber. Then you screw in a threaded tool and it pulls the case towards the shroud.


The biggest factor is knowing how long it would take to soak the round for. Maybe testing with some of the same ammunition without being in a barrel and test firing would be a safe test. And then go a little more to be safe.

 

[Old Shooter]

I suspect its time to sell that customer a new barrel, take the buggered up one in trade and tack weld it to a piece of 1/4" steel plate. Hang it on the wall of the gun shop with a plaque saying something along the lines of, "How NOT to remove a stuck case from your AR type rifle"

 

[4v50 Gary]

i was going to suggest something similar to what Joea132 suggested. Deactivate the primer, soak the powder and while the barrel was in the headstock of the lathe, I'd drill and tap the case, attach a screw and then use the tailstock to yank the cartridge out.

 

[ironworkerwill]

"Now trying to "kick" over a torch so as to align with the case head? That would be a trick for the ages."

Use a candle, it will take longer. But it will work and give you time to take cover. Don't approach until you hear the pop. (Could take minutes) and make sure everybody in the area knows what you are doing so as not to inadvertently walk by.

Or set the torch up after you knock the flame out where its supposed to be and light the torch with a striker. Then run. It will be way easier to buy a new barrel assembly for $110.

 

[4v50 Gary]

If the bullet is still driven down into the case, that can result in a lot of pressure. I wouldn't advise heating the barrel, cooking it off and firing it out. If any part of the rod is still in the barrel, that could bulge the barrel.

Try the hydraulic method with the grease and if that doesn't work, then drill & tap (after deactivating the primer).

 

[rcmodel]

There will be NO chamber pressure to speak of, if you cook the round off without a bolt locking it in the chamber.

It will either develop enough pressure to blow the case out, (very low pressure as pressure goes.) leaving the bullet & cleaning rod stuck in the barrel.
Or it will blow the primer out, and the powder will fizzle out through the flash hole..

There is zero chance it can possibly develop enough chamber pressure to blow the barrel without a bolt holding it shut in the chamber.....

rc

 

[Jim K]

It won't blow the barrel, but it could blow out at both ends. The bullet is wedged by the cleaning rod, but that won't mean anything if a few thousand pounds of pressure pushes on it. But it is more likely that the case will blow out first. Again, it may be stuck, but gas pressure will be pushing in all directions. To me it is a tossup whether the case blows out of the chamber at high speed, or the bullet and cleaning rod exit the barrel, or both.

Let's hear what happens.

(I take it that the case was stuck in such a way that the bolt wouldn't lock, else I would think the owner would have just fired the round.)

Jim

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

About that horse...

"He's dead, Jim!"

 

[rcmodel]

It has to be a barrel with no bolt locked in it to cook it off and get it out of the chamber.

Again, there is no chance anything is going anywhere except the case, or primer, or both.
At very high speed!!!

Even if the case mouth is locked in the chamber by the bullet & cleaning rod?

The unsupported case head or thin case neck will let go about 40,000 PSI lower pressure then the barrels chamber.

rc

 

[Jim K]

If the bullet and cleaning rod were in a barrel with the bolt closed, I guarantee that firing the round would send that bullet and rod down range in a hurry and with no damage to the barrel. But with nothing holding the case, I am not sure which will go first.

Jim

 

[rcmodel]

The primer, or the case will go first.

No doubt about it.

That's why I suggested it in the first place.

Not sure I agree about shooting the stuck cleaning rod out with no damage either.

I have personally seen an M-14 blow up and completely destroy the rifle shooting it with a cleaning rod in the bore.

rc

 

[W.E.G.]

OK.

So instead of the air-fitting, how about a fitting with a percussion nipple?

5 grains Bullseye, and the rest of the bore filled with compressed corn meal, so that the stuck case and whatever else is in the way become the projectile blown out the breech.

 

[notaglockfanboy]

OK.

So instead of the air-fitting, how about a fitting with a percussion nipple?

5 grains Bullseye, and the rest of the bore filled with compressed corn meal, so that the stuck case and whatever else is in the way become the projectile blown out the breech

That is a good suggestion, something will definitely give. How do we detonate it??

 

[DeepSouth]

Sacrifice yourself

Step 1:
Set barrel on top of fence post

Step 2:
From about 10ft shoot the prime with a BB gun

Step 3:
Have wife collect life insurance / or in case of survival post video on YouTube

Sorry couldn't help it.



In seriousness
You just wonder how they got a live round stuck in the first place.
Can't wait to see how this is resolved.



Edit:
I just remembered some people I know that would take 8ga shells and tape a small nail on the primer (pointed side to primer) then drop them off the roof of a 2 story building and they would explode when they hit the concrete. Yes, I know some "brilliant" people........ We call them engineers

Maybe If you have access to a safe place you might could do something similar, obviously not dropping it but maybe find a way tap the bottom remotely, from a separate location?
Just brain storming.

 

[rcmodel]

5 grains Bullseye, and the rest of the bore filled with compressed corn meal, so that the stuck case and whatever else is in the way become the projectile blown out the breech

Sounds like the makings of a pipe bomb to me!

You already have a loaded rounds weight + the weight of the cleaning rod, + whatever resistance the cleaning rod wedged over the bullet provides.
All that adds up to several times the weight of a .223 bullet.

Then you add compressed cornmeal on top of that????
Something is gonna give all right.

But it is probably going to be the barrel or the muzzle fitting threads.

Rc

 

[notaglockfanboy]

Step 1:
Set barrel on top of fence post

Step 2:
From about 10ft shoot the prime with a BB gun

Step 3:
Have wife collect life insurance / or in case of survival post video on YouTube

Sorry couldn't help it.

Option #3 will make money either way. I know I would want to see the video!! Me and my wife got a laugh out of that, thank you.

 

[ironworkerwill]

In strip mining excavation, after drilling a blast hole(barrel), they back fill the charge with sand(corn meal). The sand never blows out of the drilling. The charge moves the surrounding ground.

 

[243winxb]

I'm with RC, cook it off, in post #6.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

In seriousness
You just wonder how they got a live round stuck in the first place.

Personally, two words come to mind with me on this:

"Forward Assist".

 

[jhb]

Really curious how this is going to be solved.

 

[Jim K]

I also am awaiting the resolution. I am also expecting a post advising that a wood dowel rod be driven in so it can split and make things worse.

Jim