Gunsmithing Bullet stuck in Barrel

imin269

imin269

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Minuteman
Nov 2, 2011
70
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Glendale, AZ
#1
I was spotting for a buddy of mine 2 weeks ago and things were moving along just fine. He was target shooting with his R700 Chambered in 300 WM. He called the target and I put eyes on it. As I anticipated the bang I only heard a "Tick" and then a 5 or so second fizzle, no bang. We both looked at each other with confused looks as neither had seen or heard anything like that. The bullet was lodged in the barrel so his day was over.
Removal was a MOTHER F'er but finally after beating the living shit out of it the core popped out along with some of the jacket. The rest is fused to the barrel. We took it to a local smith and he bore scoped it and said the barrel is trash but offered no explanation as to how the hell that would happen. I'm just wondering if anyone on here has heard of that and what may have caused it? My guess is there was no powder in the brass because there was no bang, but it was just hard for me to believe that a primer could create that much heat to fuse the jacket to the side of the barrel. Oh, the brass when it was ejected looked pretty burnt, like it was pulled out of a house fire. Just super odd and not knowing still bothers me.
 
#3
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

Just my .02 but i call BS on the trashed barrel. Plug the muzzle and put some good copper bore cleaner in there (fill) and let it soak for 24. If it were to happen again get the cleaner in first befor you try to remove it helps lub so the bullet will slide out easer. The burnt look was cuz the brass didn't expand to the chamber and all the gas went around the outside.
 
#4
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

I'm not sure if this method will work on a 30cal jacketed bullet or not but it definitely works for rimfires and muzzle loaders and may be worth a try to remove a stuck bullet without damaging the barrel. lube the side of the barrel you will be pushing the bullet towards. Pour some transmission fluid in the barrel on the side you will be pressing from. Push a lead slug on top of the transmission fluid and use the hydraulic pressure to move the stuck bullet. I used the tailstock on my lathe to drive the rod.
 
#5
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

Some gun lubes will trash powder, and cross contamination is easier than most want to believe.

I too doubt the barrel was damaged, prior to you trying to get the stuck projo out, now hard to say. Either inject lead remover an wait along time, or make a jag for your cleaning rod to remove it. The jag is a slow process but it's barrel safe, and works.
 
#7
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

find someone with a bore scope and see what kind of marks the 'smith left behind with his 1/4 inch three foot long electrician's drill bit and take some pictures.

I can't imagine how, under circumstances you described, this could have happened any other way.
 
#8
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 303_enfield</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Reloads or factory ammo? If factory contact the maker.</div></div>

Good point, but hard to prove.

I once got a primer only load in an HK P7M8 stuck in the barrel while doing some rapid fire shooting. I didn't notice the "pop" until the next "bang" bulged the barrel. I contacted PMC about it, and they said if the case stuck inside the chamber was PMC, they'd pay for the repair. Sent the gun into HK who had to bore the barrel out from the front and found a PMC case. PMC paid. It was PMC lot #0001 or something. They also paid for me to return the rest of the ammo in the case - but not before I randomly weighed on video 100 cartridges, and documented variations of about 5 grains in that sample - and sent new which I sold to a friend, cheap, I've never shot PMC ammo again, and routinely shoot handloads, several thousand in that rebuilt pistol alone, with only one other failure from a .44 mag handload my son helped me make once.

Factory ammo is problematic. I've had similar problems with Black Hills Match (failure to ignite, maybe ten out of fifty, witnessed, a headspace problem with manufacturing, NOT my rifle), and a friend is getting this with another company's ammo, sometimes it's good, sometimes the velocities are really inconsistent. Black hills was good enough to replace my .223 match ammo... with .45 acp... then another case of .223 when I told them they'd fucked up again. I still have the letter somewhere with their engineer blaming the gun, not their ammo. I've never had a misfire with any other mfrs stuff, never with another handload either.

Just think of all that tonnage of unexploded ordinance buried in Europe. MTBF adds up when you're talking millions of rounds.

Good luck with this.
 
#9
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

As far as what made it happen I don't think it was that there was no powder. Since I started reloading I have forgot to charge 3 shells. None of them ever pushed the bullet out of the brass, just looking at it you couldnt really even tell, I thought it was dud primers until I pulled the bullets. Maybe that one round got a low charge but I doubt it was just a primer that pushed it out.
 
#10
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HonkeyMcGee88</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As far as what made it happen I don't think it was that there was no powder. Since I started reloading I have forgot to charge 3 shells. None of them ever pushed the bullet out of the brass, just looking at it you couldnt really even tell, I thought it was dud primers until I pulled the bullets. Maybe that one round got a low charge but I doubt it was just a primer that pushed it out.</div></div>

I've done this on purpose, put a standard primer in a crimped 9mm case, just as if I'd run the round through my Dillon press and somehow didn't get a powder charge. I've never had to do more than drop a wooden dowel down the muzzle to dislodge the bullet. On rifle cartridges? The bullet doesn't leave the case.

The case hideboiler describes sounds like a very low powder charge. He's lucky he didn't get flash over and an explosion instead of "just" a stuck bullet.
 
#12
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

A buddy of mine did this with his Wilson Combat 1911. He just followed it up with another round. It got the bullet out!!!
crazy.gif
 
#13
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: normbal</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 303_enfield</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Reloads or factory ammo? If factory contact the maker.</div></div>

Good point, but hard to prove.

I once got a primer only load in an HK P7M8 stuck in the barrel while doing some rapid fire shooting. I didn't notice the "pop" until the next "bang" bulged the barrel. I contacted PMC about it, and they said if the case stuck inside the chamber was PMC, they'd pay for the repair. Sent the gun into HK who had to bore the barrel out from the front and found a PMC case. PMC paid. It was PMC lot #0001 or something. They also paid for me to return the rest of the ammo in the case - but not before I randomly weighed on video 100 cartridges, and documented variations of about 5 grains in that sample - and sent new which I sold to a friend, cheap, I've never shot PMC ammo again, and routinely shoot handloads, several thousand in that rebuilt pistol alone, with only one other failure from a .44 mag handload my son helped me make once.

Factory ammo is problematic. I've had similar problems with Black Hills Match (failure to ignite, maybe ten out of fifty, witnessed, a headspace problem with manufacturing, NOT my rifle), and a friend is getting this with another company's ammo, sometimes it's good, sometimes the velocities are really inconsistent. Black hills was good enough to replace my .223 match ammo... with .45 acp... then another case of .223 when I told them they'd fucked up again. I still have the letter somewhere with their engineer blaming the gun, not their ammo. I've never had a misfire with any other mfrs stuff, never with another handload either.

Just think of all that tonnage of unexploded ordinance buried in Europe. MTBF adds up when you're talking millions of rounds.

Good luck with this.</div></div>

This is right. Everytime I open factory ammo I look over it all in the box to make sure no primers are upside down. I have see some pretty serious variances in overall length, plenty that would cause malfunctions. At a requal saw a no powder round from about the best pistol ammo there is cause a bullet to get stuck in the barrel of an HK USP. It was timed rapid fire and he didnt catch it...you guessed it, blew up the gun but fortunately didnt injure the shooter other than a bruised, stinging hand.

Factory ammo is extremely reliable and likely more reliable over thousands of rounds than personal reloads....but MTBF is just that. There are always going to be bad rounds. If they look good externally but you want to be as sure as you can be, you could always weigh each round, and fit check it in the chamber of your weapon before you carry it for defensive purposes.
 
#14
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

Appreciate all the feedback. First off the ammo was in fact reload. I've missed putting powder in a couple cases in my time and nothing like this has ever happened either.
He took it to some smith in Temecula (So Cal), an old timer that was recomended to him. He offered nothing as far as how it happend but did stick a scope down the barrel after he attempted to dislodge the rest of the jacket. After he failed and took the scope out he simply handed the barrel back and mumbled "barrel is scrap"
I use Montana Extreme Copper Killer and know it's safe to leave on for extended period, I'll give him some and have him soak as best as possible the affected area and see if he can get anymore out. The killer he uses is some super caustic shit that you cant leave on for longer than like 20 min or something like that. I'll see how this method works for him and again I appreciate all the info.
 
#15
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: normbal</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HonkeyMcGee88</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As far as what made it happen I don't think it was that there was no powder. Since I started reloading I have forgot to charge 3 shells. None of them ever pushed the bullet out of the brass, just looking at it you couldnt really even tell, I thought it was dud primers until I pulled the bullets. Maybe that one round got a low charge but I doubt it was just a primer that pushed it out.</div></div>

I've done this on purpose, put a standard primer in a crimped 9mm case, just as if I'd run the round through my Dillon press and somehow didn't get a powder charge. I've never had to do more than drop a wooden dowel down the muzzle to dislodge the bullet. On rifle cartridges? The bullet doesn't leave the case.
</div></div>

I have had a case with no powder push a 175 NCC out of a .308 and lodge into the rifling, I would have fired again because it was the first round and I dont have the good habit of press checking. It sounded just like the firing pin dropping with my hearing protection in, but when I went to chamber one I saw a piece if brass come out, still didnt hit me until I went forward with the bolt and it stopped like it would with a nogo gauge just before camming over.
Then it hit me what I had done. They were lighter neck tension(.307) tho but standard large rifle FGMM primers.

We beat it out with chronograph rods and got them stuck in the process, once we go them out I fired this 5 shot group at 100 to see if there was barrel damage.(I cant shoot for groups well)
IMAG0161.jpg




But I believe I would soak it like they mentioned and see if it would help
 
#17
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hideboiler</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I was spotting for a buddy of mine 2 weeks ago and things were moving along just fine. He was target shooting with his R700 Chambered in 300 WM. He called the target and I put eyes on it. As I anticipated the bang I only heard a "Tick" and then a 5 or so second fizzle, no bang. We both looked at each other with confused looks as neither had seen or heard anything like that. The bullet was lodged in the barrel so his day was over.
Removal was a MOTHER F'er but finally after beating the living shit out of it the core popped out along with some of the jacket. The rest is fused to the barrel. We took it to a local smith and he bore scoped it and said the barrel is trash but offered no explanation as to how the hell that would happen. I'm just wondering if anyone on here has heard of that and what may have caused it? My guess is there was no powder in the brass because there was no bang, but it was just hard for me to believe that a primer could create that much heat to fuse the jacket to the side of the barrel. Oh, the brass when it was ejected looked pretty burnt, like it was pulled out of a house fire. Just super odd and not knowing still bothers me.
</div></div>

I did that very same thing when I was a junior in high school back in '79/'80 or so. I found out later take about 1/4 charge in a primed case. Keep it upright mostly so as not to spill and chamber that case. Fire it. It should pop the bullet stuck in the barrel right out.
 
#18
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

I had the exact same situation with my Garand a few summers ago. Tiny pop, some confusion, and a sweaty face full of BLC(2) when I jacked the shell out. I found a charred kernel of corn cob (hard lesson learned about inspecting cases) plugging the flash hole and bits of fused and loose powder in the case (and all over me and said rifle). I don't know how, but only a portion of the powder ignited and stuck the bullet half way down the barrel. Case was black like you mentioned too. I won't mention what it took to free the bullet, such experiences are better left unsaid!
 
#20
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

I think that there have been great explanations and diagnostics. I had a similar experience with a handgun. A little patience and slow tapping on the bullet pushed it back out and I continued to shoot. I used oil & solvent on both ends to get it out. I must ask how much elbow grease was applied to get the bullet out? I find it hard to believe that the tube is shot, but I suppose it is possible if the attempt to remove the bullet was rather aggressive. Clean the barrel real good like, and exercise more better quality control on your loads. Good luck and good shooting!

Doug
 
#21
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

Similar to posted above. I did one for a friend a long time ago. I lubed the bullet with kroil oil overnight. used a grease gun to fill up the barrel with bearing grease. I made a plug of delrin that was a very snug fit in the barrel. wrap a rag around the delrin and top of the barrel so grease does not slip past and lube your celing. a few hits with a dead blow hammer popped it right out. the grease and delrin wont hurt the barrel at all.
 
#22
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

Had it happen when I first started loading . I soaked the bore with oil and used the biggest diameter oak dowel that would fit in the bore and beat it out it took five dowels and I learned to be much more careful with the amount of lube I use on my cases
 
#23
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

I've had a few stuck bullets. I always load a case with a 1/2 charge of powder and shoot it out. Its never damaged a barrel. It seems alot less harmful than using a cleaning rod and hammer.
 
#24
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

I had a friend several years ago load .38s and did'nt drop powder in a few and just the primer sent a lead bullet into the barrel. Best part is he stacked those little screwdriver bits on top of each other in the barrel and pounded the bullet out! needless to say he F@$#ed that barrel up! next thing he did was loaded some .270s with pistol powder and when it went off it extruded the brass right down through the firing pin hole and fused the case to the bolt! I dont shoot with him anymore!!!
 
#26
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

Just had a primer only .308 that I missed powdering. Couldn't hear any sound other than the click when I pulled the trigger, and the bullet wasn't lodged more than a millimeter into the rifling. If the OP heard a fizzle and the bullet traveled down the barrel I would think that there was something wrong with the powder. The primer certainly didn't fuse the jacket to the barrel.
 
#28
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Steven Dzupin</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Hatchers note book covers stuck projectiles and what happens to


Regards,

Steve </div></div>

Nice to see some of us still remember the classic works. Got into a great debate with some wingnut about lapping the lugs on a M1/M14 type rifles, and of course he was not aware of Hatcher's books. Sigh.....
 
#30
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Steven Dzupin</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Hatchers note book covers stuck projectiles and what happens to

your weapon if you try to shoot it out.

Also mentions what can happen if you use a loaded round with

reduced charge and no projectile to shoot out the stuck one.

Lots of sad photos.

Regards,

Steve</div></div>

I dont have any worries about that at all. I learned that trick from Skip Talbot. Between Talbot and Hatcher, I'd take Talbot.
 
#31
Re: Bullet stuck in Barrel

Short cast bullets in big bore pistols are easy to pound out with a chop stick. It is like slugging the bore.

But I never strike a long stuck jacketed rifle bullet with a rod, as it could wedge, and get more stuck.

Instead I pour motor oil in the bore and strike the motor oil with a rod and hammer, and the bullet is pushed out hydraulically.
 
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