Clearing Bore Obstructions

[UNCIVILIZED]

If you get a bullet lodged in your bore, has anyone tried clearing it by repeatedly dropping a section of brass (or similar) rod down the barrel onto the slug? I'm thinking from the muzzle end on this idea/techinque. But am definitely open to suggestions & education.

Then, say instead you have the option to use a full size cleaning rod, what's your prefered type/material that the rod be made of & why? And would you try & clear things from the breech end, or muzzle?

 

[turbo54]

Re: Clearing Bore Obstructions

I've never had to clear a real squib from a rifle bore, so I'm just guessing here, but it seems unlikely the impact from a little bit of brass rod falling via gravity is going to knock one out.

I once had a round with no powder, but the primer was enough to get the bullet started into the throat. A very light tap from a cleaning rod popped it out - but again, the bullet hadn't fully obturated into the bore.

On another occasion, I stuck a round in the chamber, and made a rod to knock it out (NOT A GOOD IDEA - WOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN), and I think that rod would make a very suitable tool for knocking a squib bullet out.

I used a .250" diameter piece of 4130 steel, and put it in the lathe and center-drilled one end, to create a nice little divot for the bullet tip to stick into. That keeps rod centered in the bore.

Then I made "bore bushings" by wrapping a couple layers of electrical tape around the rod every 4 or 5", so that when the rod bowed, only electrical tape would touch the bore.

Then I hammered it. I had to beat on it pretty hard. It worked.

 

[Tevis]

I may be paranoid but for a round stuck in any of my rifles I would take it to a gunsmith with a borescope to check it out and have the projectile removed. That is if it was a live round that for some reason or another got stuck. If it was my fault i.e.; a left powder out of a case or just got a bullet stuck near the throat from bad neck tension/seating depth, i would just do what above has done with a heavy cleaning rod.

 

[deadnbrkn84]

How far is it up there (from the chamber end)?

 

[Country]

It's no big deal I have done it a few times for mates. Don't use a cleaning rod it may get damaged. Find a straight piece of drill rod that fits quite neat in the bore.
Square and chamfer both ends . Lock the barrel up vertical in a vice so the rod can just drop in and sit there on the bullet . Squirt in some penetrating oil and let it soak for a while . Then tap the bullet out of the muzzle with a lump hammer or similar. Don't drop the rod , just drive it out with a hammer. If the bullet is close to the chamber then you can also tap it out the other way but if it start to flatten the ogive or go off centre then push it out all the way up the bore.
If the rod end sits too far up in the air the lock the barrel up side ways it will not make any difference .
You can take it to a gunsmith but this is what he will do anyway .

 

[Ring]

depends.. in pistols i use a wood dowel to pound them out... in my 223, i use a .mil steel rod

 

[UNCIVILIZED]

The comments suggesting using a steel rod are a touch worrysome, from the perspective of their being hard enough to do some real damage to the barrel's rifling, and or the chamber or crown. Further thoughts or feedback?
As an FYI I don't currently have a round lodged in the bore, just figured it wise to know how to best fix such problems myself. Especially if I don't happen to be near anywhere near a smith when they occur.

 

[aagifford]

Someone close to me (not me ha ha) had a bunch of squibs in 45 auto he decided to shoot out of his pistol (I did not agree this method, I would have pulled all of the bullets apart). Most stuck about 2 inches down the bore. A few were closer, and maybe 5 of them made it out on their own and landed about 5 feet downrange. He used a brass rod to pound them out, it takes considerable force to move one, and these were lead pistol bullets, not jacketed rifle bullets.

A guy at the range a few weeks ago had a 223 stuck about 4 inches down the bore of a rem 700. He tried to pound it out with a cleaning rod and broke the rod.

So, I would say that a brass rod is OK for pistol, and may be OK for rifle, but I think that for a rifle you need a steel drill rod as described before, and I would bush it with scotch tape all along the length.

I once had a squib of my own in a blackpowder rifle, I forgot to drop the powder in. I didn't have the ball removal tool. I removed the touch hole plug, and found the plug was the same as a a grease fitting. So I connected up a grease fitting and squeezed grease in until I pushed the ball out.

 

[turbo54]

The comments suggesting using a steel rod are a touch worrysome, from the perspective of their being hard enough to do some real damage to the barrel's rifling, and or the chamber or crown. Further thoughts or feedback?
As an FYI I don't currently have a round lodged in the bore, just figured it wise to know how to best fix such problems myself. Especially if I don't happen to be near anywhere near a smith when they occur.

The barrel is made of steel, not wet kleenex.

Wrap the steel rod with some tape, and get to business.

 

[turbo54]

Someone close to me (not me ha ha) had a bunch of squibs in 45 auto he decided to shoot out of his pistol (I did not agree this method, I would have pulled all of the bullets apart). Most stuck about 2 inches down the bore. A few were closer, and maybe 5 of them made it out on their own and landed about 5 feet downrange. He used a brass rod to pound them out, it takes considerable force to move one, and these were lead pistol bullets, not jacketed rifle bullets.

Interesting. When I first started loading pistol ammo, I loaded up some 38 special with a speer 158 JSP and ~3gr Solo 1000....which turned out to be a squib load in a Smith '66 with 6" barrel. In fact, the bullet was 1/2 in, and 1/2 out of the bore. I was able to pretty easily knock it back down the bore with very light tapping.

I tried another, and again, the bullet crowned, but did not exit. Again it was easily removed.

I did several more, and they would reliably *almost* exit the bore...

Rather than pull down 100 rounds of this ammo, I shot it all through my Smith 442 with 1.75" barrel - no squibs there. Interestingly, they had at least as much recoil as real ammo. Goes to show how much muzzle blast affects recoil.

 

[Country]

The comments suggesting using a steel rod are a touch worrysome, from the perspective of their being hard enough to do some real damage to the barrel's rifling, and or the chamber or crown. Further thoughts or feedback?
As an FYI I don't currently have a round lodged in the bore, just figured it wise to know how to best fix such problems myself. Especially if I don't happen to be near anywhere near a smith when they occur.

So a steel rod just laying against the bore will do more harm than a jacketed bullet doing 3000 fps under 50000 psi pressure . I think not .
You don't need or want any tape on the rod if it fits the bore neat just some oil or grease . If it has too much clearance then it bows under pressure and will cause more bore friction. So the correct method is choose a neat fitting rod as it will be stronger and no room to bow . Also using several rods of different lengths can make it easier as less sticks out each time to pound down , that is what I do at home .
Lead bullets can be harder to move than jacketed because they obturate under pressure and grip. Plenty of lube is good.
Where people go wrong is they use too lighter hammer that requires too heavy a blow . With smaller calibres I place short sections of tube over the rod that sticks out to stop it bending then remove each section as I pound down to it.