Gunsmithing Removing stuck live cartridge from Remington 721

[polish handgunner]

I attempted to chamber one of my reloads in a 30/06 Remington 721.
It did not chamber so I hit the bolt handle with my hand. Still did not charlmber.
I then attempted to open the bolt and was unable to.
I then hit the open bolt handle and the bolt slippped of the cartridge base.
I was unable to use a cleaning rod to remove the live round.
?

 

[kl3309]

How is it you are not able to use a cleaning rod to push out the cartridge?

 

[RTH1800]

A cleaning rod will remove it. Just be aware that at times it can set off the charge. Leave the bolt in but open and back to its reward position.
Get a small hammer and tap the rod with increasing firmness until it comes out.

 

[Nodakplowboy]

Try a tight fitting dowel, 1/4", and tap gently.

 

[bschneiderheinze]

I would recommend a piece of dowel instead of one your cleaning rods more force transfers and you won’t fuck up you cleaning rod

 

[bschneiderheinze]

I was on the phone beat to the dowel rod

 

[Average guy]

Try putting the rifle in a deep freeze. It seems like that has helped me in the past. Let it cool over night and smack out with a cleaning rod and small hammer.

 

[gnochi]

Try putting the rifle in a deep freeze. It seems like that has helped me in the past. Let it cool over night and smack out with a cleaning rod and small hammer.

Seconding this. Brass and lead both shrink more than steel as temperature decreases, so even though the chamber will get tighter the cartridge will get looserer.

(Yes, I intended to use “looserer”.)

 

[b2lee]

What about the idea of spraying a donkey ton of oils down the barrel to neutralize the powder and maybe the primer for a little safety. As long as you already pushed the bullet back...these should be easy to make their way in...and may lubricate the outside as well to help a wooden dowel rod beat that puppy out.

 

[LRI]

Last one of these that I had:

I ended up removing the receiver. Then, I very, very carefully machined the back of the exposed case away using a parting tool. Took barrel out of lathe, then sterilized the inside of the brass and scuffed it up.

Got a jag and some 5 minute epoxy. Bullet was still in the case so no worries on it leaking into bore. Slathered it in, stuff the jag in there, let it sit for a couple hours.

screw on rod. Put rod in vise. Smack barrel shoulder with leather mallet. Case came right out.

No damage to any parts.

 

[L. Perry]

I had this happen on a Winchester Hi Wall, filled the barrel half full of Kroil and wadded up a bunch of patches and shoved in barrel, took a 30 cal. Dewey rod and shoved it out by hand, enough hydralic pressure it shoved bullet into case and the primer out. Didn't need a hammer just the palm of my hand. Will make a mess but it smells good.

 

[Kyskeet]

Saw a video of an attachment that screwed on the muzzle and had a grease fitting attached. Filled the bore full of grease and forced the round out hydraulicly.

 

[Hellbender]

I had this happen on a Winchester Hi Wall, filled the barrel half full of Kroil and wadded up a bunch of patches and shoved in barrel, took a 30 cal. Dewey rod and shoved it out by hand, enough hydralic pressure it shoved bullet into case and the primer out. Didn't need a hammer just the palm of my hand. Will make a mess but it smells good.

This....kinda.... only use a very heavy oil (ie 80+ wt gear oil, Kroil is very thin and may run out of any gaps around the case) and a piece of wood for a hammer, NOT your hand....just in case something goes boom.

 

[aone]

Saw a video of an attachment that screwed on the muzzle and had a grease fitting attached. Filled the bore full of grease and forced the round out hydraulicly.

I think this may have been on johny's reloading bench YouTube channel. Very satisfying to see the stuck cartridge finally come out.

 

[Kyskeet]

aone, you are correct, he was dealing with an AR and had to plug off the gas port. Bolt gun would be much easier

 

[L. Perry]

If its stuck that hard not much is going to run out. I did leave it overnight. Didn't take much of a hit to knock it out. Extractor had torn the rim so it was stuck pretty hard.

 

[Aftermath]

Note to self: Don't force the bolt closed.

I have a buddy, when we were very young, didn't resize his cases and was forcing the bolt closed using a piece of 2x4. His rifle was more accurate than it had ever been!! But he ended up breaking the bolt handle. His dad kicked his butt then made him work to pay for the gunsmith AND had the gunsmith chew him out real good. I paid attention to that lesson and have never duplicated.

Aristotle said we MUST learn from the mistakes of others for we cannot live long enough to make them all ourselves.

 

[Gregor.Samsa]

I like the grease gun idea. Always used hydraulic pressure fitting to pop out pilot bearings from crankshafts. Works amazingly well.

 

[FisherT&C]

Try putting Hoppes #9 down the barrel and letting it sit over night. Hoppes has a very small amount of ammonia in it which may slightly etch the case just enough to break it loose. With the bolt removed tap the butt on the floor and it should fall out unless the neck is deformed now from using a rod. Do not use a high ammonia concentrate like sweets or shooter's choice copper remover it my damage the bore leaving it over night.

 

[Claybuster715]

Not sure how it would work on a stuck cartridge but I messed up and used a full patch on my savage 17hmr while cleaning with the otis cable system... I've had trouble pulling patches through before but a sharp tug normally pulls it pass the chamber and down the barrel. Not this time. I seated the patch in the neck of the chamber and couldnt pull it passed the neck or back out from the breech. We then thought if we cut the cable off at the end of the muzzle we might blow it out with the air compressor but that didnt even budge it using the standard blowing nozzle. On to the next try, went to Lowes and bought brass fittings it took a 3/4" barbed to 3/4" NPT then a 3/4" NPT to 1/2" NPT then 1/2" NPT to 1/4" NPT. We then slipped a piece of hose over the barrel and put 3 hose clamps on it then the barbed fitting on the other end on the hose with the reducers. We then took an air hose nipple fitting, which is 1/4" NPT, and hooked it up to our 60 gal compressor and went and layed the rifle outside the shop. Turn the valve on and gave it all 150 psi at once, still nothing. Back to the drawing board. Looked into adding another reducer and using grease but wasn't sure if the hose would hold up and my barrel isnt threaded so that was out... then it hit us, the pressure washer wand has 1/4" pipe threads where the quick connect screws on... screwed that into our fitting ensemble and clamped the barreled action into the vice and hit the handle. 2 hits and it blew the cable right out.

Not saying this will work for all barrel obstructions but for $25 in fittings and clamps it worked well for me.

 

[isaaccarlson]

I'm just gonna say it....This is one downfall of a push feed action.

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

Step 1 Engage brain. People have died removing a stuck live round using a cleaning rod. Two stupid moves don't equal one smart one. If you tore a piece of the rim off a cleaning rod probably won't safely solve your problems. The last thing you want to pound on is a wooden dowel. You just plugged your entire bore when it splinters, and it will. When someone brings a rifle in that condition to me I just hand it back to them.
Step 2. Get PROFESSIONAL help
Step 3. If you feel confident remove the barrel. Sometimes two screw drivers under the rim will break a case loose. Or as Chad recommended carefully cut the case head off. After cutting the head off I've used the epoxy trick or a tap the appropriate size to engage the case walls. Then a brass rod down the bore. In some cases the barrel has to be put in a lathe with a purpose ground tool to get into the counterbore on some barrels. Then there's the live primer. Powerful little things. I can show you my scares if you like.

 

[AIAW]

Two of the country’s most respected Smith’s providing clear advice... The things Chad and Dave suggested should be the "no more, no less" of this entire thread.

 

[BudgetBuilder]

Step 1 Engage brain. People have died removing a stuck live round using a cleaning rod. Two stupid moves don't equal one smart one. If you tore a piece of the rim off a cleaning rod probably won't safely solve your problems. The last thing you want to pound on is a wooden dowel. You just plugged your entire bore when it splinters, and it will. When someone brings a rifle in that condition to me I just hand it back to them.
Step 2. Get PROFESSIONAL help
Step 3. If you feel confident remove the barrel. Sometimes two screw drivers under the rim will break a case loose. Or as Chad recommended carefully cut the case head off. After cutting the head off I've used the epoxy trick or a tap the appropriate size to engage the case walls. Then a brass rod down the bore. In some cases the barrel has to be put in a lathe with a purpose ground tool to get into the counterbore on some barrels. Then there's the live primer. Powerful little things. I can show you my scares if you like.

I know of a Benchrest shooter that blew up his gun causing a fatality because he was pounding on a cleaning rod to remove a live cartdridge .

 

[softcock]

It always sounds pretty sketchy when trying to pound out a live round stuck in Chamber . But if there no bolt locked down to case head . ' by slim chance' primer does ignite when pounding from the muzzle end . 'major majority' of pressure will blow out the primer and out primer hole of the Brass .
I had a Magnum. live round primer ignition in smacking a ' plastic ' Lee hammer puller once . Was a scary loud and smokey and never found the primer, but was (to me) not physically harming, as all pressure blew out the collet hole on top of the screw-down cap .

edit add: .. the Lee hammer puller was not damaged in the ignition of the live round .
.

 

[softcock]

I know of a Benchrest shooter that blew up his gun causing a fatality because he was pounding on a cleaning rod to remove a live cartdridge .

Did he had the bolt closed on the live Round when pounding on it ? ..
as I don't see how it would be possible to blow his firearm up and kill anyone, if the Bolt was not locked down on a live cartridge ?
.

 

[BudgetBuilder]

Did he had the bolt closed on the live Round when pounding on it ? ..
as I don't see how it would be possible to blow his firearm up and kill anyone, if the Bolt was not locked down on a live cartridge ?
.

This is all I could find that was credible. I have heard the bolt was removed.

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

Did he had the bolt closed on the live Round when pounding on it ? ..
as I don't see how it would be possible to blow his firearm up and kill anyone, if the Bolt was not locked down on a live cartridge ?
.

This is the incident that I'm familiar with. The gentleman's wife was holding the rifle by the butt stock. When the cartridge detonated the case had enough energy to entered her abdomen and she bled out before reaching the hospital.
In a confined space/chamber either the bullet moves or with the bolt removed the case moves. out in the open neither has much energy.
Here's a link to SAAMI video about what happens to ammo outside a weapon.
Everyone should watch it so the next time one of your gun hating friends talks about the dangers of ammunition you are armed with the facts.

 

[Dolomite_Supafly]

I wonder if you could use high pressure air down the bore to push it out?

If the muzzle is threaded an adapter might be able to be made to use a grease gun to force the cartridge out.