Bullet AND wood dowel stuck

[zidave]

I've gotten myself into a world of stuck...

Went to the range today to test out some new loads for my Mosin and got 4 off with no problem then the 5th round got stuck, something got into the case(I obviously didn't inspect the cases as well as I thought) and got the powder wet so only the primer went off and was just enough to get the bullet lodged into the barrel.

So me being uneducated, I took a wooden dowel and attempted to push it back from the muzzle end. Well I discovered that wasn't a good idea and the wood got stuck in the barrel.

I went home and disassembled the rifle as much as I was able to and put some gun oil down the barrel(yep, another mistake I learned from, the wood is probably swollen now) and then proceeded to hammer the steel cleaning rod from the muzzle end which seems to have made it worse.

I did some research and it seems I'm not the first person to do this and someone suggested getting a copper solvent and letting it eat the copper jacket.

Anyone else have anymore advice?
Feel free to call me every name in the book because I definitely deserve it but as long as you can help.

[Junior1942]

Get a short wooden dowel which is a slip-fit in the bore. Fill the bore with oil. Put the short dowel in the bore. Wrap a rag around the dowel/muzzle junction. Whack the end of the dowel with a hammer. Hydraulics is our friend

[zidave]

Would that not do the same thing as the rod hammering the wood?

[Junior1942]

Nope. Oil doesn't flex, bend, compress, etc. Try it.

[MrWolf]

Nice tip Junior - I like it.

[KYShooter73]

A .25 acp case fits well down the bore of a .30 cal. I would soak everything in oil, then start tapping a rod with a .25 acp case on the end down the bore from the end closest to the boolit. If you start from the muzzle wrap some tape around your rod to prevent crown damage. Once you get it to move, it should be easy.

[leeggen]

If posible get a brass rod or atleast a metal rod that fits close to bore dia. Then rap a few rings of tape at dif spots along rod( to protect the barrel from damage by the rod). The wood rod can break and jamb extremely tight but you can get it out. I have used oil and I have use grease, as said hyd. pressure works wonders. Used to do that to remove bearings also.
Take your time and be calm.
CD

[John Taylor]

Sense the bullet is already expanded you will need to relieve the pressure. A drill about half bore size with an extension on it to reach the bullet, wrap tape around the drill so it stays center and drill most of the way through the bullet. Then use a rod that is smaller than the drill and drive the bullet out from the drilled end. You can also use a rod that is a close fit to the bore and it will move the bullet also, the hole in the center will keep the bullet from expanding tighter in the bore. Just took one out this way a couple weeks ago after the owner got a wooden dowel stuck in the bore.

[gunshot98]

You can get long drill bits at Harbor Freight. What John said works great. I've done it several times. Just be patient and work slow

[joesig]

It may be a better investment and less expensive than an aircraft drill to hit McMaster Carr or Enco and get a three foot drill rod. Four dollars plus shipping.

Grind/file a D bit into the rod, tape it as mentioned above. (make sure the tape is wound to get tighter as the rod is spun. Would not be fun to have the tape come off in the barrel) drill out dowels. It's not as fast as an aircraft drill but rod is then useful as a punch.

Cut the rod so it isn't much longer than the barrel so it doesn't whip while being struck.

Then grind off the D bit and knock out stuck projectile. Be careful as the drill rod, even in the "annealed" state can be on the brittle side so gentle blows or a lead hammer and eye protection.

[Wolfer]

I had a similar situation once. I took a propane torch and started heating the barrel at the spot but under the stock. When smoke started coming out of the barrel I stopped. Boolit and chunk of wood slid right out.
Didn't hurt the bluing at all.

I'd try juniors method first.

[rmcc]

Go with JUNIOR1942's method. Maybe a little messier when things come out but you can apply way more pressure with that dowel and oil than you can trying to beat it out with another rod and hammer. The only thing I can add is I would use an oak or hickory dowel if possible. You can argue with it but you can't beat physics!!

rmcc

[doc1876]

I had a .58 muzzle loader with a stuck round, and I drilled a hole in the puller rod, tied it to a car bumper, and the barrel to a tree and backed up SLOWLY. yes it worked

[fouronesix]

Well, since this is appears to be a "voting" process.... I'll vote for John Taylor's method.

Let me get this straight. A wood rod was already tried and is wedged-in. Many times they get wedged-in then break. OK, let's pour some oil (no mention as to which end to add the oil- bullet end or stuck dowel end??). Get ANOTHER wood rod and try to drive the obstruction out via hydraulic pressure. Never mind the possibility exists that the next wood rod can break or get wedged. Actually, there is no practical difference between solid contact and liquid (hydraulic) contact as to how much force is applied.

[Cmm_3940]

The second dowel is a short length inserted from the muzzle end and act as a piston atop a column of oil. There is no contact between the first dowel and the second. I don't see how it could get stuck. Also, hydraulic pressure applies force evenly across the entire surface of the obstruction, not just the point of contact

[johnson1942]

doc 1876, i love a good laugh and you gave it to me. wow that was funny and interesting. some people say man came from monkeys, no monkey ever thought of that, thanks for the post and keep those pearls comming.

[bob208]

another way is to drill into the base of the bullet thread a long screw into it and use a slide hammer to pull the bullet out. I have a large dent puller that works well for this.

[zuke]

Next time use a GI M-14 sectional cleaning rod.

[Blue2]

Worse one I encountered--after trying all the easier solutiuons---I soldered steel cup over the end of the barrel in which I had threaded to take a grease nipple. Then I put a grease gun on it and pumped out the obstruction. Cleaning the grease out of the barrel was a bit of bother but it worked out fine without using a lot of heat.

[MtGun44]

I regularly warn folks not to use a wood dowel, but always get somebody
chiming in "Well, I did it and it worked fine.........."

Sigh.

Bill