Drat!@ Stuck boolit!

[Lee]

Squib load, primer went off, powder didn't. 45-70 round flat nose, up about 8" from the breech. Pedersoli 45-70 Sharps repro. I can:
1. shoot it out?
2. Pound it out (front to back or vice versa?)
3. Got lots of mercury, dissolve it out/ (Yuck)
I'm thinking of a brass rod, from the muzzle, couple good whacks? Looking for opinions.
(Goodsteel, I'm listening!)

Typical light load, some powder may have lit, not much. Sounded, looked like a typical squib load.

BTW, looked thru the "gunloads google searcch" Great resource. Just interested in hearing current opinions....
Thanks....Lee

[JWT]

I had this happen with a 44mag. Tapped mine out from the barrel end using a wood dowel that closely matches the bore diameter

[labradigger1]

It happens. Brass rod from muzzle to breech. If you cant get a close fitting rod us some wraps of electrical tape to make the rod bigger and closer fitting.
I would be cautious of the wooden dowell as if you break it inside the barrell then you have real trouble. They usually dont come out very hard.
LAB

[Jeff Michel]

Place your barrel in a padded vice, if it's 45-70, select a 7/16 brass rod (.437 in diameter) oil the bore and use a reasonable hammer (I use a 16 oz ballpein) and drive it out. You can drive a cast bullet either way, a jacketed slug from breech only. Good luck

[MBTcustom]

There's several things you can try.
I would try this first:
Get a steel rod that's 3/8" in diameter.
Clean the end very well with acetone or carb cleaner.
Wrap the end of the rod tightly with Electricians tape til it's a tight fit in the barrel.
Wrap smaller bands every four inches as you go back up the rod till the barrel is completely protected from harm.
Fill the barrel with some water so that you have about 2-3" of water on top of the stuck boolit.
Tap the rod down the bore till you contact that cuchion of water.
Take a BFH and give the end of the rod sharp following strokes with the hammer.
The hydraulic pressure should shoot that boolit out the breach very well.

Sometimes that works, and sometimes not.
If not, let me know and I'll get a perfectly fitting drive slug out to you to clear it with. If you're going to drive it out with a rod, the tip of that rod must be perfectly flat, and be a very close fit to your bore, otherwise the end of the rod stabs into the lead slug and the lead that now surrounds the tip of the rod acts like a break against the walls of the barrel. If that happens, you're going to need a brass drill bit.

[Lee]

It's Kroiling right now, while I find a rod. Thanks for the hints. (I searched the site with the Google feature, just wanted some moral support) ..... Lee

[Nicholas]

I have not had this problem, yet. If I do, I can thank this thread for some very useful, to the point, information on effective solutions. Thanks!

One question - is this situation most common with very light loads in large cases?

[roadie]

Place your barrel in a padded vice, if it's 45-70, select a 7/16 brass rod (.437 in diameter) oil the bore and use a reasonable hammer (I use a 16 oz ballpein) and drive it out. You can drive a cast bullet either way, a jacketed slug from breech only. Good luck

This^

I would probably go in from the muzzle, don't make the rod any longer than you need to drive it out. Use a BIG ballpein or small sledge hammer....claw hammers don't count.

[MBTcustom]

This^

I would probably go in from the muzzle, don't make the rod any longer than you need to drive it out. Use a BIG ballpein or small sledge hammer....claw hammers don't count.

Right. Whatever you do, when it comes to diving lead through or out of your bore, you should always use the most massive hammer you have (alright, this statement doesn't apply to those that have a 45lb sledge hammer available ok?)
I find that about a 2 lb hammer is just what the doctor ordered.

[zuke]

It went in by the breech so it should come out by the breech.Oil that section and use a metal(I use steel) rod to tap it out.
If you use a wooden dowel, your next thread will be on "How can I remove a wooden dowel"

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I wouldn't use a steel rod. I'd use brass. If the steel rod slips for any reason, you have a damaged bore.

As an alternative solution, there's a doodad with a screw tip on it you can screw into a lead boolit and pull it out, but personally, I think using a rod sealed to the bore and oil as in hydraulic effect is the way to go.

[KCSO]

Any one who hammers a wooden rod down a gun barrel deserves what they get. Goodsteel has a good method and I use a bore size brass rod for lead bullets with good results. Do not try and shoot it out unless you don't like the gun.

[SOFMatchstaff]

I use a special rod set up , 5/16 steel that has been threaded to accept brass round stock slugs of the appropriate dia. and 1 inch long.
One rod , many calibers, 2lb brass hammer, oil and out them come. Most of the time I can get them out by just tapping with the rod.
I cant remember the times I've done this on the range for the ILL- Prepared.

KSCO, spot on, wooden dowels are the worst, what do they think hold AXE heads on???

[HATCH]

if its just primer fired, chances are just a regular cleaning rod (the cheap alum ones) and you a small hammer.
You can tap it out. You may trash the rod but it will come out.
I have never stuck on in a rifle but have done a couple pistols over the past few decades.

[Bo1]

If you do not have experience with gun smithing, I would agree with using a brass rod as close to the bore diameter as possible.. I would not take the chance of scaring the bore with a ss rod, or breaking a wooden dowel in the barrel. A lot can go wrong with just a small mistake..
Bo

[roadie]

if its just primer fired, chances are just a regular cleaning rod (the cheap alum ones) and you a small hammer.
You can tap it out. You may trash the rod but it will come out.
I have never stuck on in a rifle but have done a couple pistols over the past few decades.

There's just so much wrong with doing that.....

[NSB]

Pedersoli barrels are a tapered bore. Drive it out the way it went in. Use either steel or brass. As long as you wrap tape around it in several places it doesn't matter which. I've had this happen on my Pedersoli. It wasn't that hard to get out and it was jacketed. A couple of good whacks and it came right back out. Didn't hurt a thing.

[Lee]

Tapered barrel. Noted. I've looked at brass/aluminum/steel rods and "Great Googlies Mooglies" prices are worse than .22LR..... Not gonna be wood!
I'll find some steel rod, or some allthread. I've ordered 3 3m lengths of shrink wrap tubing. Those will go on. Then tape wraps every 4-6" for added support. Gentle tapping with a 2# should move it out. I hope. I won't whack enough to damage the shrink wrap, or the barrel. Let ya know how it goes........
Still Kroiling. Patience is a virtue! ...... Lee

[leeggen]

Ok gentleman Jeff Mitchl said a lead can go either way but a jacketed breech only. Please explain the idea????
CD

[Jeff Michel]

A jacketed bullet is really a two piece item, lead inside of a metal exterior. The base of the jacket is designed to absorb force whereas the closer to the tip the thickness tapers to allow expansion. By limiting your beating to the base of the bullet you avoid the very real problem of expanding the bullet inside of the barrel, effectively wedging it. When that happens, you're usually stuck drilling the center out of the bullet so it can collapse into itself. A lead bullet being a solid piece with very little strength doesn't resist force even if it expands in the bore. Lots of folks have suggested using a steel or wood rod to facilitate the removal process, I would have to respectfully disagree, the likelihood of scratching your bore with a steel rod (Bad) breaking a dowel rod (nightmare). If you are forced to use steel, I did make (due to cost) exchangeable brass tipped steel rods for larger calibers. The problem is going to be at the end of the rod, that where it will dig in, just like an engraving tool or a plow. A tip whether brass or aluminum or even phenolic will serve. Believe me, you will only want to drill one of those babies out once.

[fouronesix]

Driving on either the base or nose of a conventional jacketed bullet can obturate the bullet.... but not to a degree that will make it more stuck. The only way that would happen is if the driving rod gets wedged against the bore. Obviously don't use wood! Brass is fine. One piece smooth steel is probably best and in many ways better than brass because the steel will not deform or bend to the degree that brass might (or aluminum probably will). Just use a brass bushing on the end of a steel rod so the end of the rod won't gouge the bore surface (a simple brass jag/rod cap can be fashioned from an empty case) plus a few wraps of tape at intervals along the rod if worried about the side of the rod touching the bore. Kroil soaking may or may not help. An application of good quality gun oil or light grease in the bore before driving out is as good as any. Drive from the direction that is most convenient, breech end or muzzle end, and provides the most control of the rifle and offers the shortest distance to drive the bullet out. Think through the steps of the operation, go slow. And as the saying goes, "it ain't rocket science".

[dragon813gt]

So who can tell me how to properly support a revolver to remove a stuck bullet. I stuck two this week. First one came out easy. Second one is 4" up a 6" 586 barrel. I was just able to hold the revolver in my hand for the first one. This second one is a no go. I only have a small vice, w/ fairly poor hard jaws, and am afraid the revolver will slip if I clamp it down between two pieces if wood. I did order some steel rods from Mcmaster this week since I already broke the jag off in the cleaning rod. Luckily I was able to remove the jag from the bore fairly easily. I finally get a week of work and nothing has gone well so far :(

[CastingFool]

So who can tell me how to properly support a revolver to remove a stuck bullet. I stuck two this week. First one came out easy. Second one is 4" up a 6" 586 barrel. I was just able to hold the revolver in my hand for the first one. This second one is a no go. I only have a small vice, w/ fairly poor hard jaws, and am afraid the revolver will slip if I clamp it down between two pieces if wood. I did order some steel rods from Mcmaster this week since I already broke the jag off in the cleaning rod. Luckily I was able to remove the jag from the bore fairly easily. I finally get a week of work and nothing has gone well so far :(

I would mike the outside of the barrel, choose a drill bit the same size or slightly smaller. Use the drill to bore a hole through a piece of 2x4, the long way. Cut the piece of wood in two, with the cut being aligned along the bored hole. Basically, what you would be doing is making a set of form fitting wooden jaws to hold the piston in the vise, without the danger of scratching the finish.

[scarry scarney]

I'm a range officer, and see several squib loads on the line. I keep a squib rod, hammer, and oil on the line with me all the time. Here's the sequence I follow.

1) unload the pistol ( not always possible with revolver, sometimes the bullet gets stuck in the forcing done)

2) squirt a little oil in barrel from BOTH sides, and wait about a minute.

3) tap stuck bullet out from muzzle to breach.

4) if more than one bullet, unload pistol and recommend a gunsmith. Yup, had an idiot that had a smith 460. He bought some reloads at a gun show. Fired three times, and couldn't understand why he didn't hit the target, forth round, bullet got stuck in the forcing cone, not allowing the cylinder to turn or open. I was not on the range that day, he had left it for me to see if I could fix it. Four bullets stuck. Had to create something like a dent puller to get them all out. You can't fix stupid.

[leeggen]

Thanks Jeff for the explanation.I just wasn't sure about that jacketed stuck bullit.
CD

[MtGun44]

Use a 1/4" steel rod with a .25 ACP case jammed on the leading end to center it in the
barrel and act as a brass shoe. Remove the cyl, open the vise and put a piece of wood thru
the frame window, resting on two jaws and directly under the barrel. NOW you can hit
the steel rod and start the OILED slug (both sides, as said above) moving. Once moving
on oiled steel it should be easier to continue it, towards the breech.

Bill

[swheeler]

I'd pick option number 3, mercury.

[ghh3rd]

Mercury is nasty stuff -- I turned in two one-pound glass bottles of it to our local hazardous waste department. Funny thing is that when I was a kid, we used to steal thermometers, break them open for the mercury and rub it on a shiny penny to make it look like a dime!

[swheeler]

Mercury is nasty stuff -- I turned in two one-pound glass bottles of it to our local hazardous waste department. Funny thing is that when I was a kid, we used to steal thermometers, break them open for the mercury and rub it on a shiny penny to make it look like a dime!


So is lead according to the greenies

[Lee]

Well, there's lead, and then there's mercury. Both are nasty creatures, but mercury is worse, in my humble CE opinion. Lead stays relatively inert, most ingested (by ankle biters) ends up in the diapers. Mercury stays there, evaporates at room temp all year long, and is about as cumulative as lead.
So, I'll take lead any day. I just don't eat it.
That said, yeah I got some mercury too. It's there if I need it, but I WILL be careful.

Update time! Shrink wrap on the all thread. 2# (That's pound sign, not "hash tag" !!!!) hammer. Each tap could feel and hear the boolit being pushed out, from the muzzle. Not much powder, think it was a squib load. Cleaned the bore, looks good. I don't think weak primer or no powder, because it was stuck pretty good.
I did a 1911 last summer, stuck in barrel, pushed it out easy with just the cleaning rod.

Thanks to all who responded. Happy ending to a worrisome project!!! ..... Lee

[rockrat]

Try welding supply store for a brass welding rod

[bannor]

Brownell says to use double sticky carpet tape to hold barrels and actions while screwing them apart or togetter. I clamped together a couople of pcs of plywood, which I had routed out to fit the frame of the revolver (cylinder removed) and lined with thin lead plates. Squeezing them together with the vise "formed" the lead to the frame. the tape prevented any slipping DA revolver frames are fragile, take it REALLY easy with them.