heart break on my 300blk

[corey012778]

already had one 300blk rifle but having to rebuild. long story short, I was lucky I just walked away with a blow up mag, stuck bolt and spent case in the chamber, broken charging handle and a broken heart.

did everything I know to do to get the bolt and case unstuck but failed. took it to an gunsmith, he could not get it done. I don't know where the failure point of the round was. but from what it looks like, the bolt and chamber is shot. hoping to save the bolt carrier but not hold my breath.

I have a friend going to bring a pulley puller over to try to see if that would work.

I am out of ideas to get the bolt unstock and the case out.

[Hamish]

You did something potentially fatally stupid?

[Smoke4320]

Coat bolt carrier thru ejection port and from bottom side with something like kroil Point muzzle down for a day
letting oil seep around the bolt and cartridge

then get a long brass rod (smaller DIA than 223 )and try tapping from muzzle end ..
Might just release for you..

[Harter66]

Sense/since it has been to a smith already I'm going to suggest some seemingly course methods of mechanical device disassembly.
Never ever underestimate soaking and lubrication. Get too much of your preferred stuff put your upper which I am presuming is off the lower and has been stripped down to a bbl'd upper with a BCG and charging handle stuck.
Stick it in a coffee can with your lube solvent about half way up the BCG the ideal would be to the bolt face . Pour the bbl full or up to the gas port any way . Walk away . Tomorrow take it out of the soup wash out all out and repeat . While you're waiting on the Eds,Kroil or CLP . Find a long punch that is on the fat side of the same diameter as the gas tube . Make sure it's long enough to be in the reciever and well into BCG and 3-4 " out in front of the bbl nut . Fill the bolt tube with oil on the carrier now with a light hammer and plenty of towels slip the punch in the reciever. Light hammer means 4oz or less smack the punch but be sure there is oil in the tube for both hydrostatic force and cushion. This is going to make a mess and it's possible to break parts as forces will be both normal and not.
If you have something jammed in the bolt ,case flow for example the hydraulic effects may be able to turn the bolt . A 2nd plus is that everything will be wet with lube if it is going to move at all for lubes sake it will .
There is the possibility of bolt or extention set back . Find a soft faced tool and see if you can move the bolt in particular forward cut or file a brass punch to a chisel point if all else fails and use it in the forward assist notches again with the light hammer . Repeat the process as needed. Over a week or so. 3-4 tries of each process wash and soak .
If the parts are already ruined you can't hurt anything if they aren't this is the least destructive means of disassembly.

Don't get a bigger hammer
Don't hydraulic the bbl or chamber

If needed to keep fluid in the bolt carrier put it back in the soak container . At some point the charging handle will be able to move the bolt if it turns at all.

This probably won't feel at all kind, gentle or like something you want to do to a 3-500 dollar investment but it is 1 way to make the attempt.

[corey012778]

Just my luck out of kroil.

Best pic of the mess,
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/corey012778/Mobile%20Uploads/E37C6988-9D61-48C3-AF13-3F4EF8A0F9F8_zpsysjqaz49.jpg (http://s225.photobucket.com/user/corey012778/media/Mobile%20Uploads/E37C6988-9D61-48C3-AF13-3F4EF8A0F9F8_zpsysjqaz49.jpg.html)

It was a complete upper so I am waiting on a vise block. Was going to need it for another at build anyway.

About tempted to run my bore cam down it to see if I can see any thing

[osteodoc08]

Hard to overcharge the 300 BLk as its near full capacity with typical powders like 296 and LilGun. Perhaps the OP was using a different powder, but a double charge would have overflowed the case.

Likely an obstructed bore or fire out of battery. If a 223, a 300 BLK could sneak in there for a spectacular KB, but not the case here.

More re info needed.

I'd imagine the lugs are jammed with debris based on your pic

[osteodoc08]

Is this an upper you built or bought? If you bought it, I'd send it back before hammering on it. If it fired OOB, they owe you a new upper at a minimum

[corey012778]

Bought but not covered because of it was a reload. Can't bring my self to lie. Already have another upper ready to go.

Going to check my data, I know it was my mistake, just what I did is the question. I have an idea. I was working a load on the table I load rifles for my 9mm. Think I forgot to change out powder and going called away.

[corey012778]

bleep bleeped da bleep. (fill in the bleeps). freaking cfe pistol from where I was working 9mm. had to let the dogs out if a remember right or was it a phone call from the wife. must of thought it was lilgun or imr 4227 (can't find h110 or 296 in my area). so 13 to 15 grs of cfe pistol pushing an 182 gr nosler e tip. [smilie=b:

I am lucky as hell.

[Blackwater]

Corey, if it makes you feel any better, I once blew up a Super Blackhawk, and that ain't easy to do. Was realoading very late one nigh in effort to load up enough ammo to get prepped for deer season. Loaded 350 rds. IIRC, and shot them all the next day. Worked fine, but not as accurate as my normal load of 2400. The problem came when I finished reloading. I'd used 231 because I was almost totally out of 2400. So I had my hopper full of 231, but when I went to empty the powder measure (full of 231), I habitually reached for my nearly empty 2400 can, and poured the 231 into the 2400 can, thereby setting myself up for the NEXT reloading session. Then, I loaded 22.3 gr. of what I THOUGHT was 2400 behind a 240 gr. Win. JHP, but it was actually 231. That's almost exactly a double charge of the max. load with that powder! The next day, I went out with a friend, and at the first shot, I noticed the gun kicked a lot more and sounded different, but wasn't sure what happened. After that first shot, I took it down and looked at the right side, and something struck me as "off," but I couldn't put my finger on it. I turned it over and .... nearly fainted! The chamber under the hammer was gone, as was half of the one next to it, and what was left of the chamber under the hammer had the brass case brazed to the remains of that chamber.

I squatted down immediately, mostly to keep from falling down! At first, I was stunned that my gun was "gone." Then I was just happy I was still alive! Blowing up a gun is a truly humbling experience. I'd loaded at least a couple of hundred thousand loads when I did this, and had come to believe I was "infallible." Don't EVER do that! Always remember Murphy's Law, and double check everything all the time. And you can bet your sweet bippie that I can now recognize powders pretty well by their looks, too! If it doesn't look right, I do some serious research and investigation before I load that powder up!

As they say, "Once burnt, a lesson learnt." Sure has worked that way for me!

[Omega]

Yea, you are lucky, but a good lesson may be learned by all; only one powder on the bench and dump any unused powder back in it's container when done.

[Hamish]

Congratulations!

Youve had the first and finest graphic, up close, demonstration of the reason you never have more than one operation/cartridge/powder on the bench at any time.

Very gratified that you received the lesson without the bonus points physical damage,,,,,,,,,,.

[corey012778]

on, rifle and powders for 300blk on side of the room pistol on the other.

rifles get done on single stage presses
pistol on turret.

just that day, I was work a new load and was using my lee perfect measure to get as close as I can to "book load". next time I do that I come up with something to let me know change or dump when if I walk away.

[corey012778]

Congratulations!

Youve had the first and finest graphic, up close, demonstration of the reason you never have more than one operation/cartridge/powder on the bench at any time.

Very gratified that you received the lesson without the bonus points physical damage,,,,,,,,,,.
when I went to the smithy I was not the first one in the last month that came in with a blown up gun. had a guy come in with a ar in 556/223 in 27 pieces. that was off a factory load. mine came in one piece, the lower was locked with the upper. picked it up it was in 3 or 4 pieces.

that guy with the other gun was cut up bad. I just hurt my pride.

[corey012778]

left my chrony at home. it kicked like the ppu 180gr factory rounds.

I had the lower off, got it jammed together when I tried mortar the bolt out. that is when the charging handle broke.

[osteodoc08]

Well, thanks for being humbled enough to tell us what happened. Id rather your pride be hurt than have you missing fingers or eyes. Best of luck recovering what you can but if call it a lesson and hang it up as a reminder. Not worth disassembling as I wouldn't be reusing any part from that upper.

[A pause for the COZ]

Thank God for Mr Stoners locking lugs. They did a good job keeping that bolt assembly in the gun instead of pulling a bolt carrier out of your noggin.
I bet the lugs got mashed and are now bigger than the slot your trying to pull it through.

If it were me, I would write off the upper.
Buy a new complete upper and save the old one as a memory of a lucky day.

[Jeff Michel]

If it were me, I would write off the upper.
Buy a new complete upper and save the old one as a memory of a lucky day.[/QUOTE]

This^^^^^^^^^.
A friend years ago, put 40 Grains of H-110 behind a 40 grain Nosler BT in a varmint weight Ruger 77 in 22/250 instead of the BL-C2 he intended. The only thing more impressive than that wreck was my opinion of Ruger products. Stock was in eight pieces, no floor plate/ trigger guard metal, the magazine box was flat, extractor was gone and the bolt had brazed itself shut. I had to unscrew the barrel to remove the bolt and just for the sake of it, did a chamber cast. couldn't remove it because it was bulged. It would not accept a no go gage. My friend wasn't hurt much other than his ego and a couple fragments in his cheek and hands. He has it mounted on a board in his reloading room as a warning.

[nekshot]

never say I would not do it! The more confident you become at reloading the easier it is to screw up! I am truly thankful for your safety.

[corey012778]

should be able to save the dust cover and I hope the forward assist.

I have another upper I was working on for another build. it is an 80% upper just needing the rail cut. don't have a mill and not going to try with a drill press. so drilled and tapped for a rail I had setting around just need to shorten it.

[Thin Man]

Using the wrong powder for the load is one way for this to happen. Using the wrong DATA is another. A friend of mine got in a hurry, opened his loading manual to get load data, and used 45 Colt data to load 45 Auto Rim brass for a S&W 1917 he had just bought. The S&W told him in no uncertain terms what it thought about that overload.

Thin Man

[PaulG67]

Man that is awful, so glad you weren't hurt.

[corey012778]

yeah, hard work gone, restarting the project stinks. use more caution on the powders I use. thinking of a quick check system, thinking of a color dot with coding (p for pistol, r for rifle, b for both).

testing is going to fun part. be a month or so. waiting on prize money for league

[corey012778]

good thing I have worked retail for almost 24yrs and at one job for 8yrs, could just "face" them to where the front label in visible.

which reminds me, I know I have two more rounds with the wrong powder I need to pull.

[corey012778]

really love get to recover the upper. really just need to cut the bolt off the carrier with out damaging the upper. could just slide everything out. but that is a tall order. harden steel and tight spot.

[corey012778]

moment of truth, took a snake camera (bore cam) and ran it down the bore. that well looks well scary. 95% sure the chamber is worthless.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/corey012778/WIN_20160503_17_33_32_Pro_zps9ijuvtkv.jpg (http://s225.photobucket.com/user/corey012778/media/WIN_20160503_17_33_32_Pro_zps9ijuvtkv.jpg.html)

[MT Chambers]

Very small case, large heavy bullet, fast burning powders......I had a small episode using Lilgun, luckily it was a bolt action and only the case was ruined....I've gone to slower burning powders in my Whisper.

[endwrench]

Corey, if it makes you feel any better, I once blew up a Super Blackhawk, and that ain't easy to do. Was realoading very late one nigh in effort to load up enough ammo to get prepped for deer season. Loaded 350 rds. IIRC, and shot them all the next day. Worked fine, but not as accurate as my normal load of 2400. The problem came when I finished reloading. I'd used 231 because I was almost totally out of 2400. So I had my hopper full of 231, but when I went to empty the powder measure (full of 231), I habitually reached for my nearly empty 2400 can, and poured the 231 into the 2400 can, thereby setting myself up for the NEXT reloading session. Then, I loaded 22.3 gr. of what I THOUGHT was 2400 behind a 240 gr. Win. JHP, but it was actually 231. That's almost exactly a double charge of the max. load with that powder! The next day, I went out with a friend, and at the first shot, I noticed the gun kicked a lot more and sounded different, but wasn't sure what happened. After that first shot, I took it down and looked at the right side, and something struck me as "off," but I couldn't put my finger on it. I turned it over and .... nearly fainted! The chamber under the hammer was gone, as was half of the one next to it, and what was left of the chamber under the hammer had the brass case brazed to the remains of that chamber.

I squatted down immediately, mostly to keep from falling down! At first, I was stunned that my gun was "gone." Then I was just happy I was still alive! Blowing up a gun is a truly humbling experience. I'd loaded at least a couple of hundred thousand loads when I did this, and had come to believe I was "infallible." Don't EVER do that! Always remember Murphy's Law, and double check everything all the time. And you can bet your sweet bippie that I can now recognize powders pretty well by their looks, too! If it doesn't look right, I do some serious research and investigation before I load that powder up!

As they say, "Once burnt, a lesson learnt." Sure has worked that way for me!
Hey, Just wanted to say thanks for reminding me of own short comings. I definitely have a habbit of leaving too many powders on the table while reloading!

Sent from my K011 using Tapatalk

[btreanor]

I appreciate everyone's honesty here. As was mentioned before, things get very dangerous once we take things for granted and let our guard down. Glad the OP wasn't hurt and thanks for sharing your experience here.

[corey012778]

If the barrel is shot(pun!) clamp in a BIG vise (barrel nut off) use the taped rod or whatever and hammer the BCG out. Oil won't help. Upper is probably warped anyway. The lugs are unlocked so if bolt is not welded into the barrel, it will come out. I use a small hole in 2x4, then split the 2x4 and use as a barrel clamp to remove FH. Cheap and works.
Or hang it over your loading bench as a reminder.

after looking closely over the last few weeks I can say. the upper is done. I have but have not gave up. upper is gone, if not warped but may be from damaged from working on it.

if you make a mistake live up to it.

[trails4u]

Corey....you lived THROUGH it. That was the lucky part. Now living UP to it, that's the intentional part. Good on you for owning it. I've enjoyed this read, always good reminders, and most importantly....we're all still here to post about it.

[Smoke4320]

Corey....you lived THROUGH it. That was the lucky part. Now living UP to it, that's the intentional part. Good on you for owning it. I've enjoyed this read, always good reminders, and most importantly....we're all still here to post about it.

Could not agree more .. we need constant reminders to keep our minds on the reloading process at all times ...
and also glad you were not hurt

[shredder]

Glad you are OK. I must fess up here too. This thread may turn into "Confessions of a long time re loader!"

I got a powder measure one Christmas and spent a lot of time measuring different powders through it to see how it handled different grain structures. Well, the law is that only ONE powder container should ever be on the bench at one time. I broke that law and managed to dump some very fast powder by mistake into a can of much slower stuff with very similar grain size. When I used up the can of slower stuff to load some 8x57 my first round at the range let me know something was terribly wrong. She bucked and bellowed far more than usual. The bolt would not open on my Mauser. Wisps of smoke curled around the action. At home after some hammering I got the bolt open and saw how close the grim reaper had come to collecting me that day. The primer pocket was greatly enlarged and oblong, the primer vaporized, brass painted on all the metal, the case head had a new crazy shape and the cartridge alignment lug on the bolt face was sheared off. I thank Mr Mauser for saving my life that day. I have the blown case on display to remind me to be thankful for every sunrise.

You can bet I am super vigilant with powders on my bench now.

[EDG]

The ONLY thing that keeps these things from happening is your attention span and having good work habits. If you cannot keep your mind on what you are doing you are headed for a wreck. So other people, TV, telephones, food, drink and pets and cigarettes are all things you probably need to avoid.
Even some medicine and certainly alcohol should be avoided.

[fatelk]

I want to thank you for posting this. I have long lived by the rule of only one can of powder out at a time, but have gotten a little lax at times recently.

Sure, most of the time it's no problem since I'm focused on what I'm doing and I know better than to dump a hopper full of 231 into a partial can of 296, but that moment could come when for whatever reason I'm not so focused. That would be the day that the ingrained habit of "one can at a time" would save me a lot of trouble. Thanks again for the reminder. Even veteran reloaders can make those kind of mistakes.

Added, I'm not saying that making a habit like one can at a time can take the place of always being focused; it's just another layer of safety in addition to staying focused. EDG is absolutely right about the importance of paying attention, and avoiding reloading when you can't be focused.

[leadman]

I have seen more issues with the 300 BO and Whisper due to overloads than other cartridges lately. You know what caused your problem and posted it here to remind all of us to pay attention. Thanks, and glad you were not physically injured.

[corey012778]

update on these

been while, been working a lot. really have not had time for much of anything.

I went the extreme to get the barrel off the receiver. took a metal chop saw and cut it off. first right at the bolt saving the carrier. the darn brass still would not come out the chamber. ended up putting on the chop saw again and cutting the end of the bolt extension off, got the brass out. now even follow directions on how to remove the barrel extension I cant get the remains off.

good news, the carrier looks good. just need parts. as for the firing pin. it will find a new life in another project I hope I can get working on.

[Tackleberry41]

It seems the 300BO has alot more boo boos than 5.56. I rarely read a thread about blowing up a 5.56 gun. But read all sorts of them about the 300BO.

I knew 2 brothers who went and bought a brand new 300 AR, didn't even bother with a factory round to see if the gun worked. And from what I know have no reloading experience. They went the opposite direction, they didn't blow the gun up, they got bullets stuck. No idea what possessed them, but tried to duplex the load. Trailboss mixed with something else. They could have stopped very easily, the first round barely made it out the barrel, landed 10feet away, usually the time you say 'whoa'. No they kept going, somehow figured the next shoot was fine, since it didn't land in the dirt. Then piled a second 208gr in the barrel behind it.

I question the methods they tried to get the bullets out. The flat side of an axe and a long shank spade bit would not be my first or 2nd or even last choice in tools. They beat on it from both ends. Destroyed the spade bit, mashed the expensive flash hider, never did get em out. Told them the throat and muzzle were ruined, time for a new barrel and a lesson in reloading. I was told somebody was able to drill the bullets out on a lathe, and save the barrel, but I really doubt it. More they didn't want to admit how bad it was. Hopefully they got the data straightened out.

[Harter66]

Duplex ........Trail Boss......... There's 3 words I never had even nightmares about seeing together ....

[Tackleberry41]

Duplex ........Trail Boss......... There's 3 words I never had even nightmares about seeing together ....

Don't ask me how they came up with that. I have never seen any thread on the web talking about such a thing. Or how they would decide what to mix or in what proportions. They never asked my advice on any of it, they went with people who thought they know what they are doing, they just talk louder I guess. The one guy, the 'gunsmith'. He does not own a case trimmer, his only case lube was a screwed up spritz bottle that barely worked. Has the cheap RCBS electronic scale. I have gone over and its on, been on for weeks, completely unused for who knows how long, papers and other stuff on top of it. He refuses to use a cast anything. He was I guess to lazy to load his own ammo, so farmed it out to a guy whos ammo was blowing primers. And was 'sizing' 123gr .311 AK bullets down for use in a 300BO. His rifle quit, primer got down in the trigger. He got it out, and kept shooting. Would just shoot it vs pulling them, then asked the guy to load more for him. But what do I know.

[Geezer in NH]

IMHO that whole top is JUNK! A blowup and want to use the parts again I will pass a couple hundred bucks is not that important.

Hang that upper on the wall where it WILL remind you not to do stupid carp.