I got a bullet REALLY stuck

[joesig]

I thought about mercury too but the question is, where do you get it? Time to break open an old thermostat or what? Just don't announce it if you do or the EPA will condemn your house!

The OP already has the brass rod to use as a drill, it's safe on the rifling and it'll work on the CoW too.

[NVScouter]

I've drilled out a stuck billet and Ruger had to replace my barrel.

The "case capacity " is now larger so load up a couple more 2, 2.5 blanks and fill with toilet paper. It will shoot out but needs more powder for the same PSI

[zidave]

I recently got a bullet and a wood dowel stuck in my barrel. Wound up having to drill the lil SOB out.

If you go that route, I suggest wrapping electrical tape at certain points on the drill bit to keep the bit centered in the barrel.

[fatnhappy]

Where can one purchase mercury?

prs

google is your friend. try any science supply store

[mattd]

The "case capacity " is now larger so load up a couple more 2, 2.5 blanks and fill with toilet paper. It will shoot out but needs more powder for the same PSI

I'm not sure about that. I already have two case gulls of CoW packed in behind the bullet. I pushed a wire up from the chamber end and it only goes about 6 inches past the action, and the bullet is about 6 inches from the muzzle. So that works out to about 6 inches of **** packed into the barrel behind the bullet.

Feeling a little smarter today.....for a guy in this situation anyway. Filed a spade onto the end of my brass rod and spun it in the drill. Some lead came out. I can actually see the bullet down from the muzzle. The spade kept wearing out, but made a good cone shaped hole in the center of the bullet. I cut some thread on the back side of a 1/8 drill bit and screwed it into a cleaning rod. Pushed it agains the bullet, attached some vise grips to the rod and leaned in on the handle slowly turning the vise grips.

It was def cutting into the bullet and after a while I pulled it out and it had CoW on the end of the bit. So I'm threw a short bullet and have a ways to go yet, but getting there. Will keep at it, taking a little bit out at a time and I should get all the way thru.

[MaryB]

Amazon carries mercury http://www.amazon.com/GalliumSource-...ywords=mercury

[mattd]

Im past the lead now. A couple inches anyway. My problem now is there is a lip between the drill bit and where it screws in the the rod. I worked it till that lip is sitting on the bullet and won't let me go any further. It's all Cream of Wheat and Dacron now. I've been using a small diameter rod, really a stiff wire, to poke at it and moving slowly. The Kroil probably soaked in and expanded it. Any ideas?

[joesig]

My bad. Mercury at a reasonable price. I've seen it on eBay too, etc. A hundred bucks a pound is a bit steep! I seem to recall mercury used to be listed on the commodity exchange. It was in 76 pound flasks. I don't recall it being that expensive though. A pound would unstick a hundred or so bullets. I guess if you were going to stick THAT many....


Dang! That much CoW! No wonder the boolit wouldn't move when tapped on.

Gotta keep chipping away. MAYBE if you can pass a 17 caliber brush down the bore?

If you have the means, a deck screw welded to a rod and pull out like they do with muzzle loader.

[mikeym1a]

This thread has raised a point on which I am ignorant. What does mercury do to lead? Does it dissolve the lead? And if so, how much is needed? I took geology instead of chemistry. And dad would never let me a chemistry set as a kid. mikey

[joesig]

My non chemistry 4:30AM answer is it basically turns the lead to slush. Seems about 1:1 would work.

[Whitespider]

I'm not tryin' to poke an open wound mattd...
But what led you believe it was possible to shoot the stuck boolit out with COW in the first place??
I hate to say it, but I'm thinkin' the odds of a bulged barrel are pretty good.

[Kim]

If I remember rightly from metallurgy courses I took in college, steel gets stronger as it heats until it gets to around 700 degrees, then weakens rapidly. The lead will melt before that temp is reached. I removed 7 bullets stacked up in a S&W 29 barrel by slowly raising the temperature in an oven until they melted and ran out. Go Slow!

[44man]

Once a boolit sticks it is best to use a brass rod at the start, never try to shoot it out. I can't count those I have removed.
Heat helps and I use a hot air gun that does not go past 400* ( heat gun for covering model airplanes.) to warm stuff, don't heat the boolit or it will expand too. I have never had to heat to remove a boolit though.
To melt lead out is not good on the steel at all. 300* is used to temper steel, enough to change grain structure.
You don't need much heat to expand steel. I had to remove many barrel nuts from DW revolvers and just used a hose and funnel to pour boiling water through the barrel to expand it. Nuts would spin right off.
How does one stack 7 boolits in a barrel without ruining it?
Be aware a brass drill and even aluminum can gouge steel. Best was the small drill through a tube. Use a lot of cutting oil and remove the drill often to clear chips or it will bind up. Lead is a hard thing to drill. Stay as far away from wood dowels as you can.

[KAF]

CoW is a projectile, like a bullet. Barrel is toast. Bulged big time.

[mattd]

From 1 grain of unique?

[dubber123]

I'm betting with the low charge weights, the barrel is just fine. I imagine most of the miniscule gas pressure just ran back past the fired case. I'm sure we will find out soon.

[44man]

I don't expect pressure damage, just the drilling operation. Nobody knows how many revolvers have been saved from the dreaded SEE event by the gap. But 1 gr will sure pack COW behind a boolit.

[Whitespider]

From 1 grain of unique?

Do you have any idea how much pressure 1 grain of Unique (or any powder) will create in a closed or sealed container?? A .22 barrel don't provide much room for expansion at all... and the COW made it even less. I'm not sayin' you have a bulged barrel... I'm sayin' a bulged barrel (or ringed chamber) will be no surprise whatsoever.

Tryin' to "shoot" the blockage clear of a barrel is not a good idea... ever.
I'm still wonderin' what led you believe it was possible (or safe) to shoot the stuck boolit out with COW in the first place??

[44man]

True, a rifle is SEALED so we will see.

[BBQJOE]

Might as well try shooting some bacon and eggs up there with that cream of wheat. Make it a full breakfast.

(Sorry, couldn't help myself)