How to safely remove a live wrong caliber round stuck inside a barrel

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herbeapuce

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Hi.
hopefully someone can help me....

this 30-06 ( edited I fist wrote it was a 300WSM but I was wrong it is a 30-06, sorry ) bolt action rifle was loaded with some .243. the bolt was engaged and .one 243 round was pushed inside the action , the bolt was force closed ... I had to hit the bolt with a piece of wood to make it pull out. the extractor pin had left a mark on the case base but now thee bolt is out.
Please how to safely remove the stock live round that is now stuck inside the barrel?

Soaking the primer with Kroil first? how do you neutralize gun powder ? H4350 that is.

how should I safely deal with this situation please ?

thank you for your help

Stef
 
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Go down through the muzzle with a piece of 1/4" aluminum or brass rod and tap it out. Once the bullet compresses into the powder the case should start to move. Maybe put some penetrating oil down the bore the day before you try that, or atleast a few hours before
 
Take it to an experienced gunsmith.

Don't assume that Kroil or anything else is going to kill the primer. Might, might not.

If the stuck round has corked the chamber tightly enough that the bore can hold fluid, here is a rather safe method:
Obtain a short rod of a diameter that will just fit the bore at the muzzle. A length of lathe turned brass is good.
Fill the bore almost full of oil. Insert the rod, and hit it hard with a hammer. It will act like a piston.
The round might pop out, along with a flood of oil. Or, the bullet will be forced into the case, flooding the powder with oil. The primer may be forced out by the hydraulic force.
If the stuck round is forced out, fine. If it isn't the powder is now oil soaked and isn't a problem. Drive the round out with a rod that is a good fit in the bore. Don't mess around with a dowel.
Dismantle the rifle, and have the barrelled action over a bucket if using this hydraulic method.

See the first suggestion - contact an experienced gunsmith.
 
Good suggestions above, especially the part about "Don't mess around with a dowel"! From the drawings, looks like about front 1/4 or so of a 243 Win shoulder would get squashed into the front of the shoulder area of the 300WSM chamber, unless the case buckled. No guarantee that the 243 bullet is centered in the 30 caliber bore, so try to use a reasonably close fitting rod down the bore - to not want to end up with a too small rod wedged beside the 243 bullet!! Keep us posted with what you find when it comes out.
 
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Give it to someone with experience..it is possible to fire off the round by hammering on the end of a bullet... Powder compresses and pushes right through the flash hole against the primer anvil.. rare but possible...
 
Ok PLEASE don’t take this as any sort of suggestion. Discussion purposes only. What would be the consequences of just firing the bullet? It would seem that given the dimensions, the undersized 243 bullet would blow out the barrel amidst the bypassing gasses, then the spent brass could be popped out with a dowel safely.

Like, a really crappy fire forming.
 
The .243 bullet obviously would not seal the bore, but, the WSM being larger in diameter than the .243, the cartridge case could rupture badly, releasing gas, even with reduced pressure.
 
You run the risk of blowing out the brass (if the firing pin can even hit the primer) If the neck tension is greater then the pressure to split the unsuported brass. So that will make a mess and maybe put some hot gasses back into the bolt
 
So the 243 base is .470 in a chamber designed for .555.

So there’s .085 of play, allowing the brass to shift out of the way from the extractor, so it can’t get a good hold.

So what about tucking a .050 to .080 shim along side the cartridge opposite the extractor?
 
kodiakjack said:
So the 243 base is .470 in a chamber designed for .555.

So there’s .085 of play, allowing the brass to shift out of the way from the extractor, so it can’t get a good hold.

So what about tucking a .050 to .080 shim along side the cartridge opposite the extractor?
Click to expand...

That could work and isnt a bad idea. Use aluminum or something soft as to not scratch the chamber..

But depending on the bolt face design it may not help. Like a mauser bolt face has support oppsite the extractor built into the bolt face.

Now for a lee enfield style bolt face that would work
 
Evanguy said:
That could work and isnt a bad idea. Use aluminum or something soft as to not scratch the chamber..

But depending on the bolt face design it may not help. Like a mauser bolt face has support oppsite the extractor built into the bolt face.

Now for a lee enfield style bolt face that would work
Click to expand...

Well, I just figured like cereal box cardboard or plastic from a margarine container lid or something.
 
tiriaq said:
Take it to an experienced gunsmith.

Don't assume that Kroil or anything else is going to kill the primer. Might, might not.

If the stuck round has corked the chamber tightly enough that the bore can hold fluid, here is a rather safe method:
Obtain a short rod of a diameter that will just fit the bore at the muzzle. A length of lathe turned brass is good.
Fill the bore almost full of oil. Insert the rod, and hit it hard with a hammer. It will act like a piston.
The round might pop out, along with a flood of oil. Or, the bullet will be forced into the case, flooding the powder with oil. The primer may be forced out by the hydraulic force.
If the stuck round is forced out, fine. If it isn't the powder is now oil soaked and isn't a problem. Drive the round out with a rod that is a good fit in the bore. Don't mess around with a dowel.
Dismantle the rifle, and have the barrelled action over a bucket if using this hydraulic method.

See the first suggestion - contact an experienced gunsmith.
Click to expand...

The above is the best answer...

And any rod that is going down the length of the barrel should be close to bore diameter and made of steel with a flat end and protrude from the muzzle only a few inches. Wrap that rod with a layer of tape to protect the rifling.
 
Cannot imagine how a 243 case would be stuck in a 300 WSM chamber all that badly. The 243 is smaller in every dimension. Diameter, headspace, length. you name it; all are smaller. The only scenario which makes any sense at all is that the small 243 case was cocked in such a way that the nose of the bolt wedged the shoulder in and it can't be very stuck. Flat nosed rod should take it out easily.
 
Leeper said:
Cannot imagine how a 243 case would be stuck in a 300 WSM chamber all that badly. The 243 is smaller in every dimension. Diameter, headspace, length. you name it; all are smaller. The only scenario which makes any sense at all is that the small 243 case was cocked in such a way that the nose of the bolt wedged the shoulder in and it can't be very stuck. Flat nosed rod should take it out easily.
Click to expand...

holy Crap, and now I feel like an idot even more.... the .243 is stuck in a 30-06 and not a 300wsm.
@GrizzyAdams...hint... I can't get myself to cut my own fingers:redface: and I will try hard not to blow them off...
I will now edit the title. thanks to everyone for your help.
 
tiriaq said:
The .243 bullet obviously would not seal the bore, but, the WSM being larger in diameter than the .243, the cartridge case could rupture badly, releasing gas, even with reduced pressure.
Click to expand...

Evanguy said:
You run the risk of blowing out the brass (if the firing pin can even hit the primer) If the neck tension is greater then the pressure to split the unsuported brass. So that will make a mess and maybe put some hot gasses back into the bolt
Click to expand...


Hmmm. So, given the update below, what are your thoughts on firing it?


herbeapuce said:
holy Crap, and now I feel like an idot even more.... the .243 is stuck in a 30-06 and not a 300wsm.
@GrizzyAdams...hint... I can't get myself to cut my own fingers:redface: and I will try hard not to blow them off...
I will now edit the title. thanks to everyone for your help.
Click to expand...
 
I don't think it is going to be stuck too badly - from drawings, looks like you likely have the 243 shoulder wedged into the 30-06 chamber wall. There used to be writings on Internet that US military wanted that on purpose - that the 7.62 would "headspace" on the taper of the 30-06 chamber wall, and with the bullet more or less entered into the 30-06 shoulder area, a desperate soldier could touch of that round - have not been able to verify the story, but the 308 Win often does so "headspace" along the side wall of a 30-06 chamber. Your 243 Win has same size shoulder, at same distance from the case head - I guess I would now be curious how come your extractor did not pull it out, since 30-06 and 243 will have the same size rim and extractor groove...
 
If you can close the bolt go ahead and fire it... the pressure will be way down being a 243 bullet in a 30 caliber bore... it should extract fine... if not it should be easy to tap out..
 
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