Case head separation case removal
- Thread starter hawkin user
- Start date
For Lee Enfield rifles, a common tool to own is a broken case extractor (can usually be bought for 10 bucks and good to keep in the range bag). Sometimes a wooden or brass dowel form the muzzle end can tap the case neck to remove it
Sometimes they will come out by pushing them out with a cleaning rod and bore brush.
What model of rifle and what cartridge?
These are the safest methods...
Sometimes you can use a new bronze brush threaded tight on a rod and insert it into the chamber up halfway through the neck and pull straight back. Don't rotate the brush, you want the bristles to grab hard on the straight pull back...
Tapping wood or brass down the bore will not work... the bore is a smaller diameter than the case neck is...
The next step would be plug the neck area with a tight patch sealing off the bore... swab some epoxy inside the case and not in the chamber... let it cure, drive the case out with a cleaning rod.
These are the safest methods...
Sometimes you can use a new bronze brush threaded tight on a rod and insert it into the chamber up halfway through the neck and pull straight back. Don't rotate the brush, you want the bristles to grab hard on the straight pull back...
Tapping wood or brass down the bore will not work... the bore is a smaller diameter than the case neck is...
The next step would be plug the neck area with a tight patch sealing off the bore... swab some epoxy inside the case and not in the chamber... let it cure, drive the case out with a cleaning rod.
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When you get home from the range, spray the chamber & muzzle end of the barrel with a good penetrating oil (Note WD-40 is NOT a penetrating oil, it is a Water Displacement formulation, hence its name).
Let it sit for a day (unless it's hunting season, then hopefully a couple of hours will work)
Now, get a bore brush 1 or 2 sizes larger than your normal bore size. Try going in from the muzzle end & slowly push it down towards the chamber end. Go slowly. With any luck, the case should come out with the brush.
If that doesn't work, try going from the chamber end. Once you get past the mouth of the case. rotate the brush/rod. Now slowly retract the brush & hopefully, it will come out.
Either of those 2 methods have worked for me in 99% of the cases over the years.
Next resort is a normal brush with a patch wrapped around it. Try going in from the front or back.
And if those methods do not work, I have resorted to:
DANGER! DANGER! Chamber damage can occur!
Screw in a tap lightly in to the brass case, then tap on a cleaning rod at the muzzle end. Out pops the case with, hopefully, no threads showing on the outside of the case.
Now go buy a broken shell extractor.
Let it sit for a day (unless it's hunting season, then hopefully a couple of hours will work)
Now, get a bore brush 1 or 2 sizes larger than your normal bore size. Try going in from the muzzle end & slowly push it down towards the chamber end. Go slowly. With any luck, the case should come out with the brush.
If that doesn't work, try going from the chamber end. Once you get past the mouth of the case. rotate the brush/rod. Now slowly retract the brush & hopefully, it will come out.
Either of those 2 methods have worked for me in 99% of the cases over the years.
Next resort is a normal brush with a patch wrapped around it. Try going in from the front or back.
And if those methods do not work, I have resorted to:
DANGER! DANGER! Chamber damage can occur!
Screw in a tap lightly in to the brass case, then tap on a cleaning rod at the muzzle end. Out pops the case with, hopefully, no threads showing on the outside of the case.
Now go buy a broken shell extractor.
BattleRife
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Pretty rare for a separated case to stick hard with loads of reasonable pressure. Most of the time there is some remaining ligament between the case halves and the whole thing comes out. On the couple of occasions when the front half remained in the chamber a a brass cleaning brush has done the trick.
Northern Amateur
CGN frequent flyer
This. I had a M305 that ripped the back of Winchester case off leaving the remainder in the barrel. Cleaning brush worked like a charm!!
cheers,
photo below is of an extractor that I made and which works quite well. What is not too obvious is that on the left hand side is a cone shaped wedge that when tightened up expands the serrated jaws which it is being pulled into. If my memory is correct, the T shaped handle on the shaft on the left hand side can be slid up and down as a thrust hammer to tap the case loose. Barely visible on the right hand end, you can see a small nut on the redi rod shaft running down to the expandable jaws on the left. As you tighten the nut, the wedge expands the jaws and they grip the inside of the case. The jaws are made from drill rod then tempered and drawn to 720 to 740 F which is spring temper. Tempering done in molten lead using a high temperature thermometer. The molten lead gives a uniform heat
Unfortunately I don't have the tool at the moment, to take some better photos
cheers mooncoon
Unfortunately I don't have the tool at the moment, to take some better photos
cheers mooncoon
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I use Guntech's method, but I use molten lead. I'm always close to a casting furnace and lead.
I've read of , but never tried, pouring liquid nitrogen into the chamber. The case will shrink from the cold, and will fall out. Finding liquid nitrogen could be a problem.
I've read of , but never tried, pouring liquid nitrogen into the chamber. The case will shrink from the cold, and will fall out. Finding liquid nitrogen could be a problem.
molten lead would be a bugger to clean up, if you spilled some outside the chamber. If I were going to use a molten metal, I would use Cerrosafe, because with its low melting temperature and spilled amounts are fairly easy to melt off. It also freezes / hardens much faster than most epoxies. The advantage of the puller that I illustrated is that it works quickly and easily and can be used on quite a variety of cases; the one in the photo was made to fit a .270 / 30-06 case and was used on one of the magnum cases. If you were a gunsmith and asked to remove a wide variety of cases, it would not be hard to make a couple of extra gripping heads for smaller and much larger cartridges. The only drawback is that you need a metal lathe to make one and perhaps a cutting torch to temper it. (I used an oxy-propane cutting torch)
cheers mooncoon
I did have one stuck case that was really stuck and I did use flux and soft solder... it was quite tricky to do but it worked fine. Have to be really careful roughening the inside of the case and fluxing it... and not have it come out into the chamber. Quick results as soon as it has cooled... Switched to the epoxy method after that... a bit slower but easier on the mind.
gewehr76
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I keep it simple, I find a rusty fired case on the range and insert it in to the chamber as far as it goes in to broken case. Slowly try to close the bolt on the case and after the pushing it forward use bolt extractor to yank both cases out. Rusty case creates friction on broken case and pulls it out.
Works 100% of the time.
Works 100% of the time.
If you monitor your cases and keep your loads to a sane level, you shouldn't have any case head separations.- dan
I agree and if you check your cases with a little pointed bent piece of wire feeling inside the case at the web area, discarding bad cases you will stop the separation before it happens... A badly stretched case is easily felt.
The one I had given to me to do, I removed with a tap as per jamesharrison, in post 5. I had, at that time, access to about every size and thread tap available, under an inch in diameter, and due care was used. Trick is to find the exact right size that just grips the case. And that was the only case head I ever saw separated.
As far as something to have 'just in case', buy some Cerrosafe. It won't take up much room, and you can use it for about any case or caliber.
Somewhere in my junk I have a broken case extractor for a machine gun, I think, it works along the lines of the unit mooncoon show above, except it only has a single lip, that is meant to catch the very front edge of the case mouth, when you cam back on the lever it has for a handle.
As far as something to have 'just in case', buy some Cerrosafe. It won't take up much room, and you can use it for about any case or caliber.
Somewhere in my junk I have a broken case extractor for a machine gun, I think, it works along the lines of the unit mooncoon show above, except it only has a single lip, that is meant to catch the very front edge of the case mouth, when you cam back on the lever it has for a handle.
Attachments
Plug the neck of the case will a balled up piece of paper towel, fill the case almost full with hot glue. Let set and tap the case out with a cleaning rod from the muzzle. I sprayed the inside of the case clean with carb cleaner before starting. I also used a metal drinking straw as an extension for the glue gun, heated first to make sure the glue flowed easily through it. Worked like a charm on a BLR when other methods failed.
