Stuck bullet

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Licensed to kill

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So a buddy was by with a problem. He was shooting his .17HMR and had a head separation. The pressure came out past the bolt and blew that mag out of the gun destroying the mag. The head came off but the case is still in the chamber and the bullet is jammed in the barrel about 1-2” from the chamber. Tried to remove the bullet but it is stuck fast. REALLY fast. Of course being .17 it’s tough to find a rod to fit to pound the bullet out. I have one idea for removing the bullet but it’s not a great one so looking for ideas to get the bullet out AND what may have caused this issue.
 
I've seen a YouTube video of a guy who used grease to push out a stuck bullet. Maybe it was a stuck case?

This isn't the video I saw but same idea:

The redneck in me is wanting to suggest pulling the bullet on a 17hmr and then seeing if firing that in the gun will get it moving... not that I'm suggesting you do that...
 
What make and model is the 17 HMR?

I have seen a similar incident with a friends Savage Model 25 in 17 Hornet, minus the bullet being stuck in the bore.

Although Savage Canada Warranty Center offered to fix it, we took it to the Creston Gun-smith. The brass too blew off the rim and the headstamp was also gone. The remaining brass case was jammed in there tighter than, well you know...........:ROFLMAO:

The gunsmith had to cut off some off the tenon, remove the stuck brass, set back the chamber with a re-chamber in 17 Hornet as well as reset the head space.

Getting a stuck small 17 caliber bullet in the barrel sounds like a gun-smith job. In saying this, there are a lot of talented gun guys here on Gunnutz who may have an easier solution.
 
When this happened to my old Cooey with a 22 short about 5 inches in front of the chamber, we dabbled some soot on the barrel where the slug was stuck to darken it and applied some WD-40 down from the chamber end. Then stuck that part of the barrel exposed to the afternoon sun to heat it up. Drove it out easy with a mallet and a welding rod. Just not sure what you could use that's small enough for the .17 though.
 
Grease would work great for the bullet if you could connect the grease gun to the barrel well enough without damaging anything. Remember, every bit of pressure that you need to move the bullet (which is probably a lot) is also going to be trying to escape the connection.

What type of gun are we talking? If it's a blued savage in a plastic stock the gun is probably worth less than any gunsmithing.
 
Licensed to kill said:
Of course being .17 it’s tough to find a rod to fit to pound the bullet out.
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Arcosdad said:
Just not sure what you could use that's small enough for the .17 though.
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There is this tool that has the exact right dimensions for such a job. Its called a "17 caliber cleaning rod" :rolleyes:

Don't forget, lots of lube, like a gentleman should.
 
Suther said:
The redneck in me is wanting to suggest pulling the bullet on a 17hmr and then seeing if firing that in the gun will get it moving... not that I'm suggesting you do that..
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This would be a VERY BAD idea. The gas would hit the back end of the bullet and then turn 90 deg and attack the bore wall, resulting in it either gas cutting the bore and / or ringing the bore. Don't do this.


Wally said:
Grease would work great for the bullet if you could connect the grease gun to the barrel well enough without damaging anything. Remember, every bit of pressure that you need to move the bullet (which is probably a lot)
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Most modern rifles have threaded muzzle these days. 🤷‍♂️

The truth is it doesn't take anywhere near as much pressure as you'd expect. It would even be possible to mostly fill the bore with oil, then insert a not loose fitting brass rod and give the rod a good solid whack with a hammer. Yes, you will get sprayed with oil blowback but enough pressure will be imparted info the non-compressible liquid to push the obstruction out easily.
 
I would try an air compressor with a rubber tip that would seal on the bore end.
maybe a little gun oil dripped down the bore to seal it up. Give it a good shot of air down the barrel.
If it doesn't work... then move onto the next try.
 
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I Dont Care About You said:
This would be a VERY BAD idea. The gas would hit the back end of the bullet and then turn 90 deg and attack the bore wall, resulting in it either gas cutting the bore and / or ringing the bore. Don't do this.



Most modern rifles have threaded muzzle these days. 🤷‍♂️

The truth is it doesn't take anywhere near as much pressure as you'd expect. It would even be possible to mostly fill the bore with oil, then insert a not loose fitting brass rod and give the rod a good solid whack with a hammer. Yes, you will get sprayed with oil blowback but enough pressure will be imparted info the non-compressible liquid to push the obstruction out easily.
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Some new rifles have threaded barrels.

Did you see how hard that .308 casing came out of that chamber? .170 has a TINY surface area so the pressure may end up being pretty high, especially if it were some sort of jam that caused the case head seperation.

Let's put it this way, I wouldn't look down the chamber end while you're pumpin grease in from the muzzle....
 
I Dont Care About You said:
This would be a VERY BAD idea. The gas would hit the back end of the bullet and then turn 90 deg and attack the bore wall, resulting in it either gas cutting the bore and / or ringing the bore. Don't do this.



Most modern rifles have threaded muzzle these days. 🤷‍♂️

The truth is it doesn't take anywhere near as much pressure as you'd expect. It would even be possible to mostly fill the bore with oil, then insert a not loose fitting brass rod and give the rod a good solid whack with a hammer. Yes, you will get sprayed with oil blowback but enough pressure will be imparted info the non-compressible liquid to push the obstruction out easily.
Click to expand...
So fill the chamber end with grease til you get to the throat and THEN use the round with the pulled bullet?...

(I'm joking. There are some times to listen to the redneck inside, but guns usually isn't one of them.)
 
The hydraulic method is worth trying, and won't do any harm if it doesn't work. First thing I would try at this stage.
1/8" drill rod wrapped with a bit of tape to keep it centered would be an option if trying to drive it out. Don't have any more rod protruding from the muzzle than necessary.
A long 1/18" drill, wrapped to keep it centered, could be used to drill through the bullet. The residual jacket material should then push out without much effort.
 
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Licensed to kill said:
So a buddy was by with a problem. He was shooting his .17HMR and had a head separation. The pressure came out past the bolt and blew that mag out of the gun destroying the mag. The head came off but the case is still in the chamber and the bullet is jammed in the barrel about 1-2” from the chamber. Tried to remove the bullet but it is stuck fast. REALLY fast. Of course being .17 it’s tough to find a rod to fit to pound the bullet out. I have one idea for removing the bullet but it’s not a great one so looking for ideas to get the bullet out AND what may have caused this issue.
Click to expand...
Reading the bold sentence in the body of the above paragraph from the OP, it says.....

The case is still in the chamber, so one could not place a new case with the bullet removed and full of powder to try and shoot this stuck bullet out.

I agree with I Don't Care About You, it's a very bad idea even if the chamber wasn't already plugged with a fired broken piece of brass........:(
 
Licensed to kill said:
No threaded muzzle. Already broke my .17 cleaning rod trying to pound it out. Mossberg international 817.
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I just looked to see if I could find a Mossberg International 817 rifle for value's sake.

I could not find one. However a rifle with a black synthetic stock and a blued barrel and action in 17 HMR is probably not worth much......:unsure:

I guess it could be worse, it could be something way more expensive.

Someone has got to know how to remove this slug from the barrel.

I'm sorry that I can't help. I wish I could think of some way to remove that sucker......:(
 
9-ball said:
I would try an air compressor with a rubber tip that would seal on the bore end.
maybe a little gun oil dripped down the bore to seal it up. Give it a good shot of air down the barrel.
If it doesn't work... then move onto the next try.
Click to expand...
I would definitely NOT use compressed air. The problem with a gas (air) is that it can compress and once it has compressed, it will vent suddenly and violently.

The reason everyone is suggesting hydraulic pressure is that a liquid does not compress and thus does not vent suddenly.


Wally said:
Let's put it this way, I wouldn't look down the chamber end while you're pumpin grease in from the muzzle....
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Neither would I but I'd still bet it won't take as much hydraulic pressure as you think. Also if oil is used it will help to lube the bullet.


tiriaq said:
The hydraulic method is worth trying, and won't do any harm if it doesn't work. First thing I would try at this stage.
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Definitely this.
 
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