That clears that up. How hard are you hitting that rod. Are you useing a light fibre rod, as in a cleaning rod or a dry wooden dowel or a 1/4 inch steel rod?
Don't be to gentle with this thing, it was made to handle over 40,000 psi.
The last time you shot it, did you use corrosive ammunition and did you clean it properly. It almost sounds like a rusty chamber or at least in the shoulder throat area.
I've had cases where half the head pulled off, and all could be pounded out with a stel rod, if it was stiff enough.
One other thing that did happen to me with an M1 carbine, a very small ring of brass came off one of the case mouths of a previously fired round. Not large, about 1mm.
All of a sudden, after shooting a couple of 30 round clips (they were legal in those days), a round jammed solidly in the chamber, the extracter took out a portion of the rim. I tried a few field expedients, such as the cleaning rod and screw driver, no go.
When I took the rifle home, I put a rod down the bore and measured it to make sure the bullet had exited, just like you did. I thought a light tap with a rod should knock the stuck case from the chamber, just like you. Nope wouldn't budge. OK, next stripped the rifle down to a barreled action only, Then got a 1/4 inch steel rod, put it all the way down the bore to the case base and gave it a whack with a leather mallet. Nope didn't work either.
Next, I put the baxe of the receiver against the leather pad on the bench and got high enough to reach the end of the steel rod with a hammer. I gave it a really hard, one handed hit and the case + the leftover bit popped out. Big surprise.
I was darn lucky the rifle didn't fire out of battery. Upon checking the fired brass, i noticed a half dozen other cases with burred mouths from comeing into contact with the left behind ring.
It's easy to miss something like this. Even after cleaning, the piece looks like part of the chamber.
Get a decent rod and give the case a really good whack. It has to give way. Even if it's a steel case, it should be softer than the surrounding steel in the chamber, so you shouldn't hurt anything.
bearhunter
