Bullet jammed in my JC

macadoodle

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
94   0   0
Location
Edmonchuck
Sooo I was at the range last night. I have just started reloading and was testing out a whole bunch of different powder charges in 3 different enfields. Everything went great, except about the 6th shot from my Jungle carbine I pulled the trigger and...... nothin. I waited the 60seconds, in case of hangfire. I was sure I had put a fresh shell in, I was loading single shot, but no bang so maybe not. I extracted the casing, no bullet. I looked down the barrel and what do ya know there it is. Some how I managed to make a cartridge with no powder. Not too smart but now I have a bullet jammed in the throat. Any idea how to get it out?

I tried pushing with a cleaning rod, but no go.
 
Shoot another one behind ? Just kidding. Maybe try with a rod from a muzzleloader and push it from the muzzle back into the chamber ? Those rods are made exactly for that purpose (pushing bullet) so that could work.
 
Muzzle loaders usually are a larger Caliber e.g. 45-50 and usually have ; hence bigger ramrods. Probably won't fit. Ideally maybe a smaller dia brass rod ;say 24 inches long. Try lowering it in there til contact then lifting it maybe 4" and dropping it.
I'm guessing the brass ; being softer than the steel won't damage the bore. Brass rod is also quite heavy. Might be able to knock it loose.
If someone out here has a better idea or experience with this situation; critic away; its what I might try in your situation.
Brazing rod is bronze( I think ); quite long, it's also heavy and soft. Readily available at any welding supply store.
Again ; just a suggestion. Good Luck
 
If you are pushing from the muzzle back into the chamber and the bullet is FMJ then make sure to have a hard plug (like brass or copper) smaller than the barrel and land diameters to drop down first, otherwise you'll split your brass, aluminium or wooden ram rod. At best it'll break, at worst it'll split and wedge on either side of the bullet and stop you from pushing it either way, then break off when you try to get it out.

My opinion, get a piece of hard wood dowel that will fit as closely down the barrel as possible while still being able to fall freely. Chop it into 4 or 5 sections so that if it's warped it won't jam or break and each piece can turn freely. Since you're reloading you're going to have to at least slug that barrel anyways to find the right diameter bullet to shoot, and wooden doweling works the best for that in my opinion (as oposed to damaging the threading on your cleaning rod hammering lead in and out of the barrel).

The brass rod is also a good idea. Some muzzle loading guys use them because they're handy for reloading blackpowder guns that have fouled up barrels because of a long course of shooting. It's soft enough that it won't hurt your bore unless you do something really weird with it.
 
Hardwood dowelling in a nominal 5/16" generally is a tight fit, but you can sand it a bit, then it should fit better. For brass rod, I would think a quarter-inch would do the job, but best to have a hardwood cushion under it. Brass won't wreck your bore, but there's not a lot of point to taking chances, anyway.

Good luck.
 
Use a wooden dowel chopped into sections, and a rubber or plastic hammer to smack it down your bore, make sure to coat each dowel in oil, and spraying some penetrating lubricant, like WD-40 into the bore from the breech and muzzel end will help lubricate the bullet, so that when you go to tap it out, it has less resistance. Good luck.
 
Got a good, strong cleaning rod with a flat end that is close to bore diameter? Run it in from the muzzle and give it a sharp tap. If you don't have a good rod, buy piece of drill rod just under bore diameter. Polish the end flat with no sharp corners.
With just a primer, the bullet isn't going to be in there all that tight.
Or, another method I have used - and this requires making the tools - drill a hole in the back of the bullet, run in a screw on the end of a shaft, and sliphammer the bullet out. Pull it rather than push it.
Don't mess around with improvised methods. Get a broken off dowel wedged in there and a minor problem starts to get serious.
Gunsmiths love plugged barrels with heaven only knows what jammed in them.
 
-Get a length of 1/4" steel rod.
-Wrap tape around it at the chamber and muzzle ends and in the middle so that it is a slip fit into the bore.
-Insert into muzzle.
-If the bullet is lodged in the throat, it should come out with a few taps on the rod with a mallet.
 
Happens to me occasionally with my No4, primer pops but doesnt ignite the powder for some reason... but anyway, I just use my regular cleaning rod with an older brass jag on the end and tap it out from the muzzle end back toward the chamber, only take a couple of taps... Don't have to make any tools either.
 
Happens to me occasionally with my No4, primer pops but doesnt ignite the powder for some reason... but anyway, I just use my regular cleaning rod with an older brass jag on the end and tap it out from the muzzle end back toward the chamber, only take a couple of taps... Don't have to make any tools either.

What bullets are you using? I had this problem when I experimented with bullets and powder from Czech surplus 7.62x39. The bullets were undersize by just enough that there wasn't enough neck tension in a sized case to hold them securely. The primer would ingnite, driving the bullet into the throat without igniting the powder.

Sizing without the expander ball allowed the neck to hold the bullets securely. My dies are an older RCBS set.
 
I'll ask the stupid question, but seriously. Why not fire it out, using a loaded cartridge minus the bullet?

Is there a reason why you couldn't do that? I'd like to understand.
 
Back
Top Bottom