Exploded case stuck in chamber

Redpoints

Redpoints

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So while shooting .308 today, I fired a round which suffered a total case failure as can be seen in the pictures. None of the other rounds (around 20 of the same) show any significant signs of over pressure, and this has never happened to me.

So this back half of the case came out as the bolt was opened, but the front half of the case is nicely welded into the throat of the chamber. My question to you guys is, how do I get the sucker out of there without damaging the throat.

I am not going to want to ream if it is possible to avoid, but will do it as a last resort, as this is something I have to send out for as opposed to solving on my own. Thanks for the input.

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A brass rod of appropriate diameter and a hammer if you want to do it yourself. Maybe a cleaning rod if it isn't stuck in there. I doubt the case is "welded" in any way. What you experienced is relatively common among case failure and not necessarily indicative of overpressure.
 
That is nothing to do with excess pressure. It is a case separation. Try pushing a brush through from the muzzle. Or try a larger brush in from the breech - it might grip the broken case tight enough to allow it to be pulled out.
Or, get a broken case extractor.
What kind of rifle is it? M-14?
Factory or handloaded ammunition?
Could be headspace related.
 
Try inserting a new .30 caliber brush into the chamber and half way through the neck of the case and pull back... sometimes the separated case will come out on the brush when it is bent back on itself.

Stubborn ones usually require a gunsmith...do not use drills, taps, easy outs, etc. The chance of you doing permanent damage is great.

Do you know why your case failed? I would venture a guess you have been sizing the case too much creating head clearance.
 
it is a handloaded round in a rem 700. this rifle has seen thousands of rounds through it. I do think it was just a "dud" piece of brass, on its second loading.

I will try the brushes, see how they do.
 
If the brush doesn't work, plug the case neck with extremely tight patches, place epoxy in the body of the case, let it cure overnight, tap it out with a rod. Be sure to not get any in the chamber.
 
happen to me ....
i cut another case in the same place where they seperated and then found a bolt that would thread into the cut one .then i cut the head off the bolt and welded it to an old screw driver . i then threaded it into the seperated case and put a rod down the bore and tapped it out ...
 
if it's really stuck in there try this ;

if you take the bolt out , you may be able to take a brass punch , with the corectly ground tip , and work it between the remaining case and chamber .
once you work the tip in , gently hammer the brass punch in , causing the remaining case to buckle towards the center of the chamber .

if it doesn't fall out when your done , a cleaning rod should easily poke it out from the other end .
 
I have removed several cases like yours although in larger caliber rifles, using a cast lead slug tapped down the barrel with a brass rod. The biggest problem in your case is the small diameter of the bore which would require a rod smaller than 5/16. I would also use perhaps only 1/2 of a slug (in length) to reduce friction. I doubt that the shell is all that tightly jammed in the chamber. You might also try a piece of 00 buckshot flattened slightly to increase its bore diameter length.
I definitely would not try drilling the case out or punching the edges up from the breach as some have suggested

cheers mooncoon
 
Take another .308 spent casing, insert into chamber and gently tap it into the remains of the first case. Give it a decent knock to seat it, then either use a cleaning rod to attempt to knock the cases out, or let the extractor hook the protruding case, then tap the bolt handle back. I have done this with case-head separations in my Lee-Enfields before with total success ( several right on the range bench )

HTH ... DT
 
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BROKEN SHELL EXTRACTOR

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Easily Removes Broken Cases Without Field Stripping

Case head separation from over-fired or out of spec brass won’t ruin your shooting experience if you keep one of these handy tools in your pocket or field kit. Hardened, steel tool reliably and easily removes broken cases from AR-type or any other firearm chambered for the .223/5.56 NATO or .308/7.62 NATO cartridges. Exclusive, threaded, two-piece design is adjustable for overall length, so the tool completely engages the rim of the case mouth; cannot slip through or strip out. Very simple to use, drop the broken shell extractor into the chamber directly inside the broken case. Allow the bolt to close so the extractor engages the rim of the tool and draw back the bolt to open the chamber. The broken case will eject along with the broken shell extractor.


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I once had a separated case in a .50 cal Sharps. I drove a soft lead slug down the barrel from the muzzle. Same as slugging the bore for shooting cast bullets. Once the slug reached the chamber it grabbed the top part of the case and popped it right out.

Chris.
 
one of the first suggestions I got was to use a bore brush. turns out the first attempt at removing the case remains was all it took. i put a .44 bore brush in there from the breech end, the bristles caught the old case and pulled it right out. thanks all for the input though, I am sure some of the methods are good for more stubborn cases
 
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