Live round stuck in breech...

[theshootist]

I've got a live round stuck in the breech of a centerfire bolt action rifle. The bolt is only a few mm's away from camming over and going to full battery.
I'm not sure how to handle this situation.
I used a small piece of wood to gently tap on the bolt handle, this released the bolt from the case head so I can remove the bolt. No visible damage to the cartridge rim or bolt extractor.
Figured there might be a sticky here in the gunsmithing forum. Perhaps there's advice for this situation somewhere else on CGN.
Any advice as to how to remove this live cartridge?

 

[Grove]

Drop a cleaning rod down the barrel and see if it lets go, has worked many times when I've had random surplus ammo casings stick in chambers.

 

[barsik]

that's a tricky situation, we don't know what's causing the out of battery interference but be very careful no matter how you approach it. trying to force the bolt closed has probably jammed the round even harder in the chamber so you will need to take non conventional steps to remove it safely without damage. if the muzzle is threaded some guys have poured oil down into the barrel and adapted a grease zerk to the muzzle and pushed a live round out of the chamber with grease pressure. the oil is supposed to kill the primer but the bullet has to get pushed into the case first. whatever you do, remember safety first.

 

[asa]

I have removed some with a rod down the muzzle.
One Tikka I removed the barrel from the action then popped the cartridge out

 

[Painkillers]

I would advise firing the round. Carefully take it to the range as is, (take the bolt out and ensure nothing could conceivably strike that primer while enroute.) at the range, send the bolt home aggressively and touch off the round. Then if the case won't extract, you can get barbaric with a dowel at home.
Once all is clear, you'll have to answer the question as to why it happened, and don't chamber live rounds at home.

 

[Dave_D]

I would advise firing the round. Carefully take it to the range as is, (take the bolt out and ensure nothing could conceivably strike that primer while enroute.) at the range, send the bolt home aggressively and touch off the round. Then if the case won't extract, you can get barbaric with a dowel at home.
Once all is clear, you'll have to answer the question as to why it happened, and don't chamber live rounds at home.

Terrible advice. We don’t know why or what is causing it to not close.
IMO Your method could potentially lead to a massive pressure spike causing damage to the firearm and or shooter.

 

[rajczak_kashka]

I would advise firing the round. Carefully take it to the range as is, (take the bolt out and ensure nothing could conceivably strike that primer while enroute.) at the range,

 

[guntech]

If a live round is very jammed into the chamber it may require a lot of force to drive it out.

Hold the rifle in padded jaws of a vise.
Use a steel rod close to the bore diameter with flat ends and only about 3 inches longer than the barrel
Wrap electricians tape around the rod, to protect the rifling. Do that close to the end where it will contact the bullet and about every 6 inches and close to where it exits the muzzle
Use about a 2 pound hand sledge, tap it to make firm contact and then give it a really good whack. you can use a piece of plywood with a hole so the rod can go through it to protect the muzzle when the case drives out and the sledge may hit the crown. If the case is really jammed tight you may have to drive the bullet far into the powder before it will break loose
If this fails lets us know. Then there is another procedure.
DO NOT use a wood dowel

 

[Autolite]

if the muzzle is threaded some guys have poured oil down into the barrel and adapted a grease zerk to the muzzle and pushed a live round out of the chamber with grease pressure. the oil is supposed to kill the primer but the bullet has to get pushed into the case first. whatever you do, remember safety first.

Or perhaps just try packing the barrel with grease and using some sort of metal ramrod* (and a hammer) to force out the jammed round. That's an old mechanic's trick to force out a seized bearing (the grease creates a 'hydraulic lock'). And I've also found that the best 'penetrating oil' is just a simple 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF. Good luck...

(*You should be able to find the correct size of metal rod that you would need at any hardware store)

 

[gunrunner100]

Use Guntech's suggestion, I've done it a few times over the years. My suspicion is that there is a very dirty, or rusty, chamber.

 

[TravisJM]

If a live round is very jammed into the chamber it may require a lot of force to drive it out.

Hold the rifle in padded jaws of a vise.
Use a steel rod close to the bore diameter with flat ends and only about 3 inches longer than the barrel
Wrap electricians tape around the rod, to protect the rifling. Do that close to the end where it will contact the bullet and about every 6 inches and close to where it exits the muzzle
Use about a 2 pound hand sledge, tap it to make firm contact and then give it a really good whack. you can use a piece of plywood with a hole so the rod can go through it to protect the muzzle when the case drives out and the sledge may hit the crown. If the case is really jammed tight you may have to drive the bullet far into the powder before it will break loose
If this fails lets us know. Then there is another procedure.
DO NOT use a wood dowel

Just for my own curiosity why is a wooden dowel such a bad idea? It was definitely my first idea.

 

[B_noser]

Because a wooden dowel can fracture along the grain withinin the bore and wedge tightly. If that happens, you have a REAL problem on your hands.

 

[fred0000]

Just for my own curiosity why is a wooden dowel such a bad idea? It was definitely my first idea.

If its real stuck, the point of the bullet splits it, then you start jamming it up even worse

 

[gunrunner100]

^^^This

 

[gerard]

Wood is soft. It will fracture and then your problem just got a lot worst.

 

[Autolite]

My suspicion is that there is a very dirty, or rusty, chamber.

I suspected the same. That's why I recommended using the 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF as a penetrating oil. The acetone acts a thinner to help the oil seep into the tightest places and the ATF will dissolve any rust. I've used this before and it does work...

 

[tiriaq]

I have had success with the hydraulic method. I make a short piston that just fits into the bore. Fill the bore with oil, start the piston in and whack it with a hammer. If the cartridge doesn't come out, the bullet will be forced back into the case and the powder flooded with oil. Top up the oil and repeat. I have not had this method fail.
This is messy. Remove the barreled action from the stock.
As stated above, do not use a dowel.

 

[SaddleTramp]

Having had this experience 40 years ago with a 8 x 57 mauser I would try firing the gun first. Putting oil down a barrel and trying to knock it free is only going to cause problems. I did this and ended up with the slug jammed in the case. I ended up soaking the wrecked cartridge with penetrating oil for several days. I did manage to drive out the case with a steel rod almost the same size of the bore.
If I just would have fired it there wouldn't have been all this hassle.
If you are working with a flat nose bullet a wooden rod may work. A spitzer will just split it.

 

[BigUglyMan]

Terrible advice. We don’t know why or what is causing it to not close.
IMO Your method could potentially lead to a massive pressure spike causing damage to the firearm and or shooter.

Was just about to say the same thing. I saw a guy repeatedly try to chamber a round in an AR. Tried to force the action shut but it wouldn't budge. Come to find out that there was a patch stuck in the throat of the rifle. Had he managed to get that round to chamber I feel pretty confident that it would have ended badly for the rifle, and maybe my buddy as well.

 

[sean69]

whatever you do, keep in mind that without the bolt in there the breech becomes the dangerous end....