Need help bullet stuck in the barrel.

buffdog said:
The above quote one of the best pieces of advice you will get on this.

If you do not know what your are doing, then take it to a gunsmith.

I sometimes shudder at so called "advice" given on these boards. Absolutely avoid wooden rods, they do not have the strength and as shown, will split and jam in the barrel. The pointed bullet acts just like a wood splitter would when you are splitting firewood.

A long rod flexes when hit, and hits the side of your rifling. Most cleaning rods are made from aluminum, so they don't really damage the bore, but they deform when hit, and they really don't have enough strength to knock out a well lodged bullet in the bore.

A good gunsmith can remove the bullet easily. He should have a special long drill bit with sleeves to put inside the bore so that the rifling is protected, and the drill bit runs through the sleeve. By drilling slowly and only a little bit at a time, and withdrawing the drill bit to remove the lead, he eventually will get a hole through the bullet. Then, he will use a larger drill bit and sleeve, and enlarge that small initial hole, without damage to the rifling. At that point, he should be able to push the bullet out, because the pressure on the walls is less and the jacket can collapse a bit.

Do not try this without the sleeve support because the drill bit will wander off center and hit the side of the chamber or rifling.

BEFORE YOU SCREW IT UP BUT TRYING TO FIX IT YOURSELF
TAKE IT TO A GUNSMITH IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
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Great post, but I fixed it for you
 
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Brass or Al rod and a plastic mallet. Not a steel hammer or wood. Mind you, in this case you likely won't need the mallet. No smithy would use a drill.
Mild steel will do. Mild steel isn't as hard as the barrel steel. Won't bother the barrel at all.
"...powder contaminated..." If one round had bad powder they all do.
 
By all means take your $150 rifle to the doctor to get a bullet removed. Or maybe just make a lamp out of it and go buy another $150 rifle and be money ahead. Or see if you can fix it yourself ........ my god what am I saying, you can't fix a gun yourself.

Sarcasm aside, an old Mosin is good place to learn stuff, be careful but go for it.
 
fixing posts

BEFORE YOU SCREW IT UP BUY TRYING TO FIX IT YOURSELF
TAKE IT TO A GUNSMITH IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

I really don't mind you fixing posts for me, but I do think you might learn to spell correctly first:)

The drilling is really a last resort. Lots of penetrating oil and trying to tap it out is the best method IF IT WORKS.

When I say drilling it out, perhaps some pople are not familiar with the method, as I see by their posts. I certainly do not advocate simply running a drill bit down the bore, and git-er-done.

For a 30 calibre, you make up a sleeve that will fit inside the bore, and that has about a 3/16 hole through the center. If the bullet is say 8 inches or so up the barrel, you use about a 12 inch sleeve. You insert the sleeve, then take a very long 3/16 inch drill and put it inside the sleeve. You then drill out about 1/4 inch deep, withdraw the drill bit, clean it off, reinsert it, and drill another 1/4 inch. After a few of these you will have drilled through the bullet, but not touched the rifling because the drill is encased and centered inside the sleeve.

You then repeat with a 1/4 inch drill and appropriate sleeve. You can use a twist drill, but a gun drill is even better. By drilling a hole through the bullet, you relieve the tension that is pushing outwards from the bullet and binding the bullet in the bore. Then, it is fairly easy to tap it out.

If the post had been read right, this is what should have been understood. I certainly do not advocate putting a full bore sized drill down the bore and drill the whole bullet out that way. All that is needed is to put a hole through the bullet that is smaller than the outside diameter of the bullet, in this case about 1/4 inch maximum, and not a full .311 diameter of the bullet.

Then, the bullet is easier to tap out.
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If you decide to try to tap the bullet out again do yourself a favour, find a industrial supply store that sells deep creep penetrating fluid, buy a can and spray some down the bore, wait 15 mins and the bullet will probably almost fall out on it's own.
 
"...bullet just barely entered the rifling..." These are the operative words. No oil, hydraulic pressure nor anything else but a brass or Al rod is needed. Muzzle up, drop the rod down the barrel and the bullet will pop out.
 
What would anyone suggest for one stuck smack dab in the middle, with lets say a long hearty rifle grabbing 200gr BTHP in a .308?

Would heatin the crap outta it with a heat gun ( not hotter then I would ever get it at the range ) help?
 
Heat, penetrating oil, and some good smacks with a brass or solid aluminum rod and you should be good-to-go. And don't worry too much about the heat. Even if you have to melt the lead out, I doubt that the barrel steel will be harmed (as long as the heat was applied gradually and evenly, of course).
 
I would find a piece of steel rod closer to bore diameter,even threaded ready rod will work. Wrap it in electricians tape so that there is no steel to steel contact,spray thru the receiver with some type of lube and drive the bullet back out into the chamber area...
 
lorne19 said:
Well I finally got a steel rod and rapped the end with electrical tape and attempted to push the lodged bullet out. But I'll I ended up doing was flattening the bullet out in the barrel and getting my rod stuck in the barrel. It must have buried itself in the bullet and wont come out. What do I do now?
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Get a heavier hammer and hit it harder... I hope the steel rod is long enough... when you drive it into the muzzle it will be difficult to remove if the bullet has not popped out the other end.
 
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