Newby - bullet stuck in barrel

rkaine: DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, IT HASN'T HAPPENED, AND PROBABLY WON'T . Use loading data from a new edition books like LYMANS OR SPEER, weigh your powder, check to make sure there is powder in each case, seat at proper over all length , crimp and shoot. If a bullet gets stuck in the barrel there is something really wrong . Take it to a gunsmith. If it is badly stuck he can handle it, if it is easily removed and he only spends a minute on it, the cost hopefully will reflect that. Has someone helped or given you instruction on reloading or are you reloading from information you have read? It doesn't have to be rocket science but you can make that way , if you really want to get deeply into it.
 
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Regarding the freezing the barrel to swage the bullet...both copper and lead have a higher thermal expansion coefficient than does steel. If you freeze it, the bullet will shrink more than the barrel, and that wouldn't be much. We use thermal calc's when setting large inside micrometers (up to 4 meters).

Coefficient of thermal expansion for steel is about 6~7 in/in deg F.
Copper is around 9.8~10 in/in deg F. I don't have the numbers for lead, but given the above, the bullet should shrink 40~50% more than the barrel. On a diameter that small that's diddly.
 
Well, I see I started something...

I've sat with someone to learn reloading, I've read several books several times on the subject, watched a video several times on the reloading process, spoken to a couple of guys at the club about what they reload.

And I loaded rounds on the weekend, my first, using cross reference of the latest Hodgon manual and Lyman manual, as well as a couple of other sources. I'm going to shoot them Wednesday, so if I don't make it to work on Thursday, either something happened, or I'm still having fun.

I agree, I probably won't get a round stuck, I've just seen it at the club several times (in a revolver) where the fellow had loaded 500 rounds and several were squibs, so he was working his way through them to recover the brass - did not feel like pulling them apart I guess.

Anyway, he was hammering them out with a rod, but I was not paying much attention, too busy watching my stepson shoot.

Thanks for the advice to everyone, and I think for now I'll stick to the published numbers, though I'd love to try a reduced load sooner or later for indoor shooting - I'll work up my full loads first, and go from there.

Cheers

Ron
 
You might have luck pouring a mild copper solvent down the barrel on top of the bullet and let it sit for a few days.It shouldn't damage the barrel and might eat away enough bullet jacket to loosen the bullet.
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Don't you just LOVE the internet?

Let me get this straight, you are making a number of guesses about something of which you don't know and presenting this as advice?

Copper solvent is almost always ammonia based. And that stuff WILL eat the barrel steel so leaving it in the barrel to "eat away" a stuck bullet is a VERY BAD idea.

You don't believe that? The pressure of expanding gas drives the bullet down the barrel. If the bullet didn't make an almost air-tight seal by expanding into the rifling then the bullet wouldn't get very far because the gas would race around the projectile instead of pushing it.
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Actually gas does leak past the bullet. It is just that there is so much gas, a bit of leakage doesn't make all that much difference.

Just because there wasn't enough pressure to drive the bullet all the way out of the barrel doesn't mean that there wouldn't be a dangerous amount of pressure still behind a bullet that fails to exit the bore. It's never a 100% air tight so the gas will eventually leak out through the action or rifling and it will be safe to unlock the action. http://members.shaw.ca/cronhelm/DevelopSubsonic.html
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While I am flattered you quoted my web page, how about if I answer this question seeing as I actually have experience with this exact issue.

When a bullet sticks in the bore, there is obviously some residual pressure. However that pressure leaks out fairly quickly and with a very obvious and reasonably ominous hissing sound. Also unless sticking a bullet is a regular occurance, there is usually a period of confusion as to exactly what happend because the shot obviously went off yet nothing happened downrange. so in my experience by the time the shooter figures out what happened and opens the bolt, the pressure has dropped.

Even if the shooter opened the bolt immediately after shooting I don't think there'd be enough pressure to do any serious hard to either the shooter or the gun. By the time you get down far enough to stick a bullet, we aren't talking about a heck of a lot of pressure.
 
I've always wondered what would happen if you fired a primed cartridge with a few grains of red dot or something similar, but no bullet.
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It'll go "Bang!" Thats called a blank.

As I was scrolling down to the part where it says "POST REPLY" to ask just how in the world you would ever get a projectile stuck in normal reloading,
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No powder. The primer is more than strong enough to drive the bullet into the rifling. Not very far but stuck firmly none the less.
 
2fat2fly said:
Regarding the freezing the barrel to swage the bullet...both copper and lead have a higher thermal expansion coefficient than does steel. If you freeze it, the bullet will shrink more than the barrel, and that wouldn't be much. We use thermal calc's when setting large inside micrometers (up to 4 meters).

Coefficient of thermal expansion for steel is about 6~7 in/in deg F.
Copper is around 9.8~10 in/in deg F. I don't have the numbers for lead, but given the above, the bullet should shrink 40~50% more than the barrel. On a diameter that small that's diddly.
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So could you then freeze the bbl and then tap out the cold bullet? Would it not be eaiser according to this???
 
Actually, Rkaine, getting a stuck bullet out is of less concern than putting a double charge in a round, or accidentely using the wrong powder.
It is not likely that you could fit twice the amount into a rifle load, but there is lots of room in pistol loads to double charge.
For rifle rounds, the danger is that you mix up your powders somehow, and put a fast burning pistol powder in place of the proper slow burning rifle powder.
Either way... BOOM
 
tootall said:
Actually, Rkaine, getting a stuck bullet out is of less concern than putting a double charge in a round, or accidentely using the wrong powder.
It is not likely that you could fit twice the amount into a rifle load, but there is lots of room in pistol loads to double charge.
For rifle rounds, the danger is that you mix up your powders somehow, and put a fast burning pistol powder in place of the proper slow burning rifle powder.
Either way... BOOM
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And on that note of sense (apparently not that common) we will end todays sermon. Please,pretty please
 
bill c68 said:
So could you then freeze the bbl and then tap out the cold bullet? Would it not be eaiser according to this???
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No, freezing the barrel would provide insufficient (insignificant) shrink of the bullet. Total shrink of the bullet would be about 0.00025" going from 65F to -30F.
 
Suputin said:
While I am flattered you quoted my web page, how about if I answer this question seeing as I actually have experience with this exact issue.
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You seemed to have jumped to the erroneous conclusion that I do not possess any actual experience with this exact issue. I admit that I have encountered a stuck bullet only once in my life so perhaps you have more experience with this topic than I do? Apart from your assumption however, I would agree with everything else you said.
 
Getting a stuck bullet out of a bore can be a challenge, and is, in some cases, best left to those with experience. I remember one occasion when I was brought a Tikka chambered in 338 Win Mag with a bullet lodged partway up the bore. Exact circumstances surrounding this lodged bullet escape me, but I believe that the rifle had discharged when the bolt snagged on something [owner "thought" the safety was engaged]. The case was badly mangled, and the extractor had simply disappeared. After a couple of the conventional methods had been tried [Brass rod, Oil and wood dowel to hydraulic it out]without success, I made up a jig to drill through the bullet. The jig was a bore size bushing [less about .005"] on the outside, and drill diameter on the inside. With the proper [coated] long shank drill, I then drilled through the middle of the bullet carefully till the bit broke through the far side of the bullet. Then with a brass rod, the remainder of the bullet came out rather easily. I still have the remainder of that bullet in my "interesting things" collection. No damage to the bore whatsoever. The rifle [after the rest of the repairs were done] shot as well as previously, and the bore scope showed no nicks or scratches. Obviously, one has to be very careful, since a drill could potentially destroy a barrel very easily. It is worth noting that it is always easier to push a lodged bullt out toward the muzzle rather than backwards toward the breech. The only exception to this would be if the bullet was just lodged in the throat a very short way. Regards, Eagleye.
 
This link led to some interesting reading http://members.shaw.ca/cronhelm/DevelopSubsonic.html

I've been working on developing a subsonic load for my .303. I was thinking of using black powder. I figured it would be a good choice because I could load a large volume of it in my case...which I hoped would result in consistent ignition.

I would think the SEE effect mentioned in the article would not be a problem using black powder.

what do you guys think? Or should I stick with a NC powder?


p.s. I'm using .310 lead balls. Work very nice.

Easy to get out if they are stuck too :)
 
Keep it simple,
Some barrels are made tighter at the muzzle and therefore push the bullet back towards the breech with a cleaning rod or brass rod.
The reason the bullet got stuck in the first place is due to a low powder load.
You could take a normally loaded round remove the bullet and fire the stuck round out providing that the rifle is is normal good shape and the bullet was the proper ammo for that rifle.
 
Well, if Suputin was a hot chick I probably would have let it slide, but y'know....
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uhhhhhhh NO I'm not. But I'd be happy to admit to being a lesbian stuck in a man's body. :)

I've been working on developing a subsonic load for my .303. I was thinking of using black powder. I figured it would be a good choice because I could load a large volume of it in my case...which I hoped would result in consistent ignition.
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Truthfully I don't see why BP wouldn't work but there are some downsides. It'll be loud, smoky and BP is corrosive.

I would think the SEE effect mentioned in the article would not be a problem using black powder.
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True. SEE can only occur with nitroglycerin containing smokeless powders. So it can't happen with BP.

what do you guys think? Or should I stick with a NC powder?
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The 303 is not too different in volume from the 308 Win and it is reasonably easy to develop subsonic loads for that. You'll need to use heavier projectiles than roundballs though.

p.s. I'm using .310 lead balls. Work very nice.
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These fit more in the realm of gallery or "cat's sneeze" loads and will be severely limited in range.
 
Everything worked, they all went bang. Found a nice group for a 55 GR Hornady SP at 24 grains of WC 735, and a nice group for a 75 GR Hornady A Max at 24 grains of BL C 2, going to see what I can get with Varget when I get a hold of some.

Interesting reading this post however. ;)
 
President said:
The reason the bullet got stuck in the first place is due to a low powder load.
You could take a normally loaded round remove the bullet and fire the stuck round out providing that the rifle is is normal good shape and the bullet was the proper ammo for that rifle.
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Explain how that works in terms I can understand
 
Happened to me once... went to crappy tire and bought a 36" wood dowel , cost about .50Cent. anyway while I waited I put my rifle in the freezer.

2 hrs later I put dowel down the barell and tapped the bullet out. This info. was given tome by my gunsmith, it might not work for you but it did for me.

btw mine was stuck fairly close to the chamber, hence the descion to push back to the chamber....
 
Now here is an interesting idea.. whats to stop you from taking a case with the appropriate amount of powder (but no bullet) and firing that, to remove the bullet from the barrel??

you could drop the powder load to enough to get it out the barrel, and note require a full powder load.

???
 
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