maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
This article explains how to remove a stuck case, in this instance a copper washed steel 7.62x54R case from a SVT40, using a .303BR separated case extractor.
In the hour before the club’s annual Winter Milsurp match, shooters have a few relays to check their zero. It seemed appropriate to shoot this particular SVT40 in the cold. On the 50-yd bench I wanted to fire a group and to judge the fall of shot before committing to the 100yd target. I fired a shot. Bang! The next round fed but the bolt wouldn’t close. With the rifle pointed downrange, I pulled the charging handle back but not far enough to catch a new round, and let the parts fly forward again. Same stoppage in the same place. Hmm? I ejected that round and looked into the breech. I saw the sharp edge of the fired case about ½-inch into the chamber. Remembering that gunsmithing in the cold is always a stupid idea unless your life depends on it, I put the rifle on the rack and shot the match with Plan B.
The last time I had a separated case was firing belt after 220-round belt through a tripod-mount Machine Gun 7.62 C1 in the reserves. Four ball-one tracer, disintegrating link. Oh the good old days! These were Browning 1919A4s converted from 30-06 and the C1 conversion was not as reliable as the C5 conversion. Wheeled recce crewmen were trained on many things, including machine gunnery. If the headspace was too loose, the head would pull off a fired case and the gun would be down until cleared. Shoot them a lot, the parts heat up, lubrication changes how things move, or the adjustment clicker could back out. That day, my separated casing was extracted with the next round fed and the gun was immediately back in action. The machine gun tool kit had a lever affair that I remember was hard to use.
It sounds simple, but the wise shooter’s first response should be to not panic! In machine gun classes the instructors had the phrase, use the correct tool correctly. If you lever, pick, pry or scrape away at the case with a knife or screwdriver, you are guaranteed to make things worse. You will deform the case and very likely scratch the chamber.
There are different styles of separated case tools. Most have an expander smaller than the inside neck diameter and a base that is moved from the breech area. The one I chose was for .303BR because its case head was large enough for the SVT extractor, and the others were for .30-06 and 7.62 which have smaller diameter heads. One thought in my deliberations was that Globe Firearms in Vanier (Ottawa) rechambered poor condition Finnish SVT40s to .303BR “Mohawks”. The 7.62x54R is more similar to .303BR than the US cartridges, and Globe didn’t modify the bolt faces. I’ve had these tools for years, and they stay with my other speciality tools waiting for that one time to be used that one correct way.
This case extractor has three parts; a head, a shaft, and an expander. The shaft screws to the head. The expander slides along the shaft. The expander has with three petals or fingers, each with threads that grip inside the case neck. Rearward motion of the shaft pulls the expander against a bevel which flexes the fingers and forces the threads to bite inside the neck. Elegant and simple. The USGI tools engage the mouth of the case, but work similarly.
My workflow was simple
What if you don’t have the correct separated case tool? I do not approve or encourage these methods. After all, I was taught to use the correct tools correctly, and I had that tool.
What a separated case looks like.
tbc
In the hour before the club’s annual Winter Milsurp match, shooters have a few relays to check their zero. It seemed appropriate to shoot this particular SVT40 in the cold. On the 50-yd bench I wanted to fire a group and to judge the fall of shot before committing to the 100yd target. I fired a shot. Bang! The next round fed but the bolt wouldn’t close. With the rifle pointed downrange, I pulled the charging handle back but not far enough to catch a new round, and let the parts fly forward again. Same stoppage in the same place. Hmm? I ejected that round and looked into the breech. I saw the sharp edge of the fired case about ½-inch into the chamber. Remembering that gunsmithing in the cold is always a stupid idea unless your life depends on it, I put the rifle on the rack and shot the match with Plan B.
The last time I had a separated case was firing belt after 220-round belt through a tripod-mount Machine Gun 7.62 C1 in the reserves. Four ball-one tracer, disintegrating link. Oh the good old days! These were Browning 1919A4s converted from 30-06 and the C1 conversion was not as reliable as the C5 conversion. Wheeled recce crewmen were trained on many things, including machine gunnery. If the headspace was too loose, the head would pull off a fired case and the gun would be down until cleared. Shoot them a lot, the parts heat up, lubrication changes how things move, or the adjustment clicker could back out. That day, my separated casing was extracted with the next round fed and the gun was immediately back in action. The machine gun tool kit had a lever affair that I remember was hard to use.
It sounds simple, but the wise shooter’s first response should be to not panic! In machine gun classes the instructors had the phrase, use the correct tool correctly. If you lever, pick, pry or scrape away at the case with a knife or screwdriver, you are guaranteed to make things worse. You will deform the case and very likely scratch the chamber.
There are different styles of separated case tools. Most have an expander smaller than the inside neck diameter and a base that is moved from the breech area. The one I chose was for .303BR because its case head was large enough for the SVT extractor, and the others were for .30-06 and 7.62 which have smaller diameter heads. One thought in my deliberations was that Globe Firearms in Vanier (Ottawa) rechambered poor condition Finnish SVT40s to .303BR “Mohawks”. The 7.62x54R is more similar to .303BR than the US cartridges, and Globe didn’t modify the bolt faces. I’ve had these tools for years, and they stay with my other speciality tools waiting for that one time to be used that one correct way.
This case extractor has three parts; a head, a shaft, and an expander. The shaft screws to the head. The expander slides along the shaft. The expander has with three petals or fingers, each with threads that grip inside the case neck. Rearward motion of the shaft pulls the expander against a bevel which flexes the fingers and forces the threads to bite inside the neck. Elegant and simple. The USGI tools engage the mouth of the case, but work similarly.
My workflow was simple
- Put the rifle in a firm rest with good light;
- Lay out the tools and choose the most correct one;
- Apply some penetrating oil to the chamber in hopes it would creep between the case and the chamber wall;
- Confirm the tool is correctly assembled and tight, then hand seat it in the chamber;
- Let the operating spring pressure drive the tool into the chamber. In my situation, it closed just like chambering a live round; and,
- With a firm grip, pull the charging handle to the rear. In my situation, it opened to the primary extraction point and resisted. I took a firmer grip and pulled the charging handle completely to the rear. The tool and case ejected smoothly.
What if you don’t have the correct separated case tool? I do not approve or encourage these methods. After all, I was taught to use the correct tools correctly, and I had that tool.
- It is possible to use the return spring velocity to force another cartridge into the separated case. In my story about the machine guns, that technique worked. Pull the parts to the rear hoping the case pulls out by friction. If it doesn’t come out after two or three tries, stop. Repeated pressure will only expand the problem harder against the chamber walls;
- A second option, is to force an oversize phosphor bronze or stainless-steel cleaning brush in from the breech as a scraper, hoping to grip the mouth with the wires of the brush. In this situation, I’d hit a strong cleaning rod from the muzzle onto the brush. This could ruin a good brush and damage the rod’s threads, but these are consumables compared to a barrel;
- A third thought is to force a tight-fitting patch against the case mouth and hammer or pull towards the breech;
- If you have the right supplies, put an oiled patch as a dam in the bore and backed with a cleaning rod. With the rifle vertical, pour molten Cerrosafe chamber casting alloy into the exposed breech. When the Cerrosafe has cooled, bump the now-fused case and alloy out together. Melt the Cerrosafe for reuse. A hotter alternative is to pour a slug of molten lead into the chamber.
- Two methods I STRONGLY DISCOURAGEdue to the risk of permanent damage.
- Twist a tapered round file into the case getting the teeth to engage inside the neck,
- Or, turn a thread cutting tap into the case metal.
- In both of the above situations, drive out the tools with a cleaning rod like a slide hammer.
What a separated case looks like.
tbc
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