Need gunsmith to pull unfired round from AR

[mauser]

roy dunlap would say that you should use 5/16 brass rod and a mallet to knock the bullet back into the case a bit, then apply WD 40 liberally from the bore end to inert the powder and primer. the brass is non-sparking and will not damage the internals of the bore, and moderate taps of the mallet are innocuous. you will know when the bullet is knocked loose from the feel.

of course, the gun should be supported in a clamp of some kind with ejection port and mag well facing away from you, and you should not be over the bore when using the mallet. once the bullet is loose and the WD 40 has soaked for an hour you can whack the hell out of the brass rod till it all breaks loose.

been done a thousand times on all kind of rifles with no ill effect. be sure to check the chamber, and polish it with a 12 gauge shotgun brush dipped in bore solvent and chucked in a high speed drill.

5/16 is .3125", it won't fit into a .308" bore, those few thousandths of an inch make a lot of difference in this situation. You'd have to drop down to ¼" unless you have access to odd size rod or happen to find a 5/16" rod that's a bit under size. Aluminum won't spark and should be strong enough to push the bullet into the case but may not be tough enough to drive the stuck case out of the chamber depending on how tight it's really stuck. You don't want to bend a rod in your bore, then you'll have something else to try to remove.

The wood dowel splits on the bullet. OK, pour 3 or 4 inches of water (or oil) into the barrel in front of the stuck cartridge. Place a tight fitting dowel (a brass rod would be even better) in the barrel just short of the water/oil. Have someone pull on the charging handle hard so you don't have to overcome the weight of the BCG. Strike the dowel a short blow with a heavy hammer. Seriously heavy hammer. 3 pounds minimum, an 8 pound sledge even better. The hydraulic pressure should drive out the cartridge. Again, a short blow with a heavy hammer is MUCH better than a swift blow with a light hammer. You want momentum, not energy.

ETA: there may be some blow by or splash. If you use oil be prepared for it.

Good theory but unless you find 5/16 rod that's a bit under size it won't fit the bore. The next smaller common size dowel is ¼" and it won't fit close enough to get the hydraulic effect you need.
Lead buckshot might give you the seal you need for the hydraulic method, size 0 (ought) is .32" diameter and soft enough to be easily driven into a .308 bore with a ¼" rod. Size 1 is .30" and may be a close enough but isn't so common.
If you'd rather push gently, as with a porta power, you might be able to use a hydraulic jack. You'll have to have a way to hold the gun and the jack solidly, aligned, and in close enough proximity to each other. If you don't have a bottle jack I'm sure you must know someone who does.
A small one would be plenty.

[imashooter2]

Good theory but unless you find 5/16 rod that's a bit under size it won't fit the bore. The next smaller common size dowel is ¼" and it won't fit close enough to get the hydraulic effect you need.

Electrical tape takes care of that.

[lprgcFrank]

How many charging handles you break doing that? lol. I've broken charging handles just through normal use. What I gave earlier is the typical action I used in the Marines, sledgehammers were not issued, lol. I wouldnt hesitate to do it at the range or where ever it happens today if I needed to get the weapon back operational followed by a rod down the barrel to tap the round out.

Haven't broken any - started using this technique getting 30.06 rounds unstuck from M1 Garands - done it quite a few times on those - worst case is that you rip the rim of the stuck case since that is the weakest part involved - but either way the bolt is freed up.

[LisaA]

If you can break the gun into an upper and lower pull the bolt out of the upper completely. See if you can use a flat tip screwdriver to catch the rim of the cartridge enough to pry it out.

What kind of ammo are you shooting? If it was varnished its possible its "glued" in. Some wd-40 down the barrel left to soak might creep around the casing enough to loosen it up.

You could try a cleaning rod or dowel down the barrel and apply a constant pressure. The odds of a round going off from hitting the rod with something are very very slim but I know my luck would be to get the one that was to actually go off.

Bold mine. I have heard of this happening, and that is why I avoid varnished ammo.

Good luck, bowkillpa.

[mauser]

Electrical tape takes care of that.

Simple solution to a simple problem.
I guess I wasn't thinking in simple terms a 2:00 AM

[bowkillpa]

Thanks for all the helpful info. I was given a referal to call Jamie @ Gander Mt. in Washington. I called and he said he will do it. He did say he will take the upper off and that's as far as we got. I'll keep you guys informed.

Thanks

[bowkillpa]

Bold mine. I have heard of this happening, and that is why I avoid varnished ammo.

Good luck, bowkillpa.

No varnish. I reload with Remington cases. This happened on my 11th rd. Everything sized up so who knows. I will have Jamie to pass along the round to inspect.

[inthedark]

I have a 308 round 3/4 stuck in the chamber. I pulled back so hard (with a rubber mallet on latch) the bolt round off the rim of the case.

This is why I need a gunsmith. Preferrable one with a hydralic jack to reverse the bullet out easily. If I have to I will drive this puppy out to them/you. I called (2) gunsmith in the fayette Co. area and they do not have the tools to pop this puppy out only with bolt actions??

Thanks for your help.

The best solution is using the port-a-power and using a solid (perferaby steel rod). I would also remove the lower assembly and the foreward hand guards and also spray the barrel inside with a penetrating oil (my memory fails me but we got a hold of some penetrating oil that the plumbers used when I was a infantry company armourer) and let that soak for a few minutes and then lock the barrel down and the port-a-power and have at her.