Stuck bullet in barrel
 

I was shooting some reloads in my 9mm luger today. Loaded 5.0 gr. Bullseye. All shots fired and cycled the action just fine until...nothing! I opened the action to find an empty case. Looking down the barrel revealed a bullet stuck in the bore. I had a wood dowel and hammer with me but it wouldn't budge the bullet. So, what would be the best way to remove said bullet? A metal rod?
Thanks for your help,
Major Tom

I think you'll do OK with the wood once you get the upper into a padded vise. A dowel OD as close as possible to the bore would be the most businesslike in delivering the taps to the bullet.

Two answers- direct opposites-
don't use wood, use metal of near bore diameter; wood will deform around the projectile and then you will have wood and a bullet in the bore.

I'd either pull the rest down, if any are left; or if someone else's reloads just throw them away.

Thanks for the replies! The reloads were mine @ 5gr. Bullseye under the 90gr. .309 Hornady bullet. The wood dowel did start to split so I quit using it. It was definitely a squib load probably only primer fired as the bullet is stuck just ahead of the chamber. Being a 4 inch barrel I will use a drill bit (reversed) to get it out. In 55+ years of reloading I have never had a squib load but $hit happens. I had only loaded 8 rounds and they all fired OK except that last one. BTW, those 7 rounds were very accurate @ 25 yards.

I had to get not one, but 3 bullets out of a now-bulged artillery Luger. I did muzzle down on a lightly padded anvil and a heavy hammer. I don't recall the material of the rod. Generally it helps to drill thru the bullet to relieve pressure. If you can reach it.
Jacketed or cast bullet?
dju

Do NOT just stick a drill bit down there and start drilling. You must use a tube or something to keep the bit away from the bore.

It is a jacketed bullet HP. No, I will not "drill" with the drill bit. Just will select a close fitting bit, reverse the bit (shank end in first) and tap it out.

I would expect a drill bit to crack/break, they are quite hard.
Depending on where/how it breaks, you may not be able to get it out.:eek:

The right size hard wood dowel rod, a liberal shot of break free and a big hammer works for me

I would use a Phillips screwdriver and tap it out from the muzzle end.
Norm

Put some Kroil oil down there to help it along.

I am a bit confused about your information. In you OP you state that you are firing your 9MM Luger with some of your reloads. Then later in this thread, you state that your 9mm reloads are loaded with 90gr .309in. Hornady HP bullets behind 5.0gr of Bulleye powder.

Hornaday 90gr .309 bullets are designed for 30 Luger brass, and would be too small in diameter for 9mm brass. They would just drop into a 9mm brass case.

So were you firing 9mm, or 30 Luger handguns, and what was your load. :confused:

If it was me i would insert a primed 9mm case containing 5gr of bullseye into the chamber with the muzzle pointing up. When the case is fully seated you can point the muzzle anyway you want, now the powder wont spill.
Then push the button and let it "clean" itself.

I have done it several times and it is borderline boring and just like firing a normal cartridge.

Give it an enema, it may not help but it can't hurt.
Norm

Norm,
normally I would not contradict you, but to use a phillips or any screw driver or any pointed object, will only serve to expand the bullet more firmly into the rifling.

A flat rod is the way to go.

One might get buy with it if the bullet is only "slightly" stuck, but this one has already been beat on with a stick. The OP may have to resort to a pilot drill before he is done.

Rich,
don't even say that in jest, someone will think you are serious.

Chickenthief,
If one is absolutely positive there is only one bullet in the barrel, maybe- but once you make a recommendation you "own" the result.

I would use a Phillips screwdriver and tap it out from the muzzle end.

The round nose bullet would let the sharp nose of the screwdriver slip to the side and scrape the chamber and or the lands & grooves. Kinda bad advice IMO.

Over the years I've removed many a stuck bullet from the bores of rifles and pistols. (About 30 years as a full time gunsmith.)DO NOT use wood. Use aluminum, brass or steel, ONE PIECE rods that are near bore diameter, and do not protrude from the bore more than about 6" from the end you are going to tap on. Spray some of your favorite oil in the bore from the end the bullet will travel through, usually the chamber end, if it was a squib. Clamp the barrel firmly in a padded vise. Now insert the rod and bring it up against the projectile, hold it firmly, and give it a good strike with you favorite brass mallet. 1 or 2 hits will usually do the job.
Wood is a VERY bad idea, as it will typically break up and lodge pieces around the nose of the bullet, making any further attempts much more difficult. DO NOT use wood, of any type.

I'm always surprised just how tight a bullet is in the bore in these situations. Makes me wonder if they don't elongate just a bit at the moment of firing.

It is a 9mm. I was also shootinG a 30 luger too and got old age mixed upitis. I did get the bullet out easily with the drill bit. Not tightly stuck at all.

How can this happen and how can it be prevented in the future?

Eric, the most common cause is reloading a cartridge without putting in any powder, just the primer and bullet.

Even the most systematic reloader can make a mistake like this, especially when distracted.

It's one reason I never shoot someone else's reloads, and don't buy commercially reloaded ammunition.

I have never reloaded a squib round like this, but I'm ever vigilant to prevent one. This included always double checking every single reloaded round on my progressive press.

I even installed illumination to make it easier to see powder level:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIraXq6u0VY

Thank Marc~Does it only happen with reloads or am I safe with the old white box?

Doug, I'll buy that! I think the salient point we can all agree on is protection of the bore. So, any material of lesser hardness that will take a whack with a hammer, avoid making a bad situation worse by getting itself stuck or broken, and configured for a slick fit down the pipe should, plus lubricant, do the trick. Fashion a slip-on cap to keep the pounded end from digging up its face and you could use a dead blow hammer. And the cap will keep the end of the rod from being peened...

Eric, although it's theoretically possible to encounter a WWB squibb round, the odds against one being loaded off-spec enough to cause problems make them safe for all practical/reasonable considerations. I'm thinking that they are probably quite good about quality control, considering that their product produces an explosion in a small appliance that is held basically in front of one's face. With your background, you could probably explain the liabilities and regulations better than I! Do-it-yourself ammo can be exquisitely precise...or the opposite. If a round with not enough powder makes it through the process, whether in the factory or personal workshop, there's your squibb. They sound odd when shot, so if it does, unload and check that bore if there's any doubt. Firing another round into the system with an obstructed barrel = very bad.

Pardon Me for another stupid Eric question! Is there that much savings in buying a new box at Walmart than go through the brass collection, task and time to reload? My arm would would fall of after twenty!!

Depends on you opinion of how much is "much"!:evilgrin:

Some folks enjoy it; I don't.
I have way too many ways to "waste time" without re-loading.

:cheers:

I guess its like my mom enjoying sewing! TKS

Lol! Eric, it's up to the individual guy to decide what is enough or too much. Reloading is not for everybody, obviously. 9 mm ammo is the least expensive/round in general, and WWB is well worth the money, unless your labor comes at the firm's rates! Reloading offers the satisfaction of some cost savings, the pride of accomplishment, and the advantage of being able to create very consistent ammo, which helps accuracy. Weighed against the need to learn the skills, taking the time to apply them thereafter, plus an investment in equipment and supplies, it's an activity that may not appeal to some.

Reloading is the only way to find the 'sweet spot' of that particular firearm. You select a bullet and then compare various powder loads to see which one gives the best results. You may start off with a 115gr bullet and 3.5grs of W231 and shoot a 3" group. Then as you increase the powder by 1/10th gr it may drop to 2 7/8"...Then another tenth and 2 1/2" 5-shot groups...Then suddenly, at maybe 4.7 grs, you shoot a 1 1/8" group...Then if you increase any more, the groups start increasing again...So that particular powder load, for that bullet and that firearm, is the ideal load. :cheers:

Commercial ammunition is a compromise to allow the best results in ALL firearms, not just the one you have. Only by reloading can you achieve all that that firearm can deliver... :thumbup:

My charge alarm keeps me square, providing it's adjusted and has a good battery. As far as reloads go, I'll never again trust anyone's other than my own. I keep my blown up Glock 40cal barrel as a reminder hanging over the bench.

Regarding the reliability of factory loaded ammo, I help coach a local girls trap team, and it seems like weekly one will show me an unsafe factory AA Winchester or Winchester SuperTarget shell; split brass base, an "open" primer, smashed hull, etc. So far no excessive loads, knock on wood...
My reloads are not perfect, but I'm almost thinking that my average is better than Winchester's.
dju

I've reloaded WAY too many rounds for it to be "fun" anymore. It is just a necessary evil, and a chore. When I shoot an across the course highpower rifle match, the 88 rounds I fire would be about 130.00 in ammo. My handloads come in at about one third of that. Plus all the other shooting I do, it could become an expensive pursuit. But in the end, I don't really save any money, I just shoot more for the same dollar.

I enjoy handloading for all my firearms except for my Wasr 10 AK-47 for which surplus ammo is much cheaper. That dreaded "Phut" sound was my first squib load ever after 50+ years of reloading. Fortunately, the bullet came out of the barrel very easily with a few taps of a hammer and drill bit.

My one and only squib was with a muzzle can suppressed MP5. The curious thing is I got the opposite effect; pfff, pfff, pfff, POP! I had the presence of mind to stop, step back and run a rod down the barrel to find a bullet stuck about an inch past the chamber throat. It was pure chance that I wasn't running bursts through the gun, which would have complicated things considerably and probably ruined the barrel on a Transferrable gun and surely would have damaged the suppressor.
The louder report of all the gasses coming back through the ejection port was my only warning.

I regularly teach the NRA reloading class (in fact, have one coming up in a week).

Everyone can have a spat of inattention or something interfere with the process and sequence of reloading. That's when it's important to be hyper-aware of the possibility of mistakes.

When I have one of those situations, I get out the bullet puller and back things up, unloading rounds, until I'm back where I'm sure things were right. Sometimes an entire session of necessary.

I also reload when wearing eye protection and something to protect my face. Primer accidents do happen.

While you can save a little money reloading rounds (for example a 115gn 9mm FMJ projectile is about 8 cents now; primer and powder 3 cents. So it costs about 11 cents a round to reload cases you already own. Best prices I've seen recently for brass ball ammo is about 20 to 21 cents a round. Casting recycled lead alloy can drop prices even more, but this is becoming more difficult as garages turn to zinc and iron tire weights. I have a few hundred pounds of lead alloy saved up from years ago when it was more plentiful.

You don't save that much money, especially when you consider the cost of the reloading equipment, and your time. If this is the only reason you want to reload, I would not consider it.

But - you do get control and with control the ability to do precision reloading. You can adjust the power level and OAL for precise performance. If this is your goal (and particularly when it comes to high power rifle reloading) it's something to consider.

There is a satisfaction to shooting what you make. There is also the consideration of a catastrophe (either social or physical) that would leave us only the choice of making our own ammunition.

So... best sit up straight, pay attention and enjoy!

I have removed stuck bullets with wood dowels. Worked great.
I would not stick ANY steel down my barrel.
http://www.shootingtimes.com/gunsmit...smithing_1106/
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-to...-prod1251.aspx
Loew's, Home Depot, Ace, and others should have brass, copper, aluminum, etc. rods available.
Of course, quickest can be to take it to gunsmith and he'll have it out in a couple of minutes.

So true! But, that removes the excitement and drama of fiddling with it oneself. :)

Last April during an instructor training I was shown pictures of a police MP, barrel was cut in half for investigation, 6 bullets stuck in it!!
The barrel bulged at the end, but nobody was hurt.

Stuck squib
 

This is why I'll never shoot anyones reload, far worse than a squib.

That Hurts!!

Well, it's a POS Glock! What did you expect??? :rolleyes: