A live round jammed

[Johnny P]

Went by the local gun shop and the gunsmith had a Savage rifle in .257 Roberts with a stuck live round in the chamber. The bolt extractor wouldn't pull the round, so the owner picked up a 1/4" wood dowel rod and proceeded to hammer it in. A few licks with the hammer and the dowel rod broke off below the muzzle. The rifle now has a live round as well as a dowel rod hung in it. The rifle owner agreed to share the cost of one of the Brownell pullers, which has a collet that is tightened around the rim of the case, and a sliding weight urges the case back out of the chamber.

[Merc]

Went by the local gun shop and the gunsmith had a Savage rifle in .257 Roberts with a stuck live round in the chamber. The bolt extractor wouldn't pull the round, so the owner picked up a 1/4" wood dowel rod and proceeded to hammer it in. A few licks with the hammer and the dowel rod broke off below the muzzle. The rifle now has a live round as well as a dowel rod hung in it. The rifle owner agreed to share the cost of one of the Brownell pullers, which has a collet that is tightened around the rim of the case, and a sliding weight urges the case back out of the chamber.

That was a lesson learned the hard way.

Trying to remove a jammed round from the muzzle end is definitely a bad idea. If the case doesn’t move, the bullet will be pushed down inside the case and press against the powder creating a pressure problem. Ignition is always a possibility when hammering on a bullet from the front. A wood dowel rod would flair out when it comes in contact with the point of the bullet and will also become stuck.

The Stuck Case Puller is probably one of those tools I bought that’s needed once and never again. Brownells must sell quite a few since they were back ordered.

[Johnny P]

The gunsmith said in virtually every case the owner has made things worse before he brings it in. Knowing that the dowel rod would flare out didn't even occur to the owner, or that since the extractor wouldn't pull the stuck round that a 1/4" stick certainly wouldn't dislodge the case.

[Merc]

The gunsmith said in virtually every case the owner has made things worse before he brings it in. Knowing that the dowel rod would flare out didn't even occur to the owner, or that since the extractor wouldn't pull the stuck round that a 1/4" stick certainly wouldn't dislodge the case.

The owner would have probably thought twice if he realized the powder charge, if ignited, will take out the point of least resistance. If the barrel is blocked, that means the case will be expelled from the rear and the chamber could fracture depending on what caused the case to become stuck.

Did the Stuck Case Puller work on the 257 round? I’m asking because the puller doesn’t work in every firearm.

Since I went through the experience of a stuck round, I’m now more aware when chambering a round with a bolt action rifle. I will stop pushing the bolt forward if I feel any unusual resistance. In my case, instead of pulling the round out, I pushed harder causing the round to become firmly stuck in the chamber.

[Merc]

Here are some photos of the puller.

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It’s really easy to use. The collet fits around the head of the case and grips it when tightened. The rearward force from the slide hammer is used to back the case out of the chamber. One firm hit and mine was out.

The Brownells video strongly suggests that you remove the stock so that it won’t be damaged. The rifle should be placed in a padded vice so that the sliding hammer can develop enough force to remove the stuck round. Be safe - point the muzzle in a safe direction and don’t stand directly behind the chamber.

[Johnny P]

Went back by the gun shop today and the gunsmith had received the Brownell puller, and removed the loaded round. The cartridge was a reload, and from all appearances was not originally fired in the rifle. It had been neck-sized only, and when it got back to the heavy web of the case got hung up. Instead of backing it out the owner bumped it forward until it would go no further, and then the bold wouldn't pull it out. Gunsmith said the puller worked great, but spent way more time getting the dowel rod out of the barrel.

[Merc]

I’m glad to hear that the gunsmith was able to extract the round and dowel without harming the bore.

I neck sized for a while when I first began reloading. The cases swelled a lot after a few reloads and became hard to chamber and even harder to extract. That convinced me to use full length dies. I think annealing every time helps to increase case life expectancy.

[JOHN COOK]

I think annealing every time helps to increase case life expectancy.

I stand to be corrected but I was told to only anneal the neck of the case and once was enough. I assume you are speaking about the neck not he entire case. FWIW

john in SC

[Merc]

http://www.massreloading.com/annealing.html566035]I[/url] stand to be corrected but I was told to only anneal the neck of the case and once was enough. I assume you are speaking about the neck not he entire case. FWIW

john in SC

http://www.massreloading.com/annealing.html

You are correct. I only apply heat to the case necks. The rest of the case should remain hard. The above link describes annealing and recommends doing it every 5th reload. I stand corrected and will no longer anneal after every reload.

[Merc]

I read another forum where several guys were talking about case neck annealing frequency and they were in favor of annealing every time citing accuracy consistency and case longevity. I can’t really complain about accuracy and longevity. I bought the last batch of 30-06 cases in 2015 and some of them have been reloaded 7-8 or more times. No neck splits, ruptured cases or flyers. I haven’t had to scrap any of them. They talked about an annealing machine that sounded interesting although pricey at $500 plus. There may not be minimum or maximum frequency as long as the neck is the only part of the case that’s being heated.