Stuck Live Rounds

There are many occasions in which we will deal with a fired cartridge case stuck in the chamber. When the cartridge is still live, the situation is nitty gritty. There are many possible causes. The case may be bulged or deformed. The chamber or cartridge or both may be dirty or corroded. Or, the firearm’s owner may have attempted to chamber the wrong type of cartridge. This problem isn’t as severe as in the past, but still exists.

In the past, ammunition quality was poor enough that broken shell extractors were issued due to the frequency of cases rupturing but this is rare today. Today, tools such as the Brownells Stuck Case Puller for safely removing stuck fired or unfired cartridge cases are the province of gunsmiths. Such pullers work with any ammunition, even rimless cartridges, provided the bolt can be removed. If the bolt will not open, it’s recommended to remove the barrel.

Be cautious as this is a knownloaded firearm that can’t be readily cleared. Take care that the muzzle is pointed safely at a sufficient backstop. The barreled action is first removed from the stock, then the bolt. The body of the case puller is inserted into the rear of the action. You may have to remove the bolt stop or the trigger assembly depending upon the type of rifle. There are different sized collets to properly grab the cartridge case depending upon the case head being worked with.

Small collets fit a 0.378 case head, which includes .223-class cartridges, standard 0.473 collets fits the .308-class, and the largest collets at 0.532 fit belted Magnum rifle cartridges. Verify that you have the correct collet by testing it against a cartridge case of the same caliber as the firearm you are working with. Assemble the puller body, collet, draw rod, and knurled connector sleeve. The collet faces the chamber and encloses the stuck cartridge case head.

With the unit assembled, slide the tool into the receiver until the collet bottoms out against the stuck cartridge case head. Use the sleeve holding the puller body stationary to exert forward pressure. Rotate the knurled connector sleeve and puller body until the collet is tightened around the cartridge case head. The collet must be more than snug, it must have a tight grip on the Below center: Brownells Broken Shell Extractor. 38 AMU chamber. The fired cartridge was a .38 Super! cartridge case head.

Give the tool a preliminary tug to ensure that the collet is tight upon the cartridge case head. It is essential that the barreled action be secured in a padded vise. The gun must be held without any chance of movement because the case puller works on inertia. If the gun slips, the force of the movement of the parts of the tool will open the collet rather than moving the stuck cartridge case. Screw the slide hammer assembly to the rear of the knurled connector sleeve of the tool.

Be certain that the stop nut is tightly screwed to the hammer rod. When the barreled action secured, pointed at a safe backstop, and the tool set, don eye protection and heavy duty gloves. Grasp the slide hammer and strike the nut sharply. Continue this operation until the cartridge is pulled free of the chamber. If this isn’t enough, an overnight soak in Kroil or other good penetrating oil can help. Be certain that the strikes have not dislodged the collet from the cartridge case rim.

Once the cartridge case is removed it is vital to inspect the cham-

This tool is well made of good material. ber. Determine what caused the problem. The chamber may be corroded or scarred. A dirty and rusty chamber may be a problem. There may even be a projectile stuck in the rifling. Most often the problem is the cartridge itself. Improper resizing is the most common culprit, along with poor cartridge case crimping. As an aside, a different problem is a broken or separated case. These break or separate at some point on firing, usually at the cartridge case head.

I have seen several over the years and recently observed my first high quality revolver cartridge case separation during a training class. I admit I was surprised but should not have been. Long ago I experienced this with Egyptian surplus .303 British. Despite firing with a low order of power, it seemed over half the cases split and some left the forward portion of the case in the chamber.

I was kept busy for some time with the local .303 shooters and the problem continued until that ammunition was expended or disposed of. A broken case extractor is needed for this. Made of hardened steel tool, these extractors are threaded and designed to engage the case rim completely for a particular case mouth diameter. Insert the device into the chamber, close the bolt, and the tool engages the broken case in the chamber. When the bolt is withdrawn the broken section is removed.

Handguns Back to stuck live rounds. This is a serious problem when it occurs in a self-loading pistol. As long as folks buy gun show reloads and do not follow good handloading procedure, these will continue. When the handgun malfunctions and cannot be unloaded or fired at the range, the utmost caution is demanded. Once the initial information is taken it’s a good idea to meet the customer in the parking lot, observe the pistol, and personally move it into your shop.

The gun should be transported in a padded case with the muzzle securely oriented in a safe direction. While many of us conceal a loaded handgun on a daily basis, a loaded handgun that has malfunctioned is a different matter. I have purposely "set up" this problem with several handguns using dummy cartridges wrapped in tape. This duplicates part of the problem. While such a case is easily removed, I have been able to lock the gun out of battery with the cartridge case still stuck.

For some, it is an advantage for the handle to be used for leverage. I worked with a SIG GSR 1911 a few years ago that had multiple problems. The pistol was delivered with the little slide plate sticking out off of the slide and a handload stuck in the chamber. When the poorly-sized cartridge case would American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.

It isn’t a particularly difficult situation in this incident. not fully chamber, the shooter had smacked the rear of the slide against a barricade at the range. This apparently worked for him when the slide could not be retracted, however, in this instance the cartridge did not fully chamber and the little cover on the side that holds the Series 80 firing pin block popped off. I was able to place the SIG in a fixture, tap the slide closed, and then fire the pistol in a firing chamber.

The firing pin block cover had to be replaced, as I had used apiece of metal to hold the firing pin block mechanism in place as the pistol fired. Not the ideal situation! SIG has since changed the design. I much prefer to rap the front of the slide to dislodge a case, and not try to ram the slide and chamber the cartridge. When working with a stuck live round in the chamber, be certain to clear the magazine well first. During clearance you may exert over 100 pounds of force on the pistol.

No need for it to discharge and then Below center: A revolver stuck in the chamber that isn’t pulled out by the ejector star isn’t particularly troublesome. fire again! While the shooter on the range may attempt to ram the slide against a barricade to close the action, it is better to attempt to open the action and eject the badly fitting cartridge. You must be in control of the firearm at all times during this procedure.

Take the handgun in a proper firing grip, with the trigger finger alongside the frame and a strong grip on the slide. Press the slide very hard against a bench. Be certain to press the slide only, not the muzzle. Steel is much harder than brass and the brass should let go when the slide opens. An alternative is to lock the handgun in a vise and use a wooden block for leverage against the slide. I have never had to do this but know experienced people that have.

The gun is secured in a vise and along board is used for extreme leverage. I have dealt with two dangerous situations with revolvers that had cocked hammers. One was during a visit to a widow’s house for a security and safety inspection. She had cocked the hammer upon hearing a noise and did not know how to lower the hammer. The piece set in her nightstand over a week with the hammer cocked. This makes a good case for double action only revolvers.

On another occasion, a revolver would not open the cylinder when the latch was activated. The revolver was delivered to the parking lot still loaded. In this instance I was able to first fire all cartridges at a range before addressing the mechanical problems. The revolver was a five shot .357 Magnum that the current owner had never personally fired, however, the previous owner had evidently fired the piece as battering of the ejector rod had caused it to lock up.

This is a moot comment on lightweight frame revolvers firing Magnum cartridges. By carefully turning the cylinder in the opposite direction of rotation, turning the ejector rod, and using a hardened tool to bump the ejector rod latch, the pistol was finally opened. Far more common are over pressure loads stuck in the chamber. The only means of removing these cases is to spray the cylinder with release agent and then drive them out with a punch and hammer. Most often the procedure isn’t difficult.

The removal of a stuck cartridge case isn’t particularly difficult. When that cartridge case is alive round, the equation changes. Always use caution, leverage, and plenty of lubrication. AG