Well, yes. That's just it. The brass will not relinquish the bullet. I wish that was the case.

Going to gunsmith tomorrow.

IF you have not driven the bullet back too far into the case for it to be fired without generating excessive pressures, the best approach is go to a safe shooting location, close the bolt, and fire the charge out before you use a stout steel rod to drive the case out of the chamber. (That's assuming that it won't extract after firing, which it may very well do.)



Some very serious accidents have happened when people have tried to drive a loaded round out of a chamber from the muzzle!! Avoid this approach if you can!



IF you cannot close the bolt and fire the round first, before pushing the empty case out, the gunsmith is the only alternative, and I have heard of some cases whewrein the barrel had to be removed from the action before the case could be dealt with!

...great...

I did try to go ahead and close the bolt back too but it wouldn't happen. The load is a safe minimum charge and I'd much rather fire it that deal with it as is.

I'll know something tomorrow by 2pm.

Well Doc???

I'm interested to learn what was the cause? I've yet to see this myself. Nate

It could be a tight throat. If so it's lucky that it didn't fire. I'd like to know how the Gunsmith is going to do it in a "minute".
Good luck!

I dropped it off at the gunsmith last Thursday. He said he thinks the throat may be the problem. He is going to freeze it, lube it and try to get the round out.

As I said before, in my short 15 years of doing this, I've never had this happen before. I don't know if the reamer has a tight neck or what. For all I know, that could be the problem and the bullet isn't even touching the lands.

I just don't understand it. I should know something by this Thursday, Sept. 30.

It is curious that the rifle was not "function tested" to assure that SAMMI rounds cycled properly, by the smith that barreled and chambered it.

You are correct, and I will not use him again either despite the fact that he came highly recommended. I still like him as a person but I have had better work done by other gunsmiths.

Hey Doc, It has been a very long time since I've had a custom rifle. But back then it was considered normal for the GunSmiths I used to supply a "Chamber Cast". I don't see many folks ask for it today, so it is probably just a relic of olden by-gone days.

A Chamber Cast tells a lot about the cut dimensions and surface finish, so that may have something to do with them disappearing as well. For example, if your chamber does have a "Tight Neck", the Chamber Cast would have told you. Then you could have decided to either get into Neck Turning, or have the neck opened. And of course taking the rifle apart and opening an existing neck would probably skew it some, so that is not the best time to decide on the dimensions.

Speaking of Necks, that is a dimension I would have discussed with the GunSmith up front. If you told him to cut a Minimum SAAMI Chamber, then it would have been nice for the final dimensions to have been passed on to you.

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I do think it is a bit premature to jump on the guy until you know the entire story though.

I always request SAAMI specs when I get a custom rifle made. Have not yet jumped on the guy yet. May do that after the current smith gets my rifle back to me and I pay his bill though.