Howdy Gents,
I just had the son of an OLD friend call and ask how to get stuck bullets out of a 22 long rifle barrel. He said there's at least 2 and probably 3 but he doesn't remember.
I'm sure this has been covered a thousand times here on the AR site but I don't remember and/or don't know what to do to help him or where to send it to have it fixed.
Help or recommendations are appreciated.
Thanks, Zeke

My ex S-I-L had about 7" of bullets stuck in the barrel of his Rem Nylon66. To remove them he just pushed them out with a stout cleaning rod.

A 3/16" brass rod and a mallet had worked for me.

Thanks gentlemen,

Good to know that you guys were able to actually push them out.

I'd suspect it's not super-easy to do but the goal could be accomplished with a little lube and tapping effort.

The brass rod sounds easier on the barrel too.

Zeke

Ol Speerchucker had a very effective method utilizing a grease zirk and a grease gun. I recently used it by tapping the muzzle in a 243 with a bullet and broken cleaning rod lodged in the barrel. Installed a grease zirk in the muzzle and used a long handled grease gun. Took a bit of effort after the bore filled with grease but the bullet popped out slick as can be.
He used a fixture in his lathe chucking the barrel in the chuck and a tool in the tailstock that had a zirk installed that pumped grease down the bore. I just installed the zirk in the muzzle as the rifling was already buggered up at the muzzle.

I wondered if anyone was using hydraulic pressure.

Sounds like speerchucker is. I always enjoy his honest posts since I respect him for his wisdom.

I told my buddy's son to keep me posted on his progress with the bullet removal. We shall see what happens.

Zeke

Continual pounding on the bullet is just going to make it tighter, if there is multiple bullets in there and a lot of effort has been used in pounding them out.... it ain't going to work.

Solder a 4mm drill bit into a cleaning rod and drill out the center and most of the bullet. You can then try to push out the rest and/or use chemical cleaner.

Phil

And the safest way is to make a guide for that drill so it doesn't walk off and do bad things.

I'm sure something will get phuqued up when he tries to "fix" it. I'm just glad it's not mine and I don't have to mess with it.

I DO appreciate all the help and ideas!!!

Drilling the center out, of the bullets, might help but the risk is scarring the bore....which will probably happen regardless of the method used, short of hydraulics.

Zeke

Most of the drill bit is down inside the end of the rod... no special bore guide needed unless getting in a rush and careless.

Phil

quote:

Originally posted by ZekeShikar:
I'm sure something will get phuqued up when he tries to "fix" it. I'm just glad it's not mine and I don't have to mess with it.

I DO appreciate all the help and ideas!!!

Drilling the center out, of the bullets, might help but the risk is scarring the bore....which will probably happen regardless of the method used, short of hydraulics.

Zeke

Use a brozne drill bit.

what about some heat and melting the stuck lead out of the bore?

Heat might work but I'm about as far from a metallurgist as I can get so someone way smarter than me would have to chime in about heating the barrel to 700+/- degrees.

Thanks for the idea!

Zeke

I've seen the results of attempts to drill out bullets in a barrel. They were lead bullets stuck in a S&W 6" barrel. The bit 'wandered' and a new straight groove was made. Not good.

I use a rod just under bore diameter with a drill bit about 0.05" under size that only sticks out about a 1/4". Turn by hand until it bottoms out, pull and clear. Then use another bore diameter rod to flatten the "tube" left by drill. Repeat as necessary. Oil on drill to prevent lead from sticking.

If it is a Ruger 10/22 just replace the barrel, new barrel is less money than the time required to clear the bore.

M

Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas!

I've passed these fixes along to the kid and we shall see what he does with the info.

I'll report back to y'all on what method he uses and the ultimate outcome.

Zeke

I gotta ask, how does this happen? I can see one stuck bullet but why more than that? Can you fired multiple .22lr's into a blocked barrel without breaking something? Max pressure seems to be 13000#.

quote:

Originally posted by Recoil Rob:
I gotta ask, how does this happen? I can see one stuck bullet but why more than that? Can you fired multiple .22lr's into a blocked barrel without breaking something? Max pressure seems to be 13000#.

How does it happen ? It happens when somebody has their head up their ass, way up.

quote:

Originally posted by Recoil Rob:
I gotta ask, how does this happen? I can see one stuck bullet but why more than that? Can you fired multiple .22lr's into a blocked barrel without breaking something? Max pressure seems to be 13000#.

All sorts of inexplicable things happen in life. Years ago my father was given a BSA Sportsman bolt action 22RF by his cousin on the premise that while it shot okay it was poor in the accuracy department. Got it home and sure enough did not group at all. Looking down the barrel it seemed to have something in the rifling about half way down. A cleaning rod and jag could be pushed through but didn't move whatever was in there.

Got a brass rod and flattened the end until it was a scrapping fit in the barrel. Drove this from the muzzle end and low and behold out popped a circumferential half of a 22 case i.e. case rim to mouth as though you had cut open a case lengthwise.

My fathers cousin was a big burly guy but god knows how he had managed to get a case stuck in the barrel. Maybe an empty failed to extract at some stage and he followed it up with live round fed from the tube mag and forced the round into the chamber which on firing drove the empty case up the barrel with the bullet shooting through it. Over a period of time one side of the case wore away as subsequent rounds were fired. I had that piece of case for years in my collection of odds and ends but it seems to have gone missing now.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:

quote:

Originally posted by Recoil Rob:
I gotta ask, how does this happen? I can see one stuck bullet but why more than that? Can you fired multiple .22lr's into a blocked barrel without breaking something? Max pressure seems to be 13000#.

How does it happen ? It happens when somebody has their head up their ass, way up.

I'm sure that's probably true.

Since it's a son of a friend who I was trying to help, I have no idea when, how, or who did the bullet-stacking in the barrel.

It seems silly to me but inexplicable things happen like eagle27 said.

Zeke

the lowly 22lr is 24-K that's above stuff like the 45 acp and plus-P 38 special by about 20%.

As a 42 year gunsmith I'll offer the method I use and have used for years:

1. Remove the barreled action from the stock.

2. Run some 30 wt. oil down the barrel end that you want the bullet to come out of.

3. Find a drill press and with a 3/16 brass rod chuck in a length of rod so about 3" of rod protrudes out the barrel. (you may have to use several sections, each longer depending the location of the bullet(s).

4. Place the barreled action chamber end down on a soft block of wood and with steady even pressure PUSH the offending bullet(s) out.

I usually go muzzle to chamber.

Pounding will expand the lead.

I DO NOT recommend "DRILLING" Murphy is alive and well and you will run the risk of ruining the barrel.

Trying to melt the bullet runs the risk of warping the barrel or having the lead adhere to the rifling.

quote:

Originally posted by Tyke:
As a 42 year gunsmith I'll offer the method I use and have used for years:

1. Remove the barreled action from the stock.

2. Run some 30 wt. oil down the barrel end that you want the bullet to come out of.

3. Find a drill press and with a 3/16 brass rod chuck in a length of rod so about 3" of rod protrudes out the barrel. (you may have to use several sections, each longer depending the location of the bullet(s).

4. Place the barreled action chamber end down on a soft block of wood and with steady even pressure PUSH the offending bullet(s) out.

I usually go muzzle to chamber.

Pounding will expand the lead.

I DO NOT recommend "DRILLING" Murphy is alive and well and you will run the risk of ruining the barrel.

Trying to melt the bullet runs the risk of warping the barrel or having the lead adhere to the rifling.

Thanks a ton as this seems very reasonable.
I've passed this along and hope for an update when he gets to the job.

Thanks to all those who responded!

Zeke

I have removed them by filling the barrel with oil. Just about to the top and take a solid brass rod with a couple of o rings on it. Set the barreled action on a block of wood and just smash that rod with a 5 lb hammer. You may have to fill it with oil a few times to get the bullet to come out the chamber end. Tapping the rod will do nothing, you need the hyd pressure to move it.