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Make sure you have somebody video tape the whole thing so we can all watch it on "America's Funniest Home Videos".

This is fun!!!

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The cartridge case was fired from the chamber, through the open receiver rings and into the abdomen of his wife as she held the gun. She died as a result.

Nothing to do with the ejector then. And a heap more scary! (And a tragedy for the poor gentleman - damn!)

I had no idea a cartridge could be set off in that manner! Thanks for the warning!

But how on earth can a cartridge fire by having the bullet knocked from the front??

This guy said said everyone in the lounge kept clear when he did the hammering thing and he made sure the breach was pointing away from himself. Still, he would have lost his hearing!

After all the good advise, I think I shall make enquiries to see who might have the appropriate tools to pull the round out then just let this friend of mine take it to him. At least I have disabled the propellant with oil - that barrel is still standing upright with the oil in it and quite a bit of air has made its way out. (And I saved him from making anymore attempts himself).

303Guy, I probably owe you an apology. I assumed that because the guy brought you the gun to unjam, that you had some knowledge and experience with such matters. As I read through this thread it is apparant that you don't have the expertise necessary to help your friend with this particular problem so I would like to ammend my earlier reply and offer some professional advice to you and anyone else who may be faced with a similar circumstance.

Jamed, live rounds are serious business by themselves, not to mention having something else jammed in the bore with it, and if a person is not experienced in handling or dealing with these situations then it is always best to stop and seek help from a professional. A professional charges money to take the risk and will, or, should know how to handle the problem saving time, possible injury and possibly more money in the long run.

Whatever you do, do not assume because you flooded the bore with oil that you have disabled the propellant. The only way a person can be sure is to actually make entry into the case and FLOOD the interior with something like WD40. This requires experience and skill. You are wise to seek such a person.

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Originally posted by 303Guy:

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The cartridge case was fired from the chamber, through the open receiver rings and into the abdomen of his wife as she held the gun. She died as a result.

I had no idea a cartridge could be set off in that manner! Thanks for the warning!

But how on earth can a cartridge fire by having the bullet knocked from the front??

As no one was able to watch what actually transpired inside the barrel, chamber, & cartridge case, no one knows for absolute certain what caused the cartridge to fire when struck from the front.

Conjecture during the following investigation was that the cleaning rod knocked the bullet backwards into the case when the rod was whacked on the muzzle end.

Then, apparently, by further whacks on the cleaning rod either powder granules or the pointed tip of the cleaning rod was/were driven through the flash hole of the case into the front of the primer.

By doing so, presumably the primer anvil was also driven into the priming compound, setting the primer off. That, in turn, caused the powder charge to ignite, thus blowing the case out the back of the chamber.

But as said earlier, no one knows for sure. It may have just been that God decided her number was up...much like happens to innocent drivers who are struck head-on by drinking & driving criminal idiots going the wrong way on our freeways every week.

add the fact that the primer anvil is preset to detonate when seating the primer.

Thanks for that Alberta Canuck. I had wondered about powder granules entering the flash hole under impact. But still, who would expect it. And as Edmond says, the primer is 'primed' on seating.

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.... do not assume because you flooded the bore with oil that you have disabled the propellant.

Absolutely - thanks Westpac. I gave the barrel another try with the piston, and it just set in a fair bit. So quite obviously, there is still a lot of air and hence dry powder and possibly an active primer in there. My friend has accepted the riskiness and has agreed to consider taking it to a professional. (Much to my relief).

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Jammed, live rounds are serious business by themselves, not to mention having something else jammed in the bore with it, and if a person is not experienced in handling or dealing with these situations then it is always best to stop and seek help from a professional.

So I have come to realize! Not that I ever considered it a trivial issue. I must admit I was quite horrified when this friend told me he had tried hammering the round out!
It is quite saddening that someone actually killed his wife in this way (or any way).

Some feedback. I got that cartridge out! I did thread the end of the barrel and fitted a grease nipple adaptor. The first few strokes got the primer out. Next was to drill, tap and plug the case base. Then some vigorous pumping on that grease gun and the case came out. I won't mention the condition of that round. Suffice it to say it needed to be stuck! The primer had seating damage too. The bullet had been pushed back into the case and my original oiling did penetrate the powder charge. I have left the (now modified) adaptor to cover the threads and form a false crown (I recrowned it at the same time - someone had chamfered the perfectly good factory recessed crown??!!). Now to have a look at the rest of the loaded rounds.

Addendum:- It turns out that the stuck cartridge was a factory round! It seems to me that the neck was a bit longer than the chamber. This probably pushed the shoulder back on camming the bolt closed, causing it to expand and jam. Any further damage to the case was due to hydraulic pressure in getting it out - including a split in the neck, lengthwise, at the neck-shoulder junction. This is a custom fitted barrel (by previous owner, for target use). EDITED:- Yeah right!!! Methinks someone has been bullshitting me!

If the neck wasthat tight is is a good thing that you didn't fire it. The chamber may have been intended for use with turned case necks.
By all means make a chamber cast and find out.
Good luck!

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Originally posted by 303Guy:
Someone brought me a rifle with a live round stuck in the chamber. The extractor had ripped through the rim. Next is a brass rod down the barrel jammed in between the bullet and bore - not protruding.

So what happened with the "not protruding" brass rod?

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So what happened with the "not protruding" brass rod?

It was resting on top of the bullet which had been pushed back into the case. The other end of the rod had a female thread and this was plit open, binding against the bore. It came out with a light push of a brass rod.

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If the neck wasthat tight is is a good thing that you didn't fire it. The chamber may have been intended for use with turned case necks.

Right .... well .... see .... I don't believe the 'new, factory round' story! The bullet was actually loose in the case neck and there was a split in the shoulder/neck junction. Could have been expanded by the hydraulic pressure I gave it but considering that the bullet was pushed back .... Or maybe the rod expanded the neck .... yeah right! That round was hammered in with a shoe heel!