OK,

I have a live cartridge stuck in a .375 H&H M70 SS Classic.

What's the "safe" and appropriate way to remove it?

Thanks,

quote:

OK,

I have a live cartridge stuck in a .375 H&H M70 SS Classic.

What's the "safe" and appropriate way to remove it?

Thanks,

Mike

Is the cartridge a .375 H&H?

If so, after removing the bolt, put a wood dowel down the muzzle and lightly tap it out.

Is the extractor broken?

If not, how did it happen?

Bill,

The round is a live .375 H&H cartridge. Is loaded with a cast bullet. Probably already pushed back into the case as a result of first attempt.

Something is wrong here for sure. Rifle going to a smith next week.

quote:

Originally posted by mstarling:
Bill,

The round is a live .375 H&H cartridge. Is loaded with a cast bullet. Probably already pushed back into the case as a result of first attempt.

Something is wrong here for sure. Rifle going to a smith next week.

Let the smith remove it for you. In the mean time I would squirt some WD 40 down the barrel and let it sit and hopefully it will soak past the bullet an put the kebash on the powder charge.

If it's really jammed, a wood dowel might become a problem should it break. If you brought it too me, I would remove the bolt and stuff a rag into the receiver to catch the round and keep it from coming out and striking the primer, then, I would carefully insert a 1 piece cleaning rod (I have 1 piece stainless range rods just for this) into the bore being careful not to damage the muzzle. Advance the rod until it touches the bullet and then gently tap it. If it doesn't move with a gentle tap, then tap it a little harder. If it still doesn't move, STOP, withdraw the rod and take it to your gunsmith. Do not use excessive force in trying to remove it. Keep the bolt out of the receiver and tag the gun "HOT".

Or, do as Rick suggested... That is one thing WD-40 is good for, killing powder and primers.

Is it too late to just fire the stuck round,then tap out the case?

quote:

Originally posted by malm:
Or, do as Rick suggested... That is one thing WD-40 is good for, killing powder and primers.

About the only damned thing it's good for!

No, If you use it to lube the gas piston of a sim auto it will give you an hour or 2 of fun
unsticking the SOB

Rick and Malm,

Bros, sorry to disagree, (well, not really that sorry )but the WD 40 may or may not kill the primer. I myself have performed rocketly scientific tests that have shown that primers soaked in WD40 for days can still be live. Same goes for water soaked primers. BTW, WD40 makes a great fire starter if that's all ya got.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
Rick and Malm,

Bros, sorry to disagree, (well, not really that sorry )but the WD 40 may or may not kill the primer. I myself have performed rocketly scientific tests that have shown that primers soaked in WD40 for days can still be live. Same goes for water soaked primers. BTW, WD40 makes a great fire starter if that's all ya got.

Brother, sorry to correct your disagreement, but when and where did I say it deactivated the primer? I said it would put the kebash on the powder...which it will if it gets at it.

The guy said the bullet had already been dislodged so I figured that the WD 40 would have some room to “sneak†in and go after the powder.

Any danger in pounding (tapping) out a live round does not come from the primer it comes from the powder possibly being compressed.

quote:

Originally posted by Rick 0311:

quote:

Originally posted by malm:
Or, do as Rick suggested... That is one thing WD-40 is good for, killing powder and primers.

About the only damned thing it's good for!

Okay, you didn't say that it would kill the primers. We'll blame it on Malm, he did it! He said "That is one thing WD-40 is good for, killing powder and primers."

And then you agreed saying, "About the only damned thing it's good for."

Does that make you feel better?

Hijack back to Mikes problem.....

Mike, can you remove the bolt and floorplate and slip a shellholder over the rim, then lever it out with a screwdriver?

Also, you mentioned the cast bullet may have been pushed in from a previous attempt at removing. Try holding the gun muzzle down over a white sheet of paper and tapping it with a mallet or maybe just shaking it and see if you can get any powder to fall out. If it does then you are assured the bullet has been pushed in enough and I would pour some water down the barrel, enough to fill it up and then check for bubbles. Then you know the powder will be wet and you can put a rod in there and give it a couple sharp raps.

If anyone is going to start banging on a live round from the muzzle, you will want BOTH ends pointing in a safe direction.
(At least one bystander has been killed by the case comming out after an ignition.)

I would use KROIL down the muzzle...that stuff will get past anything...and after that I would take it to a gunsmith.

The guy already said he is taking it to a gunsmith next week...why screw with it, let the smith do it.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:

quote:

Originally posted by Rick 0311:

quote:

Originally posted by malm:
Or, do as Rick suggested... That is one thing WD-40 is good for, killing powder and primers.

About the only damned thing it's good for!

Okay, you didn't say that it would kill the primers. We'll blame it on Malm, he did it! He said "That is one thing WD-40 is good for, killing powder and primers."

And then you agreed saying, "About the only damned thing it's good for."

Does that make you feel better?

quote:

Originally posted by Rick 0311:
The guy already said he is taking it to a gunsmith next week...why screw with it, let the smith do it.

Yep, it's called a stuck case remover.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:

quote:

Originally posted by Rick 0311:

quote:

Originally posted by malm:
Or, do as Rick suggested... That is one thing WD-40 is good for, killing powder and primers.

About the only damned thing it's good for!

Okay, you didn't say that it would kill the primers. We'll blame it on Malm, he did it! He said "That is one thing WD-40 is good for, killing powder and primers."

And then you agreed saying, "About the only damned thing it's good for."

Does that make you feel better?

Okay, I'll take the blame...

Worse case scenario, pull the barrel, drill a small hole in the case head and flood the case with WD-40. Then, carefully hacksaw the case head off, right next to the primer cup and then scrape the powder from the case and go to work doing whatever else it needs.

The worse one I ever had, had the tip end of a fishing rod, without the ferrals of course, broken off in the barrel, and as if that wasn't enough, the knucklehead drove a 1 piece, .22 caliber cleaning rod down the barrel beside the fishing rod. The cleaning rod drove the bullet into the case and wedged itself between the bullet and the case neck. It actually turned out just fine. Cost the customer a huge "stupid" fee.

I may have to rethink the WD-40, or, increase my life insurance policy.

mstarling,

This is a good oppurtunity for others to learn from your misfortune.

What were the exact circumstances leading up to the stuck cartridge? Case, bullet, mag feed/single feed, rifle modifications, over-riding extractor, etc?

Thanks.

I hate to admit that I once was in a similiar predicament. It was a 40X Rem in 6mm. The best way is to remove the barrel and get a shell holder around the case head. Then you have something to work with. Complicated for most, but the best and safest way.

malm’s post about the fishing rod/cleaning rod combo is the perfect example of why this is best left to someone with the proper tools and experience.

Your loved ones and your rifle’s bore will thank you for it!

My best stupid story. Very wrong caliber. Owner's "brother-in-law" tried to hammer the bolt home. No Go. Then used tools at hand, sticks and twigs to try and knock it out from the muzzle end. Filled up the bore with wood products.
I couldn't pry it out from the back side.

I ended up getting some room at the muzzle and filling it up with 50wt. oil. Made a hard wood plug, tight fit in the bore. Packed rags at the backside, stood back and whapped the plug with a mallet and ran. The cartridge popped out the bottom as easy as you please.

He was charged a lot for that one.

Don

quote:

Originally posted by stdon:
My best stupid story. Very wrong caliber. Owner's "brother-in-law" tried to hammer the bolt home. No Go. Then used tools at hand, sticks and twigs to try and knock it out from the muzzle end. Filled up the bore with wood products.
I couldn't pry it out from the back side.

I ended up getting some room at the muzzle and filling it up with 50wt. oil. Made a hard wood plug, tight fit in the bore. Packed rags at the backside, stood back and whapped the plug with a mallet and ran. The cartridge popped out the bottom as easy as you please.

He was charged a lot for that one.

Don

What was running supposed to accomplish if the round had gone off when you hit the mallet?????

quote:

What was running supposed to accomplish if the round had gone off when you hit the mallet?????

How was it going to go off????

Just made me feel better.

Don

Imagine it's too late for this time.

But, when I first started reloading didn't know any better and stuck a dry '06 case in a sizing die.

After that, and reading about why. I discovered they had to be: "lubricated". Well hell, engine oil's lubrication, right? IF a little works, more is much better, right?

I DID kill a bunch of primers!
One I recall best was pointed at a 6pt bull elk so close his body filled up my K4 so much I had to let the gun down and take another look to see what part I was pointed at.

I can still hear that SNAP!!!
and that was Nov 1958!

From that lesson, IF you want to kill powder and primers. Use some engine oil. So it will soak in better use some light weight, say 10-20w.

I'd bet on it being dead. Try it on empties to prove it ahead of time.

George

We have a resolution and a cause (blush) ...

The case stuck in the M70 was a Remington made .375 H&H case ... the right caliber for the rifle.

It has been loaded with a 320 grain alloy slug over XMR 5744.

The case was previously was fired x2 in a Weatherby Weathermark Alaskan of the correct caliber. It had been full length resized with a Redding FL die.

Only two small problems ... crimp was a bit heavy, and the case was a smidge too long.

It went in relatively easily ... but the mouth end showed marks of jamming.

The guys at Douglas Barrels removed the barrel, extracted the case, checked the chamber, reinserted, and reheadspaced the barrel.

Fortunately, they are friends and did not charge me an arm and a leg for my DUMB move.

Lesson from all of this ... check the case length before loading for a new rifle. It might be a little shorter in the chamber than the last gun!

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
Imagine it's too late for this time.

But, when I first started reloading didn't know any better and stuck a dry '06 case in a sizing die.

After that, and reading about why. I discovered they had to be: "lubricated". Well hell, engine oil's lubrication, right? IF a little works, more is much better, right?

I DID kill a bunch of primers!
One I recall best was pointed at a 6pt bull elk so close his body filled up my K4 so much I had to let the gun down and take another look to see what part I was pointed at.

I can still hear that SNAP!!!
and that was Nov 1958!

From that lesson, IF you want to kill powder and primers. Use some engine oil. So it will soak in better use some light weight, say 10-20w.

I'd bet on it being dead. Try it on empties to prove it ahead of time.

George

George,

Motor oil has a bit too much viscosity to reliably get by a seated bullet and into the case. Light penetrating oils like Kroil, or WD 40 are much better suited to to task.

quote:

Originally posted by 308Sako:
The best way is to remove the barrel .

My Full Bore club had this gadget that worked like a "puller" , went in the action mostly single shot .308's I never used it but I think it worked where the chamber was a fair way in. Would gunsmiths in US have something like that??

You guys make such an easy job hard to remove. Don't start pounding on the bullet. Here is a tool that works on any cartridge that you have forced the extractor over and have the bolt out of the action. This is made from a German 8mm scrap barrel which is about like spring steel. Make it smaller than bolt dia. so it will pop over the rim. The allen screw is behind the receiver ring and a prize bar is used to extract the case. It has never failed to remove a stuck case. Quick and safe to use. A smaller short tool is used on Rem 740 auto made in two parts.

Yankee ingenuity is alive and well in Texas. Thanks for taking the time to post this Les, the photo helps to understand all of this.

This was a good thread, lots of info for me.

Burgie

Les, that's effective but sooooo BORING. Let's get back to the thinking man's methods. Any more fishing rod and twig techniques out there??

quote:

Originally posted by stdon:

quote:

What was running supposed to accomplish if the round had gone off when you hit the mallet?????

How was it going to go off????

Just made me feel better.


Don

If I understand what you posted, the hydraulic pressure popped the round out, not the plug. Right? Seems safe enough to me.

Maybe but, I know primers don't like a sharp tap, as opposed to getting slowly squashed.

I imagined the one (or two) that went off here
maybe a grain pushing thru the primer hole, or just compacting with fine powder, jarred the primer enough.
So an Hydrolic shock might do the same thing.??

quote:

If I understand what you posted, the hydraulic pressure popped the round out, not the plug. Right? Seems safe enough to me.

That's right. It just popped right out with no fuss.
Don

Les:

That's slick man! Thanks for posting the picture to show how it's made.

Rick:

IF you'll read the first post, the man believed the bullet was pushed down into the powder. Therefore, I still feel a light engine oil would soak thru.

I sure didn't intend for anyone to think I was suggesting this would penetrate past a seated bullet. have my doubts' if it would.

But, you just check it out by putting a drop of any wt oil on a live primer then come back in an hour and try to set it off.

What killed the primers for me when I was a kid just learning was using the engine oil to lube the cases when sizing them, then not cleaning them up. Had oil inside that got in the primers before the powder was charged. That make sense now Rick??????

George

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
Les:

That's slick man! Thanks for posting the picture to show how it's made.

Rick:

IF you'll read the first post, the man believed the bullet was pushed down into the powder. Therefore, I still feel a light engine oil would soak thru.

I sure didn't intend for anyone to think I was suggesting this would penetrate past a seated bullet. have my doubts' if it would.

But, you just check it out by putting a drop of any wt oil on a live primer then come back in an hour and try to set it off.

What killed the primers for me when I was a kid just learning was using the engine oil to lube the cases when sizing them, then not cleaning them up. Had oil inside that got in the primers before the powder was charged. That make sense now Rick??????

George

Whatever you say is fine with me.