Spent case stuck in chamber.

[MedicYeti 96]

How do I get it out?

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Cleaning rod?

[Joelk 61]

Most of the time a few light taps with a cleaning rod will knock it out. If the extractor is grabing at all, pull back on the charging handle while tapping with a rod from the muzzle.

[Cylinder Head 22]

Cleaning rod, or mortar the gun.

[Old School 611]

How do I get it out?

 

 

AR I quess? Steel cased ammo?

 

I agree cleaning rod rubber mallet. Aluminum rod and allow a jag to enter the case and sit on the inside of the case head.

 

Brass jag and sharp taps. You may want to remove the hand guards and heat the barrel w/ a heat gun til it's warm (so you can still touch it).

 

Oh, pull the bolt out if you can. You don't want the gun locked in battery obviously.

 

This is all assuming that the extractor rode over the case head.

[Vlad G 345]

The field expedient solution I have used in the 2 occasions I had this problem has been hit the stock REALLY hard against the ground while simultaneously pulling on the charging handle. The cleaning rod solution is obviously the least likely to break anything (like your stock charging handle or pinned collapsible stock or the unsupported buffer tube, I use a full length ARFX stock and a BCM charging handle so I don't have that problem). In my case both failures occurred during matches and I wasn't going to stop.

[Old School 611]

The field expedient solution I have used in the 2 occasions I had this problem has been hit the stock REALLY hard against the ground while simultaneously pulling on the charging handle. The cleaning rod solution is obviously the least likely to break anything (like your stock charging handle or pinned collapsible stock or the unsupported buffer tube, I use a full length ARFX stock and a BCM charging handle so I don't have that problem). In my case both failures occurred during matches and I wasn't going to stop.

 

 

Yes Vlad, What you've described is the acceptable field solution as long as the extractor still has the rim. Thanks for putting this out there.

[MedicYeti 96]

Yes, Steel ammo. I have shot thousands, if not tens of thousands, of rounds of the stuff and never had a problem with it before. The extractor looks like it grabbed and ripped off a piece of the rim so now it's not grabbing but at least the bolt isnt locked. I did try the cleaning rod but was afraid to hit it too hard, I'll try the mallet tonight. Thanks for the information.

[raz-0 1,259]

I did try the cleaning rod but was afraid to hit it too hard, I'll try the mallet tonight. Thanks for the information.

 

 

Lots of short sharp taps, and you should hav enothing to worry about.

[Old School 611]

Yes, Steel ammo. I have shot thousands, if not tens of thousands, of rounds of the stuff and never had a problem with it before. The extractor looks like it grabbed and ripped off a piece of the rim so now it's not grabbing but at least the bolt isnt locked. I did try the cleaning rod but was afraid to hit it too hard, I'll try the mallet tonight. Thanks for the information.

 

After a few taps, if it doesn't go. Use the heat gun nice and easy. #1 It may soften the polymer coating on the case and #2 It will expand the chamber a little.

 

One thing for sure. I'd scrub that chamber real good when you get the case out.

 

Just for kicks and giggles... Was the rifle real hot when the case stuck?

[EngineerJet 191]

Might I add. try adding a few drops of oil right into the breech. Let it sit a little to ensure the oil gets into all the nooks of the case then try the cleaning rod. Worked wonders for me.

[Vlad G 345]

In my experience heat is not what gets steel cases lodged in the chamber, but dirt. The steel cases do not expand as well as brass, don't seal the chamber and a lot of crud gets between the case and the chamber walls. That doesn't stop me from using Wolf even in matches, it just something you need to be aware of.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

you can cure it by buying an AK

 

Anyways, back on topic...

You cant hurt anything by pounding a rod against it through the barrel as long as you dont slip and smash your muzzle or have the case break free and you smash the muzzle or have the rod fly through and smash into some other stuff. But unless that happens, no amount of force you can apply to the case can damage anything. Its not like you will stretch the chamber out if you hit it too hard...lol

[JonF 79]

My one and only experience with wolf ammo in an AR and a stuck shell was due to over-expansion (or under contraction), not dirt. Not knowing what to do, I took the rifle back home and found the "field method" you guys described worked. Wondering what could have caused this issue, i was examining the shell and it appeared somewhat swelled (but not like overpressure. Attempting to re-chamber that shell provided resistance and extraction required another bump so it was definitely an ammo issue. My AR experience is limited so i'm not sure if this is something that could just as easily happen to brass but i understand that the steel alloys that are used for wold ammo don't have the same expansion/contraction curves that brass does so it may be more susceptible to this condition and others.

[Old School 611]

In my experience heat is not what gets steel cases lodged in the chamber, but dirt. The steel cases do not expand as well as brass, don't seal the chamber and a lot of crud gets between the case and the chamber walls. That doesn't stop me from using Wolf even in matches, it just something you need to be aware of.

 

 

Good point!

[MedicYeti 96]

The gun was not overly hot, I was sighting in new irons at 100 yards and shooting slowly. I did put some lube down the muzzle last night so hopefully it will help today. I think I'll do a detail clean when the case comes out and make sure the chamber is spotless. I've done matches with wolf in the past as well and did not have any issues. In hind sight I don't think I cleaned the rifle after my last trip, usually I'm anal about that. When I get home I'm heading right to the rifle, and with no wife or son home tonight I have no distractions.

[Vlad G 345]

Out of curiosity, what chamber do you have (.223 or 5.56) and is it chromed or not? My two stuck cases have been in VERY dirty chambers (think 1000+ rounds between cleanings) but in a chromed 5.56 barrel.

[Tosser 61]

Stuck cases come witht the territory of steel ammo. That being said I use steel. Ron did you try to mortar it out? I haven't had a round stuck that wouldn't mortar out in 5 years.

[MedicYeti 96]

Out of curiosity, what chamber do you have (.223 or 5.56) and is it chromed or not? My two stuck cases have been in VERY dirty chambers (think 1000+ rounds between cleanings) but in a chromed 5.56 barrel.

 

It is a 223 chrome lined chamber. I learned the hard way that it doesn't accept 5.56 when I first got it.

 

Stuck cases come witht the territory of steel ammo. That being said I use steel. Ron did you try to mortar it out? I haven't had a round stuck that wouldn't mortar out in 5 years.

 

Someone else said to mortar it out, I am not familiar with that term or process and google has given me many irrelevent results.

[bbk 188]

To me, "mortaring" when you slam the rifle on the buttstock on the ground, using physics to remove the casing. This is the most common method in the Army (from my experience) to deal with the more severe malfunctions (double feeds, stuck casing, etc).

[DirtyDigz 1,811]

MORTAR:

 

MORTAR THE RIFLE: ( IF YOU OWN AN AR.. THIS IS A MUST READ...It can save your life or prevent injury)

 

With the muzzle pointed Up, Pull down on the stuck charging handle while you slam the butt of the rifle down on a flat surface. Inertia from this action , in most cases ...is sufficient enough to dislodge/ extract the stuck round.( to protect the rifle from scratches, slam it on a towel or your buddy's foot, In Duty or combat... just mortar the darn thing, preferably,on the enemy's head)

 

here is a more detailed procedure: Follow these steps to help get that stuck round/case out:

 

Step 1: Remove the magazine from the rifle (if you have the BB installed), and flip on the safety if you are able to.

 

Step 2:Find a solid surface and put a piece of carpet or a floor mat on the surface so you do not mar up your butt stock / butt plate or even crack the buttplate. If there is a live round in chamber Treat the rifle as a loaded ready to fire rifle and make doubly sure that you are doing this in a safe area or in your backyard. Safety is flipped on (if you can flip it).

 

Step 3: If the round is partially out of chamber, apply some sort of lubricant down the barrel like CLP or even WD40. Give it about minute to go down the barrel and into the chamber.

 

Step 4: If your rifle has a collapsible stock, collapse it down all the way.

 

Step 5: Next, while the rifle is pointed up, raise the rifle approx. 6 inches from the ground and push the rifle down with a little force like you are hammering the carpet with your AR, and at the same time pull down on the charging handle. Don't hammer it down hard, just enough to help get the inertia going to help pull down the charging handle/bolt.

 

Step 6: Repeat if the round did not pop out the first time. Typically after the 2nd or 3rd attempt you will get movement and the round should pop out. If this does not work, try to go higher like 8-10 inches to create a stronger force/inertia, again while you are pulling down on the charging handle.

 

Step 7: Once you get the round/case clear from the chamber, Clean and Lubricate the rifle, and since it is an AR, keep the rifle lubricated at all times.

 

Careful doing this with pinned stocks - you can bend the buffer tube and/or shear the pin. The farther out the stock is, the more chance of bending the tube, especially if you don't slam it exactly perpendicular to the ground.

[Tosser 61]

I'll send u a video tomorrow when I'm off the job Ron.

[MedicYeti 96]

Uugg!!! The extractor claw ripped a piece of the rim off, mortaring the rifle isn't working. I have used a cleaning rod and successfully knocked the primer out of the case and bent the cleaning rod with the hammering. Also, the cleaning rod is stuck.

Now I am considering 2 options: 1. Gunsmith. 2. New barrel. If the prices are similar I may just do a new barrel. I'm open to other suggestions.

Thanks to all who have offered suggestions.

Ron

[Soju 153]

How did the cleaning rod get stuck? I guess it is probably do late now, but I'd suggest using something a bit more sturdy then a cleaning rod, especially if it is one that you connect the pieces and not a solid 1 piece rod...

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Uugg!!! The extractor claw ripped a piece of the rim off, mortaring the rifle isn't working. I have used a cleaning rod and successfully knocked the primer out of the case and bent the cleaning rod with the hammering. Also, the cleaning rod is stuck.

Now I am considering 2 options: 1. Gunsmith. 2. New barrel. If the prices are similar I may just do a new barrel. I'm open to other suggestions.

Thanks to all who have offered suggestions.

Ron

 

 

Not sure how a cleaning rod got stuck, but don't go crazy if it's on of the screw together types. Maybe fab up something to attach a slide hammer and go softly and smoothly, sometimes a slower smoother approach is better than trying to rip it out of there.

 

Good luck, keep us posted on how it works out for you or what a Gun smith had to do to get it cleared.

 

Harry

[DirtyDigz 1,811]

Other suggestion - penetrating oil.

 

This stuff in particular if you can find it:

 

Kroil -

 

 

I have some and you're welcome to stop by to use it, but I'm practically at the other end of the state from you.

 

Are you able to separate the upper and lower receivers?

[Malsua 1,422]

Other suggestion - penetrating oil.

 

This stuff in particular if you can find it:

 

Kroil -

 

 

I have some and you're welcome to stop by to use it, but I'm practically at the other end of the state from you.

 

Are you able to separate the upper and lower receivers?

 

Liquid wrench is also pretty much the same thing.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Liquid wrench is also pretty much the same thing.

 

Pretty much anything that will lube it up and make it slide out a little easier, it's not like the dissimilar metals have had a chance to fuse together and I doubt brass would even over a little time anyway.

 

It may also be just a point or 2 that is acting like a clearance fit that may be able to be manipulated also by other means.

 

Harry

[Malsua 1,422]

As a side note, Power Steering fluid + Acetone 50/50 is a very good penetrator.

 

See here:

 

http://sterkel.org/papers/vintage/Testing_Penetrating_Oils.pdf

 

February 2, 2008

Machinist's Workshop V20 number 2, April/May 2007, page 35

Article: “Testing Penetrating oils”

This reports a test of penetrating oils where they measured the force required to loosen rusty test devices. The details reported here were validated by the original article author. He also added some details on the methods. You must buy the issue if you want to see how they did the test. The back issue is available for purchase.

The table below extracts the results table The lower the number of pounds the better. Interesting that a simple mix of acetone and power steering fluid (PSF) works the best!

 

Penetrating oil Average load Price per fluid ounce

 

None 516 pounds

WD-40 238 pounds $0.25

PB Blaster 214 pounds $0.35

Liquid Wrench 127 pounds $0.21

Kano Kroil 106 pounds $0.75

PSF-Acetone mix 53 pounds $0.10 (50/50 mix)

Note from original article author:

 

1) These are loads required to free the test piece after

8 hours of immersion in penetrating oil. This is

probably not representative of a quick squirt just

before a wrench is applied.

 

2) The original article states ATF was used in the DIY

mix. It was actually PSF. I corrected the table to

reflect this.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

2) The original article states ATF was used in the DIY

mix. It was actually PSF. I corrected the table to

reflect this.

 

I have even seen it with diesel oil and keep a 50/50 mix in a container at home with good results on some bolts but not all, I may throw a batch of PSF together and have that around just to try out.

 

Thank for that post.

 

Harry