223 bullet stuck........help

[roundss]

So I loaded some 223 bullets, nothing special, some 40 gr v-max, 28 gr of x-terminator and misc brass (winchester, HSM, hornady). I was really looking forward to throwing some down range while hunting p-dogs in MT.

I had some issues with a case getting stuck after firing. I got it out, the primer had a bit of a crater so I thought it was a pressure issue that caused it to stick....... I didn't shoot anymore out of the case and when I got back I was in the process of going through the still loaded cases to see if there were anymore that I was going to have issues with. I checked OAL, well within specs. I got all the hornady brass together, they were fine. Winchester, fine. HSM..............The very first one got stuck. OK, so now I have a live round stuck in the chamber. The bolt will not extract the bullet.....great, so I tell my old man about it, he's going to see what he can do. Long story short he tried to get the bullet out by knocking it out....I assume the bullet is into the casing.........I kindly asked him to not blow off a limb and stop......so here I am with a stuck bullet that has been damaged. WHAT NEXT??????? Do they make a tool or something that I can get it out with? Do I just take it to a gunsmith? Can I take the barrel off and get it out myself (with the purchase of a tool? If I'm doing that should I get a 223 AI barrel?

Oh, ya, it's a weatherby vanguard 223 24" bull barrel, 1/12 twist

 

[300rum]

hi,

first off all use safety decision first.
i got some similar situation but with 300 rem ultra round, live on barell, so i just took out the bolt, and run out to the local gun store.
the gunsmith, removed from the barel my live ammo, in less then 5 min.
they have the tools, and knowledge, so let them remove safely the round.

he used a cleaning rod, and a hammer, and tapping slowly, he push back the round in the case.
after then he put some solvent on barell to cancel the powder. let it soak, and then he push back the round one more time with the cleaning rod.
don't try to do yourself unless you know how to!
you can get hurt.

 

[300rum]

from that time,i run all my cases through the action prior priming them.
at least if i got a stuck case, i can solv the problem right now, not in the field with live amo.

your problem is from:
1. you did not tream the cases. you have to tream them all the time.

2. sometime if you are just Neck resizing, the cases can expand too much- hard opening the Bolt when extracting the case.
in this situation, just FL The case, and you will be ok.

 

[edge]

Those cases must be way too long to be in there that tight. How many times were they fired?

edge.

PS part of the problem with pushing the bullet backward is that is jamming the case neck very tightly into the grooves! Basically you now need to push the bullet far enough so that the ogive is past the case mouth.

PPS IMO, the case is stuck, and not the bullet!

 

[roundss]

They were fired once. All except the HSM were weighed, checked for length, and chamfered. My brother had shot a box of the HSM and mixed them in with other brass that I had loaded and been shot.

I missed a step (or two) when loading the batch and did not try all the empties before I loaded them. I know that I did not check them for length. Stupid, rookie mistake, and the bad part is I've reloaded here and there for 25 years..........I've got my "here's your sign" on right now.

Discovery Channel Life Lesson #29:
Don't get in a hurry or skip steps while preparing something that goes boom.

You know the part in the cartoons where the character does something stupid and turns into a jackass for a brief second.......... that's me.

I'm laughing now because I've had people ask me "why do you spend so much time weighing them, measuring them, cleaning, etc.........."
THIS, is exactly why. THIS is what happens when you get in a hurry.

 

[roundss]

PPS IMO, the case is stuck, and not the bullet!

I agree
I'm going to try and get my hands on the box....I've made sure that all my brass that I buy is 223 rem. If this were 223 from HSM could it be 223 NATO and the longer throat is what could be the issue? I just don't know if the 223 NATO and 5.56 are the same case.

 

[roundss]

Does anyone know of a good gunsmith in Western WA? Somewhere between South Seattle and Eatonville?