NEED HELP!!! 700 Bolt Broke Off w/ Live Round (308)

[stbbo]

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Problem: a live round (308 win) stuck in remage barrel with bolt lifted up i.e lugs probably not engaged when bolt handle broke off.

Rifle Background: remage barrel setup, action older model 700 ADL.

Current idea: tap the handle in its current position and use 8/40 screws to close the bolt and fire then disassemble. The main concern would be the fact that the bolt is in the open position while performing this. Similar to the attached picture.

If there are safer ideas I would be indebted to the LRH community. Thank you.

 

[338 dude]

With the barrel in a vise if you break the lock nut loose can you spin the action off without using an action wrench

 

[stbbo]

With the barrel in a vise if you break the lock nut loose can you spin the action off without using an action wrench

Bill, thank you for the reply. A quick question.

• With the locking lugs NOT fully engaged realistically not engaged at all. Is there a situation/possibility where the firing pin could slip and discharge the round effectively sending the bullet and bolt out the rifle in opposite directions?

 

[Claybuster715]

Not 100% sure but just a thought but what if you turned the action and barrel muzzle up and fill it full of solvent or maybe even just water for a couple days? I would think that would break down the powder but I'm not sure if it would disable the primer. I wonder what would be the best option to use?

 

[jjmp]

Call a Gunsmith you trust .

 

[Timnterra]

***Be very carful!*** Post a picture of the action. The ability of the firing pin to move forward is determined by the rotation of the bolt in the action. The cocking piece is captured in the trigger slot on the action. If the bolt is lifted far enough the firing pin will not be able to move forward at all. (Best case scenario) If it is stuck somewhere in between it's possible that it can still fire. Was the bolt lifted all the way and stuck and that's when the bolt handle broke? Or did the handle break in the motion of lifting? If the handle was all the way up the firing pin will be unable to fall. In that case removing the barrel should be easy enough. I would still be very cautious and make sure that it is pointed at the dirt all the time.

 

[243winxb]

Post 2 plus wrap action in a flak jacket type cover.

 

[338 dude]

Bill, thank you for the reply. A quick question.

• With the locking lugs NOT fully engaged realistically not engaged at all. Is there a situation/possibility where the firing pin could slip and discharge the round effectively sending the bullet and bolt out the rifle in opposite directions?

With the bolt not locked down(out of battery) I don't believe it could release the firing pin

 

[Bob Wright]

Tag....

 

[Bob Wright]

Temporarily JB weld that bolt handle back in place enough to wiggle that bolt to cam out the round. All precautions to keep your head clear of port, bolt and barrel pointing into dirt, sand, etc.
Sounds like you are almost there and not in battery.

 

[codyadams]

Tag. Wanna see where this one goes.

Myself, if I wasn't able to easily fix it, I would take ot to a smith.

 

[26Reload]

Like Cody....behind the shield...watching...

 

[stbbo]

All thank you very much. By the grace of God I was able to remove the round and not cause much further damage.

Summary: triple checked what position the bolt was in when it broke off. Luckily the bolt was completely up and looking at how much it had moved to rear vs normal position. based on the posts above and further reading, I believed that the potential for the firing pin to slip and have a discharge was very low. I proceeded to try to take the barrel off (2nd attempt). The first attempt the barrel would not move even with the wrench. Fortunately, on the 2nd attempt it came off with minimal force hand turning. As the last thread engaged the round fell to floor. Upon closer inspection it appeared a small piece (1/3 size of a small rifle primer) of black pot metal (the raw metal showed Granularity) also fell out from the area where the lugs engage. My best idea is that the small piece of metal had caused the lugs to bind as I attempted to clear the chamber. I felt zero pressure or any restriction closing the bolt and with the brass FL sized on a small base die, it falling out as it did, and the mysterious piece of metal my only conclusion is that it was caught in a bind on the upstroke. Interestingly enough the safety lever snapped when I cleared everything and function tested it. I'll file this situation away, but to say you couldn't get a greased BB up my *** was an understatement. The muzzle was pointed in a safe direction and extreme caution was taken every step but things happen. I'm just glad no one was injured and the only damage is the cost to have the bolt tig'd. Thank you very much everyone. I value all the knowledge and insight this forum has to offer. Take care!

 

[stbbo]

FWIW every Smith I know hates the barrel nut method and refuse to dick with them and I called a few and they will never let me live this one down.