Squib stuck in barrel. Help!

tzzler44 · #1 07-22-2011, 09:12 PM

So like the title says, I had a squib in my Mosin earlier. The bullet is stuck firmly in the barrel and the 1/4 inch wooden dowels I had on hand only served to pack a wad of splinters behind the squibbed round.

Short of using my cleaning rod to pound it out, a 1/4 inch brass rod should work right?

Shawn Crea · #2 07-22-2011, 09:27 PM

If you want to stick to the home repair, the brass rod is the better choice over the cleaning rod. Don't know if your cleaning rod is aluminum or SS, but doubt the aluminum would do much better than the dowel. If SS, you sure don't want it getting off-center and scraping down your barrel.

We don't know how far this squib made it down your barrel, but my second choice would be to try to push it back out from the muzzle end into the chamber, not the other way around. My first choice would be to take it to a gunsmith with the right tools. Good luck.

gene · #3 07-23-2011, 05:03 AM

If it is a soft point bullet definately push it from the breech. If you don't it will expand andstick tighter, use something as a bore guide (like a piece of copper tubing) that fits where the bolt should be. You can also drill out the primer pocket of a fired cartridge case to protect the chamber and help center the rod. If you don't do this you'll probably bend the rod. Use plenty of Liquid Wrench or your favorite lube for this. Good Luck!

Regards,
Gene

Rocky Raab · #4 07-23-2011, 05:07 AM

You have two choices: you can hammer on some kind of rod and get that bullet permanently wedged in place - or you can go to a gunsmith. The second option is cheaper than a new rifle, even a Mosin.

William Iorg · #5 07-23-2011, 05:26 AM

Rocky said the hard words.
If you have a jacketed bullet stuck in the first quarter of your barrel you are best served by having someone experienced in this type work drilling the bullet from the base and then collapsing it.
There are several ways of removing a stuck bullet without further damage and all of them require care and more tools than you are likely to have at home. With luck you are looking at about two hours labor

MikeG · #6 07-23-2011, 07:05 AM

Yup. You're sorta screwed with the splintered-up dowel parts in there. If it wasn't for that I'd just get a quarter inch STEEL rod and gently bump it on through.

tzzler44 · #7 07-23-2011, 11:41 AM

Its a soft point, and its stuck about 7 inches from the muzzle. The closest gunsmith to me is 2 hours away so if at all possible I'd like to keep this a home job. Since the bullet is stuck so close to the muzzle I'm going to use a brass rod and try to bang it out, its been soaking in penetrating oil all last night and today so maybe I'll have better luck.

William Iorg · #8 07-23-2011, 12:18 PM

Just a thought….
I would not use a brass rod. If you upset the rod and stick it in the barrel you will have a real problem.
Go to the hardware store or better a shop which supplies steel to machinists. Ask for a steel dowel as close to bore diameter as you can find.
Use a hammer with a minnimum weight of 2 lbs - I would prefer a 4 lb or heavier. Medium taps with a heavy hammer are better than heavy hits with a light hammer.

Forgot to mention. Remove the action from the stock, shorten the rod so that it is long enough to exit the bore but short enough it wil not have a lot of flex when you are hammering on it.

Cheezywan · #9 07-24-2011, 02:27 PM

William Iorg's suggestion is "Gold" for tzzler44. I'd squirt a little chain-saw bar oil in at both ends and go for it myself.

You have already put thin/penetrating oil in there(good). Bar oil will mix with that and migrate to the problem. A heavy "thump" should make it move to a lubed part of the bore.
Gets "easyier" after that little bit of movement.

Cheezywan

COSteve · #10 07-27-2011, 06:14 AM

I took a steel rod and beveled the corner at the striking end a bit to ensure that it didn't dig into the rifling and then carefully wrapped the rod in 1 layer of masking tape to avoid steel on steel contact. I've had it for going on 45 years and used it maybe a dozen times on my and other's stuck bullets, be they FMJ, HP, SP, or moly. Never had any barrel damage and I drive the bullets to the closest end. I've found that a small hand sledgehammer has both the size and the mass to tap it out much more easily than pounding it with a regular claw hammer.