Ar-15 jammed with live round!!

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pistol-whipped

New member
Ok,I need help.My AR has a live round jammed in the chamber.This is where things get sad.My friend and I tried to push the round out with a cleaning rod.And we pushed the bullet back into the case so firing the round is now a NO-GO! What now?
 
You didnt say if the bolt pulled the rim off or what. A bit more info would be handy. Is the bolt locked up in the chamber, or did you get the bolt back leaving the case in the chamber.

Most stuck case removers dont work on live rounds, they are used when the back of the case is pulled off.

I did make a suck case remover for the M1A that is used on the muzzle end that you push the case out instead of pulling like normal STRs. I suppose you can make one for an AR.

Trying to push a loaded round out of the chamber by hammering on a cleaning rod isnt the safetest method I ever heard.

A real good ideal would be to take it to a gun smith and let him get it out.
 
There is a technique that you can use that may help.

1. Go to a hard padded surface. A concrete surface with a couple layers of carpet is an ideal situation. (driveway)
2. Point the muzzle upward in a safe direction.
3. With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and no possibility that anyone can get in front of it, grasp the charging handle securely, raise the weapon about 2 feet off the padded surface, and bring the butt down hard and fast, slamming it onto the surface.
4. Allow the hand grasping the charging handle to "follow through" with the charging handle which will move downward, extracting the round.

You may have to do this more than once. Remember, safety is paramount. Think completely through what you are going to do before you do it. The round could go off and cause a lot of pain and heartache.
 
That happened to me once. I believe it was due to an improperly adjusted sizing die, or more likely one I short stroked on resizing a reload. I managed to pull the rim off of the cartridge by hitting the butt on a hard surface while pulling the charging handle. Rather than take it to a gunsmith, after I had managed to push the bullet into the case, I poured some liquid wrench down the barrel, let it sit overnight, then used a hammer and an old stainless steel cleaning rod to knock out the round. There are probably better methods, but that is what I did.

In my case the round was not fully chambered so the bolt would not go fully forward so I could not take the upper off of the lower, nor could I remove the barrel from the upper.

Good luck.
 
Not yet,I don't have one.Im trying to find someone I can borrow from.A broken case remover that is.And yes the bolt pulled the rim off!
 
You should be able to push the rear disassembly pin out, tip the upper up, take the bolt and carrier out, and then you can tap the case out from the muzzle (if there's any of the base left); if the base of the case is entirely gone, you can try a field-expedient "case remover", by pushing a cleaning rod entirely through the case, then threading a larger-diameter brass brush on, pulling that brush into the separated case as tightly as you can, and then tapping on the muzzle end of the rod. The bristles on the brush angle forward into the sides of the case, and grip it slightly, pushing it out.
 
If the bolt is locked, you will not be able to hammer the cartridge out with a rod from the muzzle. You need to unlock the bolt from the barrel extension by moving the bolt carrier to the rear. You might be able to pry the bolt carrier to the rear using a small screwdriver through the ejection port or through the magazine well.
 
Well,this is where I stand now.I can,t get the upper off because the bolt will not go into battery,so the carrier does not clear the lower. I tried pushing the case out with a rod,but tapping very hard kinda makes me nervous.So I am going to try a case remover.So,this is an unfired case and I have never used a case remover before.What do you suggest?
 
The broken case remover's that I've seen will not work for you since you cannot break down the upper. As I mentioned in #5, liquid wrench will neutralize the powder and primer. I believe that giving the rod down the barrel a good whack with a mallet or hammer is really the only thing that will work. I was not comfortable doing it either with mine, but it worked.
 
I understand that with the bolt carrier back in the buffer tube the rear pin being puuled will not let the rifle hinge open.However,I just read about a similar problem on another thread.If you pull both the front and rear pins,the mag well end of the reciever should swing away.

On another thread,one of the true uses of WD-40 was discussed.It is pretty good for killing primers,however,think real careful about this.The powder in the case is only going to allow the bullet to deep seat so far and the bullet may not seat deep enough to allow the oil to kill the primer.The cork might still plug the bottle.My point is,try the oil to kill the primer,but assume the round is still hot.Your cleaning rod may become a projectile,and without a bolt in place,the barrel will shoot out of both ends.

With the rear of the upper receiver resting on something hard,like an aluminum plate on concrete.you may be able to just let a cleaning rod drop 8 or 10 inches (Keeping your body well clear of the danger zone) a few times
Don't bother with a broken case extractor.They are for when the case head is ripped off,and just the forward part of the case is in the chamber.

And,yes,you do ave to be concerned about the crown every time you put a rod in from the muzzle

Good luck.
 
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Let me see if I understand correctly.

1. A round is stuck in the chamber.

2. The extractor is gripping the round but normal pressure on the handle won't move the carrier.

3. The carrier is stuck slightly open so the upper can't be tipped up.

If all that is correct, try this. Look up inside the front of the magazine well. You will see the bottom of the carrier and a gap between the front bottom of the carrier and the front of the magazine well. Insert a strong screwdriver into that gap and pry back on the carrier by pushing the screwdriver handle forward. If necessary, use a piece of wood or plastic as a fulcrum for the screwdriver. The carrier should move back and bring the bolt head with it.

Jim
 
Well I let the barrel+round soak in wd-40 for a nice while,tried the clening rod but with no luck so I went with the screwdriver and bingo! Once I freed the round from the chamber I found something interesting and a little scary there was a small portion of a case neck from the previous round lodged in the chamber and the stuck round had run right through the middle and wedged itself against the chamber wall:eek:This was factory ammo-federal 55grn from wal-mart.This kinda thing happen often?
 
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