Case Separation

P

PKAY

New member
FWIW, thought I'd post a fix I found for case separation where a headless case or portion thereof remains in the chamber following extraction. In this instance, the gun was a Wilson CQB digesting 230 gr. fmj reloads to factory specs. After ~225 rounds the gun experienced a failure to feed; would feed only half way into the chamber. Inspection noted half a severed case lodged in the forward end of the chamber. After thorough cleaning of gun and barrel, I sprayed some WD-40 into the chamber around the edge of the case, put the barrel in a ziplock freezer bag and put the bag into the freezer for two hours. After that time, I removed the barrel from the freezer and with a rod and .45 bore brush wrapped with a cleaning patch inserted it into the breech end of the chamber. Turned it clockwise a few times and extracted it, case and all! Cleaned the barrel again, lubed and reassembled the gun. Problem fixed. Except for the WD-40, this little trick is covered in one of the "Gunsmith Kinks" books from Brownell's. Seems the coefficient of expansion/contraction for brass is greater than the treated steel of the barrel, and the stretched partial case contracts in the freezer faster than the steel of the chamber loosening the grip.
 
Not even gunsmiths have broken shell extractors for every caliber. An easy solution is to screw a tap into the case. Do this carefully, of course, so as not to cut into the chamber itself, but it works every time. Just use a cleaning rod from the muzzle to drive out tap and case.

Jim
 
Jim, I read that method as well. But, you know, I didn't want to do anything that might score the chamber. The dang gun was brand new and a stretch on $$. The Kinks books (I think it's vol. II) list a number of extraction methods. Freezing was certainly the easiest for the pistol barrel. Now a rifle barrel is something else again! Might be real difficult to fit in a side-by-side refrigerator freezer full of shelves and frozen goods.
 
Thanks!

Woo hoo thanks for the post!

I had a 10mm delta elite with half the case (a tube of brass)left in the barell. I too noticed it after my next round failed to feed. I went to try the freezing trick and finding my barell already quite cold.. it's january in AK after all.. I just ran a .45 brass brush in the breach and yanked out the seperated case.

So easy :)

Thanks. I was sweating how to get it out.

shiro
 
Often, in the field, just pushin an oversized brush in and pullin it out will bring the case with it. Brass bristles don't like to be reversed.

Sam
 
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