How do I remove a .17 bullet from the barrel?

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mrgoodwrench76

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I went to the range today and put about 90 rounds through my Savage .17 bolt action. I had a ftf, extracted the case, and it was full of powder but no bullet.

I inspected the case and found a small crack in the brass about a quarter inch long from the neck down. The case also showed a good primer strike similar to the other 90 empties.

The guy next to me said he heard a light poof but no boom when the ftf occured.

I inspected the barrel and no daylight :eek:

After I get it home, I find the bullet about 5 inches deep in the barrel.

All rounds fired today (and nearly since its conception) were 17g Hornady V Max. This rifle has consumed 5k ish of these rounds without a single malfunction.

The rifle had been cleaned and inspected prior to use and has always been properly cleaned after each use.

I was hoping some of the experts could tell me 1) what happened? and 2) How do I get this bullet out of my barrel? :D Ive never had this problem before.
 
Use a hardwood dowel or brass rod and tap it out.It might also help to pour a little Kroil or penetrating oil in the bore to lube things up.
 
DO NOT use a hardwood dowel. It will splinter and create a bigger problem than the stuck bullet.

Squirt penetrating oil down the barrel. Let it soak a couple hours.

Use a cleaning rod and jag, with the tip of the jag filed flat so it will push against the bullet.
 
You might try a stick of brazing rod. It will be softer than the barrel while being stiff enough to knock the bullet out. Finding material small enough to work in a .17 bore will not be easy unless you're willing to sacrifice a high dollar cleaning rod.
 
I'll second or third a brass or steel rod, not a wood dowel. You can probably get a brass or steel welding rod that will fit at a welding supply shop.
 
a few days ago I saw a guy with a savage 17HMR that had the same issue. His bullet made it about to the end (2 inches short). I love my 17HMR but I am seeing more and more of these stories.
 
If you try the brass rod/hardwood dowel/brazing rod thing, and find it difficult, take it to a gunsmith before you scratch up your barrel.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions. I was hesitant to use a dowel rod as I wondered about the rod splintering and making a mess. Is the bullet going to be hard to push out?

Anyone care to guess what caused the failure?
 
As far as I know, uncoated brazing rod is available up to in 1/8 diameter. That is 0.0125, which is 0.045 smaller than your nominal 0.17. I would prefer something larger. 5/32 is 0.15625 which would be great if it can be found. Check McMaster-Carr for their 8953K42.
I have no idea how difficult the bullet will be to remove. Obviously it should be driven in the direction that it travels the shortest distance to get out of the barrel. Good luck.
 
It will be easier then a bigger bullet. I have found that lots of little taps on the rod work better then larger heavier blows. Once it starts moving keep after it until its out.
 
It would definately be a shorter trip to go backwards but I was unsure on that part.

I would hate to take it to a gunsmith, reguardless of the cost, more of a pride thing. I think too many people spend hard earned money to pay other people to do things for them that they are capable of doing themselves.

I would rather spend hours and hours of my time learning to do it myself than pay someone to do it for me.

I will probably make a trip to my LGS with the friendly owner that knows I've spent a substantial amount of money in his establishment and ask some questions. The last time I did that, I recieved an hour long conversation on how to's and he even loaned me some tools to do so. Yes it takes up a lot of my time, but the knowledge gained is well worth it.

It still puzzles me as to what caused this problem. Just a defective round? Maybe I should start to inspect the factory ammunition before I use it.

Thank you again for all of the suggestions.
 
I think it is safe to say it was a defective round. If the pin hit the primer and the bullet left the casing, I would have to guess it was a light powder charge, or what re-loaders call a squib round. Just enough powder to get it stuck in the barrel, could possibly have had no powder at all and just the primer sent it up there a few inches. As other have said, lucky you caught it because if you had fired another round, you could possibly have had a blown out barrel. I would take a cleaning rod with nothing screwed in the end of it so that the open female thread will slide around the tip of the bullet and tap very lightly until it comes out. I doubt you can do much damage if you are careful, try not to let the cleaning rod bang around too much at the muzzle. Maybe even wrap the rod with tape where it meets the muzzle end of the barrel.

Edit: After reading your OP again, I see you said it had unburned powder in the cartridge case. I would have to quess that it had some bad powder that didn't ignite.
 
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I would hate to take it to a gunsmith, reguardless of the cost, more of a pride thing. I think too many people spend hard earned money to pay other people to do things for them that they are capable of doing themselves.
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That's the attitude that keeps a gunsmith happy - fixing what you messed up, and it's worse than when you started! :D:D
 
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