I know this isn't the proper place for this post, but the classifieds get the most users.
a older gentlemen brought me a 38 special. And it has a live round stuck in the cylinder. He asked me if I could get the round out of the cylinder? Looking at the nose of the bullet it looks as if he tried to use a punch or something and tried to knock the round out. The round is stuck... I thought about trying to shoot it but I'm not sure if thats the safetiest way to remove the round. Got any ideas?????

maybe spray some WD40 in the top and it soak, try to knock it out

Well if you are thinking about shooting it, you may want to just go ahead defer the removal to someone else.

If you can take the cylinder out, drop it in a bucket of penetrating oil over night to inert the primer.

Then you will need to figure a way to pull the bullet from the case. Something like a black powder ball puller might work.

Once you get the bullet out of the way, dump out the powder and use a brass punch to tap the case out of the cylinder.

yep

you COULD drill the bullet ou of the case going very SLOWLY using LOT OF OIL TO COOL THE DRILL



good luck

Take it to a gunsmith, his bill will be less than a trip to the emergency room and a possible funeral.

I would soak the cylinder in oil to deactivate the primer then...


I would use a drill and VERY slowly and in several incremental steps drill through the lead bullet and then pour out the powder. Then add water to the inside of the case to make sure the primer is dead. Then try and push it out

I would remove the cylinder from the gun, drill through the bullet with a very small bit, keeping it cool with copious amounts of water (enough to fill the cylinder) so the water will wet the powder once you pentrate the lead and keep the posibility of denonation to a minimum. The drill the bullet out with a larger bit so you can pull the bullet out.

I know I would not try and punch the round out from the front because its too likely that you'll only end up jamming the bullet further down the mouth of the case, thereby making it that much more difficult to remove the round.

Im almost certain penetrating oil wouldnt work on rendering the primer inert. There was a post in this awhile back and the glue used to seal the primer was pretty much impervious to penetrating oil, fuel, water, all kinds of stuff, on rounds left soaking for over a month.

Good luck with that one. I wouldnt want to be doing it and if I did, I would be charging a bunch for it.

Best advice so far.

Sounds like you are able to open the cylnder.
take some sort of long screw (the longer the better and screw into the bullet (hopefully it's a soft point)and try to pull the bullet first, if you can't pull the bullet drill a small hole. I'm trying to get you to where you can put oil on the primer and make the whole thing safer to work on. See where I'm going with this?

I have drilled unloaded bullets and brass using drilling fluid, not water, drilling fluid the stuff that machinists use. If anyone would like to pick the bullet up right after I drill it, please do. It is HOT, damn HOT. Is it hot enough to cause the powder to ignite? I have no idea and no intention of finding out. It will cause wood to smoke and leave a brand mark!!!!

I removed the cylinder yesterday. And I soaked it in oil overnight. Bullet wouldn"t budge today. So I now have it soaking in Maltby. I thought about using a small drill and start a hole in the bullet. Then switch to a hand drill and finish removing the bullet or atleast most of the bullet.

+1

Soak the cylinder in water for a few days, and then take it in out of the refrigerator a few times. That way there is condensation built up in the round, and water would be in the primer as well. This way the powder and primer is inert. Once you have the round inert, use a small drill bit with drilling fluid and slowly drill through the lead/copper bullet. Do not go to far, and you will want the pour water down in the drill hole and to positively make sure it have water exposure. Once you get to this point, use a rubber mallet, tap, and vise with padding to get the round out. At this point, just use your tools and you will get it out. Also be sure to keep the cylinder soaked in CLP once to take it out of the water.

First, be careful...... I'd say don't do it yourself, but I know you, and figure you would anyway!

Are you sure its a live round not a squib-ed that is in there?
Is it the right round for the gun?

Second, find a spent casing from the same gun.... use it as a plunger, pushing, not hitting.... often it exerts pressure past the bullet and to the circumference of the stuck round, and often it helps cut corrosion if that's what has stuck the bullet...

Before drilling, try starting a deck screw or ease-out in the bullet and see if you can pull that...

Drilling into the powder pocket is a dangerous proposition.

If I was going to drill it, I would set it up in a leather wrap with the cylinder sandwiched between tin foil for a ground to eliminate any static electricity.

wrap the tinfoil around the cylinder and out and back around the leather grounded to the vise.

Use Kroil and a #40 drill bit, step it up until you get close to the size of the primer, pour out any remaining powder, discharge the primer, and use a 2"x4" with a 3/4" hole drilled in it for support and drive the casing out.

Polish the chambers with steel wool and figure out what cause the problem.

x2

I see an uuuutohhhh coming
That cylinder aint worth your life
Take the damn thing to a gunsmith

IF you decide against the Smitty, set up a video cam and capture yourself at work...

...your beloved could make a mint selling to AFV or Failed blog!

Most gunsmiths wont even touch a firearm if a live round is invleved.

Might try the method of removing gears off of axle shafts. Need to cool the bullet and casing fast. Liquid Nitrogen is used by locksmiths as well to free jammed locks. Maybe worth a try?
The idea is to cool the bulet and then it will contract at a faster rate than the thicker cylinder....
Just an idea, not that I have tried it, but I would shur try it this way before using any kind of striking force.......

But if it were me? As stated before..take it to a gunsmith!

+2

what did he say caused it? Did he shoot it and it made a sound as if it was just the primer went off? Was it a reload? Squib? Is it just a bullett stuck in the chamber or is it the case and all? Is the primer dented, like it has been fired? Have seen all these things before. If a whole round, I pried the lip away from the cylinder and then grabbed it with pliers and pulled the case out. If just the bullett, then just use a brass punch and knock it out. I'd just knock it on thru instead of knocking back out. Reloads that sre semi-jacketed and reloaded like some you see at the gunshows, I avoid those. Have had to get stuck bullett jackets out of barrels before. All were supposed to be 38 special. I don't like jacketed 38 specials unless +P or +P+, but never plain old 38 specials.

Okay, I've been reading this, and my .02 is this:
Water/oil/wd40 WILL NOT reliably kill a primer.
They may or may not, but it's a crapshoot.
Drilling into the bullet sounds........risky.
If you are in Pittsburg, take it to Jack Gunnells in Ore City, and save a trip to ETMC.

Have you tried tapping on the ejector rod with a rubber hammer?

I would very slowly drill through the bullet even by hand if need be. I would then try to dump out the powder as best I could. Then I'd soak it in water for about 15 minutes. I would then try to pull the bullet with a screw puller of some sort. Once I got the bullet out I would line the cylinder up on a bench vise and knock the case out with a punch.

if the cylender will come off take it off and throw it in a lake. and buy a new one