Stuck Casing Removal - It's Magic!

[XD Niner]

I had a catastrophic case separation yesterday in my nearly new MBX PCC.  The base of the casing blew out, blasting out the mag as well, and left almost all of the casing sidewall stuck in the chamber.  I'm not sure why it blew apart but I suspect a bad case.  It was a range pickup but it had passed a chamber checker so if there had been any obvious crack it would have been rejected.  It could possibly have been a double charge but I have a powder check die on my Dillon XL 650 and in ten years of reloading have never experienced one.  Of course, there is always a first time.

 

Regardless, the casing remnant was really stuck in there,  I did a web search and it brought up several suggestions and three YouTube video links.  I tried all three from the easiest to the most complicated. 

 

The first option was to jamb a .45 caliber bore brush into the 9mm casing just far enough to engage its full length.  Then pull it out.  This worked for the gent on YouTube but not in my case. 

 

Bore Brush Method

 

Option two was to insert a plastic wall mount into the chamber and expand it with an oversized screw.  I bought a #14 wall mount from the local Ace Hardware and gave it a try.  Again, no joy when I pushed it out with a 2-foot brass squib rod from the muzzle end. 

 

Wall Mount Insert Method

 

Finally, I tried this approach as a last resort:

 

Epoxy Putty Method

 

I was very careful to insert the foam ear plug in just far enough to ensure it was not beyond the far end of the casing.  I don't think getting any of the putty into the rifling would be a good thing.  I let it sit for 90 minutes (listed curing time was 60 minutes), whacked it a couple of times with the brass squib rod and a hammer and out popped the casing along with the putty plug and a mashed ear plug! 

 

Given that my next option was probably a new $300 barrel and pinned comp, the $7 I spent for the putty was a bargain.  And I still have 95% of it left for the next time.

[ABQautoxer]

Take it to a gunsmith. Most charge a very reasonable fee, I think my local charges $50 flat fee.

[laz2011]

Use a tap bit . Insert buy hand slowly and u can pull the stuck brass piece out . Go to a hardware store with a spent piece of brass to see what size tap bot u need to buy and go from there. I learned this trick from a shooter at one of my club matches.Also keep a look out on step down brass in the future. 

[sonja55]

Brownell's makes a product called Cerrosafe. It is a low temp chamber casting metal that you can melt with a heat gun and use as you did the epoxy.

Use a cleaning rod with patch instead of ear plug.  If you do screw it up just reheat it and it will flow back out.

[JHB]

3 hours ago, sonja55 said:

Brownell's makes a product called Cerrosafe. It is a low temp chamber casting metal that you can melt with a heat gun and use as you did the epoxy.

Use a cleaning rod with patch instead of ear plug.  If you do screw it up just reheat it and it will flow back out.

 

A second vote for this almost impossible to mess up the chamber this way.

[longbeard]

I spent hours on this once.  Then I grabbed a dental tool and it popped right out.

 

Stepped brass is a problem with AR9.  FM, Ammoland, IMT head stamps all separate like what you described.  Best to sort those out.

[cferree]

Take a can of "canned" air, turn it upside down, and spray the case with liquid CO2.  It freezes the case and makes it shrink enough that it either falls out or can be pulled out with a bore brush one size bigger (.40 has worked for me).

 

This doesn't work every time, but it's awesome when it does.

 

 

[XD Niner]

Quote

49 minutes ago, cferree said:

Take a can of "canned" air, turn it upside down, and spray the case with liquid CO2.  It freezes the case and makes it shrink enough that it either falls out or can be pulled out with a bore brush one size bigger (.40 has worked for me).

 

This doesn't work every time, but it's awesome when it does.

 

 

 

I'd put the entire upper in my freezer before I tried the first two techniques.  However, both the casing and the surrounding metal were frozen.  Freezing just the casing might have worked better.

 

There are many good suggestions above.  Keep 'em coming, folks.

[1911luvr]

Use a tap bit . Insert buy hand slowly and u can pull the stuck brass piece out . Go to a hardware store with a spent piece of brass to see what size tap bot u need to buy and go from there. I learned this trick from a shooter at one of my club matches.Also keep a look out on step down brass in the future. 

That’s what I use. I have had this happen enough times that I made my own tool from a tap by removing the threads on the lower section and cutting off the top so I don’t hurt the barrel. It works like a champ!




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[laz2011]

I seen the tap bit used did not damage the chamber or the barrel . The first time I experienced this problem I used a 40 cal bore brush to remove the brass it came out fine . The second time the next round jammed around the brass piece and I was able to eject both . Found the eject round and brass ring after I finished the stage . That was when I decided to remove alk the step down brass when I reload .

[rowdyb]

I've taken a round loaded with a coated bullet and stuck in the chamber, turning it to bite into the separated case and then pulling it out.