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Old May 13, 2005, 07:42 PM   #1
jeff6strings
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One stuck in the barrel

This afternoon I was shooting my first reloads of 9mm from my two month old Glock 34 when after 90 some rounds a bullet is stuck in the barrel . It's stuck at where it would have been seated in the chamber but the primer went off as well as the powder and the case ejected fine. I'm not sure why it's jammed but I'm not sure what to do. Since Glock is closed I can't call their support for help so I'll try calling on Saturday and if not then on Monday.

Does anyone have any experience with this situation?

Thanks for any help.
Jeff
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Old May 13, 2005, 07:46 PM   #2
PinnedAndRecessed
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From what I've read on these forums, you use a rod of some sort to drive the bullet out. Don't use wood, some say, because the wood could splinter making it worse.

Maybe cut off an old cleaning rod and gently tap the bullet out with a hammer.
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Old May 13, 2005, 07:50 PM   #3
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You say that the sound of firing was normal??? (I'm assuming this since you say that the primer and powder went off.)

Have you looked into the front of the barrel? Before you start trying to drive the bullet out, you might want to check to see if there's more than one in there.

If the primer and powder went off, the bullet should have exited the muzzle. At the very least, even with a very weak powder charge--or even with just the primer, the bullet would probably have travelled down the bore a ways.
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Old May 13, 2005, 07:52 PM   #4
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Thanks for the replies.
The round went off as normal but I believe there is only one bullet judging by the depth of the rod I used to check for another round that my be jammed in the barrel.

Jeff
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Old May 13, 2005, 07:58 PM   #5
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I'm very curious. In as the primer and powder charge went off and the case ejected, what caused you to realize the bullet did not leave the barrel?
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Old May 13, 2005, 08:04 PM   #6
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When the next round went to load into the chamber, the slide didn't seem to go all the way forward and the trigger fired without the round in the chamber firing. It was then I realized there was a problem and found the bullet stuck in the forward of the chamber not allowing the next round to load completely into the chamber.

Jeff
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Old May 13, 2005, 08:40 PM   #7
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YIKES!!!!! That could have been very ugly had the bullet traveled a little further down the barrel and allowing the next round to chamber and fire.
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Old May 13, 2005, 09:04 PM   #8
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The bullet should be held in primarily by friction, so it "should" tap out without a lot of stress. First squirt some WD 40 down the bore and let it soak for a minute or two. Then insert a rod in from the muzzle and center it on the bullet and gently tap on the rod with a hammer. That should back the bullet out through the loading chamber. The best rod to use would be a brass rod with a diameter slightly smaller than the bore, but odds are you wont have one of those. Next best is a wooden dowel just slightly smaller than the bore, and odds are you wont have one of those either. Brass and wood should not damage the rifling which is why they are best. Aluminum isn't bad either. As long as you only have to tap gently you shouldn't splinter a wooden dowel. If it takes heavy blows, then you need to take it to a gunsmith anyway. If you dont have anything better try a cleaning rod.

Remember, don't force it too much. If it is going to take a lot of heavy duty pounding dont do it. Take it to a pro.
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Old May 13, 2005, 09:28 PM   #9
SW40F
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Quote:
This afternoon I was shooting my first reloads of 9mm from my two month old Glock 34 when after 90 some rounds a bullet is stuck in the barrel . It's stuck at where it would have been seated in the chamber but the primer went off as well as the powder and the case ejected fine. I'm not sure why it's jammed but I'm not sure what to do. Since Glock is closed I can't call their support for help so I'll try calling on Saturday and if not then on Monday.

Does anyone have any experience with this situation?

Thanks for any help.
Jeff
I would bet your reload had a primer, but no powder. If the bullet had stuck in the barrel with a full charge behind it, I would expect the breech recoil to have damaged the gun significantly!

Of course, it's probably also better to have no powder than a double load and a KABOOM!
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Old May 13, 2005, 09:28 PM   #10
jeff6strings
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It worked. I used a wood dowel and it tapped out just fine. When the bullet came out so did a lot of debris which looks like gravel but a lot smaller. I wonder if my powder is not burning correctly and gunking up the barrel? I've shot over 500 rounds a few times in one session without this gravel in the barrel using factory ammo. Does anyone have an idea what could be the problem?
Thanks.
Jeff
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Old May 13, 2005, 09:32 PM   #11
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Could the "gravel" be unburned powder or tumbling media?

If the bullet was lodged in the barrel, then the barrel was open on both ends. Where was the gravel that you couldn't see it or it didn't come out until the bullet did?

Are you SURE the primer went off?

And the next round fed by itself?

This is very confusing...
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Old May 13, 2005, 09:39 PM   #12
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Jeff,
The reason several posters have questioned your description of events is that the description does not seem to fit the result and we want to be sure there is not another problem. It sounds as if your powder did NOT burn.
Question is why?
Ques: Are you sizing the brass cases so that bullets are held tightly? A loose fitting bullet MIGHT have dislodged and allowed the powder to spill away from the primer far enough to not ignite. The sound you heard may have been only the primer firing although I would have thought the primer would have pushed the bullet further down the barrel.
Ques: Are you crimping the bullet after seating? Same general scenario.
Ques: Was/is your powder contaminated with water, oil, case lube on inside of case, or anything similar that would prevent the powder from burning?

Good shooting and be safe.
LB
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Old May 13, 2005, 09:47 PM   #13
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There was definitely powder as the case showed signs of powder burn. The gravel came out when the bullet did so I didn't notice it when I was looking in the barrel. The next round definitely fed into the chamber but not all the way as when I locked the slide back the chambered round (live) ejected.

I looked at the gravel just now closely and it looks coal like. There are a few tiny flakes of red, paint color red. My tumbling media is walnut. The powder was just opened for my new loads and is Alliant Powder Power Pistol with a date of July 19 04.

Thanks.

Jeff
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Old May 13, 2005, 09:56 PM   #14
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The only thing I can figure is that there was some kind of debris in the case before you put in the powder. That would account for the "gravel" and perhaps the contamination partially deactivated the powder.

I don't know, this is still pretty strange.

I'd say count your blessings and be more careful during reloading from now on.
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Old May 13, 2005, 10:06 PM   #15
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I inspected the situation more and double checked my cleaned brass. I inspected a few rounds that are clean and ready for reloading and 1 out of 5 had a piece of walnut shell stuck to the inside bottom. After about 90 rounds this I'm sure build up and the gravel I saw was stained and burnt walnut. When I separate the media from the shells I shake the hell out of the shells but if they are sticking to the inside of the shells, which by the way are factory rounds shot once, what should I do to prevent this in the future? Is corn cob more reliable? Should I shake harder when separating, as I had to use a Q-tip to remove the ones stuck to the bottom of the shell?

Thanks for any help.

Jeff
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Old May 13, 2005, 10:09 PM   #16
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If you're only getting one piece in a shell every once in awhile, that's not going to be a problem. It sounds like something stuck a bunch of it together and you got a big clump in one shell. Whatever stuck the clump together probably partially deactivated the powder.

Had a thought--does your reloader have a mechanism to prevent you from throwing a double charge? The clump may have prevented you from throwing a charge in that shell.

Just guessing, but it sounds plausible...
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Old May 13, 2005, 10:23 PM   #17
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First of all, don't call Glock on this. They might put you on a "reloaders" list. That's one step lower than a "runs with scissors" list in their eyes. Although since you got the bullet out, there's no need to call them now anyway.

A question - when you said "the case ejected fine", do you mean when you manually operated the slide or did the case eject under power as it normally would?

To prevent pieces of cleaning media from jamming in the primer pocket or flash hole, you might want to deprime after you've cleaned the brass. I started doing that years ago and haven't had that problem since. I used to have to inspect each case and poke out any stragglers.
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Old May 13, 2005, 10:37 PM   #18
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Mal,

Good point, there had to be some powder in there or the slide wouldn't have cycled enough to eject the old shell and load a new round...
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Old May 13, 2005, 10:42 PM   #19
jeff6strings
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Thanks for the replies.
The shell ejected on its own as any other cycle. I reload by hand with a rock chucker and each load is automatically dispensed from my Pact powder dispenser and scale. It is possible that when I poured the load, a clump of walnut in the shell. I deprime after cleaning as I'm concerned about media clogging the flash hole.
Not sure what else to do. Thanks.

Jeff
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Old May 13, 2005, 10:52 PM   #20
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Interesting. Sounds like some powder definitely went off. It's surprising that the bullet stuck so close to the chamber.

About the only thing I would suggest is to visually check each tray of cases to be sure all cases have the same amount powder. Use a bright light (or a flashlight) and look into each case. If you look at an angle such that you can just barely see the edge of the powder over the rim of the case mouth, you can also quickly detect a double charge or a significantly low charge.
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Old May 13, 2005, 11:01 PM   #21
jeff6strings
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I've been very happy with the reloads and the quality. I'm using the RCBS carbide 3 die set. I'm using the taper crimp on the rounds and not belling the mouth too much but enough to get the bullet to sit on top. I did think about this but when I go shoot the next batch of rounds I'll check the barrel every 50 rounds to make sure the problem does not duplicate. I'll make sure not to call Glock on the issue as after cleaning the barrel and inspecting, the barrel looks great. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, but I'll keep you informed.
Thank you all again,
Jeff
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Old May 13, 2005, 11:42 PM   #22
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Hi Jeff6strings,

I have read, and reread this thread several times now.

One thing comes to mind here, what kind of cleaning additive are you using in the walnut ? Could it be that the walnut is 'wet' due to too much additive/cleaning polish ?

If you have added any polish, and if it was liquid, did you let it run a while before adding the brass ? I know when I have added cleaning liquid to media in the past, initially it will clump a little, and then after 20-30 minutes dry out enough until the clumping is gone.

If you tossed the brass in before the media additive had a chance to work it's way thru the media and 'dry' a little, I could see how it easily could lodge in the bottom of a case. When it dries, the clump dries to the bottom of the case and sticks.

When you fire the gun, the clump blasts out, or most of it anyway. After a few rounds, enough 'gravel' is left in the barrel to impede proper bullet expulsion.

Definitely don't call Glock on this. They are great people, but others have posted above, you get added to the 'idiot' list the instant you mention shooting reloads, which is expressly verboten.

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Old May 14, 2005, 07:11 AM   #23
jeff6strings
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The media is crushed walnut that is pre-treated from Frankford Arsenel so I have not used any liquid additive; but yet I can't find a brass polish that specifically states no ammonia. Now that all is well with the barrel and thanks greatly to the posts above I'm certainly not going to call Glock.
Thanks.
Jeff
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Old May 14, 2005, 07:18 AM   #24
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Butch50 said it all. Don't loose any sleep over it either trying to figure out why. Just make sure that after you tap the bullet out you check the bore for any unusual signs of possible fatigue (i.e. cracks) before shooting it again. A simple bore light or a piece of white paper placed at the loading ramp while holding it to a bright light will light the bore sufficiently enough to do the inspection.
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Old May 14, 2005, 11:44 AM   #25
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Jeff,

A wooden dowel is ideal for removing a stuck bullet. A small solid brass rod is even better.

I'll bet the "gravel" was tumbling media. Sometimes, especially with a fresh lot, it will "clump" in the case.

After tumbling in treated media, I believe that you should tumble for al least 1/2 hour in plain, untreated corncobs. This will break up any clumps, and perhaps just as impotantly, it will remove the abrasive polishing compound, thereby preventing unnecessary wear on your reloading dies and the chamber of your weapon.

Personally, I never reload cases that have been tumbled in treated media without first tumblng in plain cobs.
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