After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Reloading equipment, methods, load data, powder and projectile information.

After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by harris » 12 Jun 2014, 10:22 am

Just reading about another bloke who had this problem.

He is new to reloading and seated a bullet too high in the case. He chambered it, decided not to take the shot, and ejected it. Except the bullet got stuck in the lands and pulled out of the case, the brass came away, powder went everywhere etc. He got the bullet out but tapping a cleaning rod down through the muzzle.

Two questions:

1) Is that common that seating too high will pull the bullet out? Or did he do something real wrong to get it so jammed?

2) What do you do after? Is there anything to check that everything's ok after you've had a stuck bullet or do you just get back to shooting?

Thanks.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by MeccaOz » 12 Jun 2014, 10:44 am

I dont think it's common, especially if you give the cartridge a proper crimp. I'd throw a bore light down it and check out the chamber area and the start of the rifling, but it shouldnt be a drama from the bullet being wedged, nor from the cleaning rod, if the cleaning rod is of the softer type, like brass or those plastic coated ones, in fact I dare say there wont be many types of rod that will damage a bore.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by handofcod » 12 Jun 2014, 10:45 am

Its never happened to me but it sounds like there simply wasn't enough grip in the case neck. That can only happen if the case hasn't been neck sized properly or if the projectile is seated too far out. The rule of thumb I use is that if the length of the proj being seated into the neck is less than the caliber of the proj then its too long. That said, I've shot a number of 308 with the 110gr varmint projs and the seating depth was under .3" simply because I couldn't get the die to seat lower.

The projectile will come out with a few taps of a cleaning rod and the unfired powder will need to be cleaned out fair thoroughly.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Baldrick314 » 12 Jun 2014, 10:52 am

I've seen it happen a few times. As long as he took care when dislodging the projectile should be no damage.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Shotfox » 12 Jun 2014, 11:05 am

Everyone has covered it . Important to check case length and overall cartrige length . I have seen this problem happen mostly on a progressive press where every few rounds are not checked for overall length and a few long ones slip through and they either wont fit in the mag or a round gets stuck.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Warrigul » 12 Jun 2014, 6:58 pm

I have had it happen to me on the mound a couple of times, I had to retire the second time as powder ended up jamming the action. I had to unload as a twit on a motorbike was on the course.

Those were the days when I seated the projectile .005" off the lands, a .005" slip and you are jammed, I seat no closer than .010" nowadays and check each round with a comparator guage.

Seldom happens hunting but would be a bitch if you didn't have a cleaning rod to knock the projectile out.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Apollo » 12 Jun 2014, 7:29 pm

harris wrote:
1) Is that common that seating too high will pull the bullet out? Or did he do something real wrong to get it so jammed?

2) What do you do after? Is there anything to check that everything's ok after you've had a stuck bullet or do you just get back to shooting?

Thanks.


This really doesn't seem to have been answered fully.

Two possibles. Were you reading about Target Shooting or general Hunting.

Using normal everyday reloading dies they give a huge amount on neck tension, so much so that sometimes if you don't debur the inside of a case neck it will strip copper off the outside of the bullet when seating. If you make a mistake with this type in seating a bullet too long then really it should take a huge amount of effort to close the bolt if at all. Naturally, if the bolt will not close don't bloody force it shut, something is wrong so back off and figure out the problem.

Second, Target Shooters typically use Bushing Dies that provide an adjustable amount of neck tension and typically that is very little, In fact as I do it's about as little as you can move the bullet in the case neck by hand or perhaps a tad more. Hence even transporting loaded rounds need to be protected from vibration as it can change the seating depth. On the other hand and does depend on the bullet shape but some use a bit more neck tension and seating depth that jams the bullet in the lands by a measured amount. Sometimes as I have found the bullet is simply pushed back in the case neck but is still a tight fit in the lands but not enough for it to stick. Extracting a live round is no problem...but .... get that tension wrong, too much pressure in the lands, a bullet without a pressure ring and it probably will pull out of the case neck. That is one hitch of jamming bullets in the lands.

If the guy was not a target shooter then something else was wrong as it shouldn't have happened.

Lately I'm experimenting with my 30BR using Tangent Ogive Bullets and I feel I am not getting enough neck tension with these 115gr Berger FB Target Bullets with a Pressure Ring. I have increased my neck tension quite a lot and seating them some 0.030" into the lands but they just keep getting pushed back into the case neck when closing the bolt with no felt pressure on the bolt. Nothing even looks like getting stuck.

I have heard many a case of a Target Shooter having to un-chamber a loaded round for some reason and the bullet gets stuck leading to powder all through the action and end of that story shooting. Really, if I knew I had to do that task I would lift the rifle, pointed upwards to open the bolt and leave the powder sitting in the case.

BTW....

I do use In-Line Dies to reload for Hunting / Varminting BUT none of these rounds are seated even on the lands, In general far short at magazine length.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Warrigul » 13 Jun 2014, 1:49 pm

Apollo wrote:
I have heard many a case of a Target Shooter having to un-chamber a loaded round for some reason and the bullet gets stuck leading to powder all through the action and end of that story shooting. Really, if I knew I had to do that task I would lift the rifle, pointed upwards to open the bolt and leave the powder sitting in the case.



You are not allowed to move the point of aim of a loaded rifle away from the butts, this includes skywards- unless you are under instruction from the range officer(for instance removing a rifle in a fail to extract loaded round situation) . it was one of the questions on the NRAA range officers exam a few years ago.

I haven't bothered renewing my range and butts officer qualification so it may have changed, I am happy to be corrected.

I have also gone through my notes for the local SSAA and it simply says loaded rifles must face the backstop.

Common sense also dictates you stay within the range safety template.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Apollo » 13 Jun 2014, 2:04 pm

Oh well, you learn something new.

I'm not an RO and have never been in that situation.

Something to remember.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Seconds » 13 Jun 2014, 2:57 pm

Maybe seated it without resizing the neck at all?
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by SendIt » 13 Jun 2014, 3:00 pm

Seconds wrote:Maybe seated it without resizing the neck at all?


Definitely a possibility.

Like Apollo said, neck tension on a standard resize is seriously tight. Bullets don't just fall out or push in to the brass.

If it was just a matter of him seating it too high it would press into the lands and scratch the bullet, but stay in the case when ejected.

I would suspect something more was done than just seating the bullet too high.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Wobble » 13 Jun 2014, 3:03 pm

harris wrote:Is there anything to check that everything's ok after you've had a stuck bullet or do you just get back to shooting?


Just that everything is clear.

No debris or powder left over in the throat, chamber etc.

Some people get worried about putting a bullet into the lands thinking they've done something to them. I don't know exactly what they think happens when you launch a bullet into it thousands of times faster...

The lands should be perfectly fine.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by Warrigul » 13 Jun 2014, 3:48 pm

SendIt wrote:
Seconds wrote:Maybe seated it without resizing the neck at all?


Definitely a possibility.

Like Apollo said, neck tension on a standard resize is seriously tight. Bullets don't just fall out or push in to the brass.

If it was just a matter of him seating it too high it would press into the lands and scratch the bullet, but stay in the case when ejected.

Something else was done wrong here too.


Whilst it is possible something else was at fault it is also possible that nothing was, the only fact we have is it was seated too far out and must have contacted the lands.

Both times it happened to me I was using a standard sizing die, it was before I was using ex mil brass so they would have been winchester cases with less than 5 reloads.Unless you are scrubbing the necks out after sizing there is always a bit of lube left.

It is surprising how a projectile can stick to a hot barrel, especially if there is a bit of residue there. You also need to consider that the case will often rotate slightly as it is being unloaded(depending on the action type).

I have seen it happen too many times to risk loading rounds with jam into the lands, but that is just me.
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Re: After getting a bullet stuck in the lands

Post by SendIt » 16 Jun 2014, 9:35 am

You're right, I've updated my comment to better say what I meant.

Shouldn't have said "Something else was done wrong here too" as I don't know that for a fact.

Meant to say "I would suspect something more was done than just seating the bullet too high" to have this happen.
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