I hand loaded some 243 rounds for my sons 243 Ruger American. Twice now after ejecting a live loaded round it has become stuck in the barrel. What the hell? After the first time it happened, I went and seated all the bullets deeper in the case. The original length was well under my books and buddy's reloading books OACL. If you just drop a live round into the chamber and tip the gun up, it sticks and won't fall out. Please help as this is a major safety issue.
Stuck bullet after ejecting live round
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Bgriffith
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How is your case length? Could it be getting caught in the lip of the case going into the throat? Or maybe slightly thick case. Do you full length size? Or short size? Maybe a Slight bulge at the base? How many times was the brass fried? Could be lots if things...
MThuntr
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sounds like your COAL is too long for your rifle and bullet combo.
Bgriffith
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Any marks on the bullet once removed? Could always black out with a sharpie and see what rubs off to find your contact point.
TwistedSage
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Have you taken a look at the extractor on the bolt? If the extractor lip is too dirty/clogged it wont grab the casing. Has to he pretty damn dirty but I've seen it before.
Don Fischer
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What's stuck? The bullet or the case?If you have managed to stick the case in there, probably the case is way to long and was forced into the lands. Trim the case's! You should have had a hard bolt close. If it's the bullet, seat deeper. Again if it's the bullet you'd have felt the lands touch the bullet. Don't need a magic marker to see the land marks on the bullet. There would be marks on the ogive for every land and easy to see. Easy to feel when you close the bolt.
44hunter45
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This is confusing. What are you saying is sticking? The entire cartridge or just the bullet?
THese are two very different problems.
HSi-ESi
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Some good responses above. I would first get a box of factory ammo and drop one in. Does it stick too?
If it does I would take it to a Smith to look at the chamber (or work through Ruger). If it doesn't - then you know it's something on your loads. Shorter OAL is the simple answer as mentioned above. Putting a tighter crimp on it could help too (starting at a minimum powder charge with that adjustment).
If it does I would take it to a Smith to look at the chamber (or work through Ruger). If it doesn't - then you know it's something on your loads. Shorter OAL is the simple answer as mentioned above. Putting a tighter crimp on it could help too (starting at a minimum powder charge with that adjustment).
antelopedundee
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If you're jamming it so much that it pulls the bullet when you eject it you should be able to feel it. Are you using enough neck tension? Take an unprimed sized and neck expanded case and partially seat a bullet. Try to chamber it in your rifle. If you feel ANY resistance then stop. Keep seating the bullet deeper until it just goes in. Save that as a dummy case seated to touch the lands. You may need to use a cleaning rod to help bump the case out of the chamber. Adjust your seater die to the depth that you want. If you continue to have stickiness issues there is something not quite right with your brass or chamber. Maybe your sizer die too. You didn't say if you were starting with new or previously fired brass.
recurveman
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So I've seen this happen quite a few times. If you go to some of the competitions the guys will seat their bullets long and with light neck tension. If for some reason there is a cease fire and guys have to open their chamber with a round in the chamber they will sometimes get there bullet stuck like that. Makes a mess and you need a rod to push the bullet out of the lands. To me the easy fix would be a few things. First you need to make sure that your brass is the correct length. Are you messing with neck tension? If so you might want to add a bit more neck tension. I run about a thousand and a half of neck tension on my hunting rounds. You should also be using a full length sizing die when you size your brass. ALWAYS!!!!!!! Then look at where your bullet is seated. It is obviously seated to long. If it was shorter then it wouldn't be stuck in the lands. So seat the bullet deeper. Depending on bullet I run .010 to .050 off of the lands. Keep this in mind. You are developing a hunting round. This doesn't have to be the most accurate round but it does have to be 100% reliable. So full sized case that is the correct length, seat your bullet deeper to get off the lands, add a bit more neck tension, think perfect reliability not perfect accuracy.
The brass is all new and never shot. I am sure I measured it at the lands and backed it off. The first time it happened THE OACL was 2.64. I made a note in my book that the lands were at 2.625". My manual says max OACL for a 243 is 2.710. After the first time it got stuck I seated them deeper to 2.615. It shoots good, but it happened again!
Neck tension would be a good place to start
Well said
Don Fischer
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Pretty easy to measure and see what COLL will get you in there. Insert a cleaning rod down the barrel to the bolt face and mark the rod at the muzzle. Next remove the bolt and drop a bullet into the chamber. Hold it there with a wood pencil and re-insert the cleaning rod. Again mark at the muzzle. Remove the rod and measure between the marks. That will be COLL with the bullet touching the lands. If you move the bullet down a bit at a time until you no longer feel the bullet touch, measure the difference and that's about how far off the lands you are. I waslading some Hornady SST's for a friend and seating depth drove me crazy. Those SST's must be longer as I really had to seat deep to get the bullet off the lands. If that might be the problem there is an easy fix. Take the rifle to a gunsmith with a dummy rund loaded the way you want to seat the bullet and have him ream out the lands to fit the case. I did that with a 7mm Rem Mag years ago and it was super. One down side. Before you go to the smith, make sure your dummy round for the smith will fit into your magazine! If it doesn't, try another bullet! I got my friend off the SST and onto a standard interlock and the problem went right away.
