At the range yesterday with my bushmaster AR15.  Don't know what caused it, but I have a bullet lodged in the barrel. What is the correct way to dislodge this? Do I want to continue its path out or push back toward butt stock....I haven't attempted anything as of yet.

And I did do a search before posting this.

Sounds like you were real close to a very bad day!

Which is the shortest route to exit? I'd think bringing it out the breech would be the best way, but I never dome this.

Dowell rod. Hammer.

Good luck.

Txl

Shortest distance is usually the easiest.  A 3/16" dowel is the closest fit under bore size you can usually get.  Oak would be good.

I would use a little oil in the barrel while trying to push that thing out.

It came out easier than I thought.  Did not have a cleaning rod at the time of jamb to clear.  Really didn't know what to expect as all I could see was the butt end of the bullet after removing the bolt carrier.
Sure wished I knew what caused it...any guesses?

After thinking on this...they where reloads I was shooting and probably had a round that did not have a powder charge.

And I know that could have been a very nasty surprise.

Obviously a squib load.  Typically it's a load that received no powder, so the bullet moved only under the power of the primer.  Most folks don't realize a primer can be strong enough to do that, but I've got some plans I've found for making indoor "bullets" for a .45 using large-primered cases and pieces of hot glue sticks to play with on rainy days.  So yes, a primer is that powerful.

It's those squibs that got a little powder that are a real problem, as they move the bullet further down the barrel.  I've dealt with one of these, and what I found was the easiest solution was to create a weak blank cartridge, and take the gun back to the range.  It essentially makes for a muzzle-loaded weapon, but it lets the gun do the work for you.  Hard part is keeping the powder in the case while loading it into the gun.  I found a bit of tape over the mouth helped with this.  It only has to last for one "bang" and it worked quite nicely.  YMMV

hpw,

I would take it to a gun smith that know AR15's and have him examine the bore for any damages if any. If it OK just give the bore a cleaning as usual and head to the range again. Take those reloads back to where you bought them and get your money back! In fact have that guy pay you back for the smith charges. Regardless if it's reloads you should have not gotten any squib rounds!!

Impala

Glad to hear you got it out without trouble. It's never a bad idea to weigh your final product when reloading. However, if this was a a factory load, inexcusable.

TOTALLY my fault, they where my reloads. Good learning experience although huge potential for catasophre
After the bullet got jammed and not realizing that I had a stuck bullet in the barrel, the ammo that I tried to load kept getting the bullet pushed into the case.
I did 3 rounds like that thinking  the crimp wasn't strong enough to hold the bullet.
If anything this can be a learning experience for anyone reading this as I know it was for me
Thanks everyone for replies

Boy, if you had managed to get the bolt to close on a round and set the bullet back any real distance...wheww

Consider yourself lucky you didn't lose part of your face.

Glad you got it sorted with no damage to gun or person.