Cartridge stuck in chamber bolt frozen

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cartridge stuck in chamber bolt frozen

Posted: 2/28/2006 2:08:54 PM EDT

Ok, shooting my pal's AR the other day, with his dad's reloads. Actually my 16 yearold son was shooting and I was closely watching him. I noticed that the last round was much louder than the others and there was a small fireball from the muzzle where the other rounds had none. That round did not eject and the bolt is stuck. The bolt might have started to rotate but froze, probably a double charged round. So, since there is no bolt handle to use and I did try the charging handle with no luck (it is really stuck) how do we fix this?

Posted: 2/28/2006 2:11:30 PM EDT

[#1]

take the charging handle and pull down as you preform a buttstroke on the ground

Posted: 2/28/2006 2:21:57 PM EDT

[#2]

Cleaning rod works also. Run it down and tap the piece of brass out.

Posted: 2/28/2006 2:31:10 PM EDT

[#3]

Vertical buttstroke to the ground. Sucks to do, but necessary.

Posted: 2/28/2006 2:33:57 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
Vertical buttstroke to the ground. Sucks to do, but necessary.

Collapse the stock first (if applicable).

Posted: 2/28/2006 2:37:37 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Vertical buttstroke to the ground. Sucks to do, but necessary.

Collapse the stock first (if applicable).

+1 or you could end up with a broken stock.

Posted: 2/28/2006 2:41:58 PM EDT

[#6]

A2 type stock, I am gonna try that, thanks.....

Posted: 2/28/2006 3:10:05 PM EDT

[#7]

Wear gloves if you need to. Don't be shy.

Posted: 2/28/2006 5:04:52 PM EDT

[#8]

not a doublecharged round. probably setback.

Posted: 2/28/2006 6:32:32 PM EDT

[#9]

A better, less brutal way to open a stuck bolt is to remove the upper from the lower. You will notice a small gap between the forward lower edge of the bolt carrier and the lower receiver forging. A flat bladed screwdriver can be inserted into this gap and the carrier can be pryed backward to unlock the bolt and extract the fired casing. It is best to grind one side of the screwdriver to match the radius of the lower receiver. This more uniformly distributes the prying loads and leaves no marks or distortion of the receiver forging. It rarely takes much pressure to unlock the bolt. If the extractor "strips" the rim of the case during this process, you can then pound the stuck case out with a cleaning rod. Good luck.

Posted: 2/28/2006 6:51:53 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Cleaning rod works also. Run it down and tap the piece of brass out.

Won't work unless the bolt is retracted first, leaving the case stuck in chamber. If the bolt is locked in battery, the rod will only bend and scar your barrel.

Posted: 2/28/2006 8:28:22 PM EDT

[#11]

I tried to open the upper and it would not budge since the hammer is down. Is it ok to use some, umm, force to get it open. I was not sure I should do that.

Posted: 2/28/2006 8:55:12 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
I tried to open the upper and it would not budge since the hammer is down.

Have you tried pulling out both pivot and take down pin? I had the same problem once and I managed to separte both halves by pulling out both pins and "lifting" the upper from the lower as opposed to pivoting it open.

Is it ok to use some, umm, force to get it open. I was not sure I should do that.

I was able to release mine by just continously tugging on the CH. Hurt my fingers like hell. I am however always wary of applying brute force when the hammer is still on the bolt.

If drastic measures are already needed, some members here recommend setting the rifle on its butt on the ground, while holding the barrel - give the CH a good stomping. Or, give the CH a good wack with a 2x2 piece of wood.

If I were to do it that way ... i will make sure that I am outside, with the barrel safely pointed away from me. Just a precaution.

ETA: I just re-read and noticed that it was a spent shell left inside ... no worries then about giving it a good stomping.

Posted: 2/28/2006 9:33:46 PM EDT

[#13]

FZ1Steve:
Are you positive that you actually have a case stuck in the chamber. This is an idea that you might just check. I have seen AR's, that have a broken forward assist pawl spring pin, that duplicates the same problem that a stuck case would exhibit. The small roll pin breaks and it lets the forward assist pawl slide forward and bind between the carrier and the upper receiver. The more you try to pull the charging handle to the rear, the tighter the bind you place on the parts. After removal of the forward assist spring pin, plunger and spring, you can carefully drive the carrier to the rear and remove the pawl.
Just another idea..

Posted: 2/28/2006 10:03:52 PM EDT

[#14]

First, let the rifle cool. Then, slide a cleaning rod down the barrel, striking the spent casing a couple times. Try to pull back on the charging handle. If it's still stuck, go to the next step. Place the rifle butt on the ground. Grab the charging handle. Lift the rifle, let it fall back to the ground (don't buttstroke the ground, just a little force is needed) while pushing down on the charging handle. This usually fixes it. If it's still stuck, go to desperate measures (see above.)

Posted: 3/1/2006 4:46:47 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
First, let the rifle cool. Then, slide a cleaning rod down the barrel, striking the spent casing a couple times. Try to pull back on the charging handle. If it's still stuck, go to the next step. Place the rifle butt on the ground. Grab the charging handle. Lift the rifle, let it fall back to the ground (don't buttstroke the ground, just a little force is needed) while pushing down on the charging handle. This usually fixes it. If it's still stuck, go to desperate measures (see above.)

Striking the spent casing from the muzzle end won't unlock the bolt carrier.

I've had to kick start a few M4's in the past. It stucks, it's hard on the rifle but when you need to fix it RIGHT NOW a swift kick down on the charging handle works (with buttstock on the ground). Would I do this on my personal weapon, hell no.

If you can't seperate the upper and lower the bolt carrier might be partially inside the buffer tube. You can remove/disassemble the stock to gain access to the bolt carrier.

Good info about the forward assist. It wouldn't hurt to remove it, but I would probably remove the stock, seperate the upper and lower first. Then you could determine if it was the FA.

Posted: 3/1/2006 6:18:42 AM EDT

[#16]

I am certain that a case is in the chamber. My 16year old was shooting the rifle I was standing at his right shoulder watching him shoot and telling him where the bullet impct was, you know, hit, low right, etc. I saw the rifle fire but the case did not eject, I know this becasue the previous cases were flying by my ear. The bolt and carrier are very slightly moved to the rear as thought the bolt had started to unlock and froze. Good advice from everyone, I will try a couple of things.

Posted: 3/1/2006 6:40:16 AM EDT

[#17]

Using Wolf? I used to have this problem alot untill I upgraded My extractors .

Posted: 3/1/2006 7:59:34 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
A better, less brutal way to open a stuck bolt is to remove the upper from the lower.

If the bolt has moved any, that won't work. The bolt will be sticking into the stock, buffer tube area and will prevent you from seperating the lowers.

Posted: 3/1/2006 8:04:29 AM EDT

[#19]

Just pull down on the charging handle while doing a light butt stroke, this has worked everytime I've had a stuck round. Just let the weight of the bolt and inertia do the work.

Posted: 3/1/2006 8:27:13 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Quoted:
First, let the rifle cool. Then, slide a cleaning rod down the barrel, striking the spent casing a couple times. Try to pull back on the charging handle. If it's still stuck, go to the next step. Place the rifle butt on the ground. Grab the charging handle. Lift the rifle, let it fall back to the ground (don't buttstroke the ground, just a little force is needed) while pushing down on the charging handle. This usually fixes it. If it's still stuck, go to desperate measures (see above.)

Striking the spent casing from the muzzle end won't unlock the bolt carrier.

I've had to kick start a few M4's in the past. It stucks, it's hard on the rifle but when you need to fix it RIGHT NOW a swift kick down on the charging handle works (with buttstock on the ground). Would I do this on my personal weapon, hell no.

If you can't seperate the upper and lower the bolt carrier might be partially inside the buffer tube. You can remove/disassemble the stock to gain access to the bolt carrier.

Good info about the forward assist. It wouldn't hurt to remove it, but I would probably remove the stock, seperate the upper and lower first. Then you could determine if it was the FA.

From experience, yes it will. Because the Bolt Carrier PROBABLY isn't what is stuck. The extractor is still holding onto the rim, so the bolt carrier FEELS stuck. Once the case is loosened up, the extractor will pull it right out. This is true of nearly every Wolf casing I've had stuck when I had a hot chamber and left a live round in the chamber for too long.

Now, you are correct IF the bolt carrier is ACTUALLY stuck. In that case, you have a more serious problem.

Posted: 3/1/2006 8:53:18 AM EDT

[#21]

There is some slight movement in the bolt carrier, the bolt itself does not move leading me to believe that the case is stuck and the bolt is fixed to the case. This was a reload from my pal's dad's old lot of reloads. If I had known that I would not have fire it since he was famous for adding too much powder in error.

Posted: 3/1/2006 8:59:13 AM EDT

[#22]

He was shooting reloads guys not wolf.

Posted: 3/1/2006 9:01:48 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Quoted:
A better, less brutal way to open a stuck bolt is to remove the upper from the lower.

If the bolt has moved any, that won't work. The bolt will be sticking into the stock, buffer tube area and will prevent you from seperating the lowers.

I am far from an expert but I assembled my first lower last weekend and I am wondering if you could remove the buffer tube to get around this part.

Or maybe you can't push the bolt forward enough once the buffer is off even if you do this...

Posted: 3/1/2006 11:28:15 AM EDT

[#24]

One other thought I had, broken cam pin. I would just start disassembling it from the buttstock and work my way forward. Remove gas tube as well. I've seen cam pins break and send the gas key straight up like a stove pipe against the top of the receiver.

Let us know what you find.

Posted: 3/1/2006 12:52:11 PM EDT

[#25]

Dude you've had a case stuck for three days? Have you tried just slapping the thing against the ground?

Buttstroke the ground, I've had to do this to my buddy's AR when he was using "silver bear" russian ammo a few times. Whatever the reason for the malfunction, it always clears it up.