Evidently there was some powder residue at the base of the bullet as there was an explosion, the rod was driven back toward the gunsmith, and the bullet came out the muzzle with enough energy to penetrate a toolbox on an adjoining bench. From what I was told, there were no injuries, but there were several very surprised and shaken folks in that shop.

The procedure is duplicated from the chamber end of the barrel, revealing where the stuck bullet is located and how long it is.

Because of that, I always wash out the barrel behind a stuck bullet to remove any traces of powder. This is easily done with a solvent. The barrel is positioned vertically with the muzzle down and a generous amount of solvent is used to fill the bore. After it sets a bit, the barrel is inverted and the solvent dumped into a suitable container.

I also seldom use a steel rod to drive out a bullet to avoid any possibility of a spark or damage to the bore. If I must use a steel rod, I make sure the contact end of it is perfectly flat and smooth and the edges are slightly rounded

The old jointed aluminum cleaning rods you used to see so often are to be avoided. They will easily bend. The end of each section is drilled out and threaded. If this hollow end is used to strike an obstruction it will sometimes collapse and mushroom. In the worst case this will result in having an aluminum cleaning rod stuck in the barrel! No matter what type of rod you use, make sure it is solid.

With handguns used with moderate to light powder charges, stuck bullets are not uncommon. When I was involved in cowboy action shooting I would generally see at least one stuck bullet at any match I attended. For that reason, I always kept an 8-inch length of brass rod in my shooting kit. For handguns that is generally all that is necessary to remove a stuck bullet.

When working on my friend's Ruger No. 1 rifle I used a carbon fiber rod that just fit the diameter of the bore. It is wonderfully strong, yet there is virtually no possibility of damage to the bore.

Always use as large a diameter rod as possible. During a previous attempt to remove the bullet, a smaller diameter cleaning rod had been driven down inside the bullet, expanding the bullet and making it more difficult to remove.

In this case there appeared to be only one .17-caliber bullet, and it was located very near the end of the chamber. Because of this I secured the rifle in a padded vise and inserted my carbon rod in from the muzzle until it was firmly held against the front end of the bullet. I then took a brass-faced hammer and with a few blows to the end of the rod, carefully drove the bullet out the chamber end of the barrel.

Examination of the projectile revealed that my friend's cleaning rod had been driven down into the jacket of the bullet. This had expanded the bullet and had caused it to stick in the bore. My carbon rod, on the other hand, was large enough in diameter to avoid entering the bullet and instead pressed against the sides of the jacket. This made removal much easier.

Step 3: Clean The Bore
With the bullet removed, I cleaned the bore and checked for damage where the bullet had been stuck. Fortunately, the bore appeared to be unharmed. More often than not, a single stuck bullet will seldom harm a bore. Unfortunately, a lot of the damage is caused by well-meaning folks who simply utilize the wrong tools in trying to correct the problem.

Stuck bullets in most cases are just an inconvenience. With care, a few simple tools, and good procedures, you should be able to handle this problem easily. Just keep in mind that if you shoot enough, sooner or later you will encounter a stuck bullet!

Until next time, good luck and good gunsmithing!