Removing bullet from barrel

PaulS · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

You really don't want to heat a steel barrel with a bronze bullet in it. The bronze will expand more than the barrel at the same temp.
Hydraulic removal uses a bolt that fits into the gun the same way your regular bolt does but instead of a firing pin it has an outer seal and an oil passage. The bolt is locked in place and a hydraulic pump system is used to push the bullet out with pressure evenly applied. I have never seen it done with a bronze bullet but lead and jacketed bullets come out faily easily this way. There is no chance of damaging a good barrel either.
If you are set on trying something yourself then try drilling the center 2/3 of the bullet just through the bearing surface of the bullet. That will remove most of the tension on the wall of the barrel but leave it sealed in case you can't push it out with a brass rod sized to fit the barrel. You can still have it pushed out hydraulically.

Hammer · Rookie Member Joined: May 17, 2008 Posts: 18

The steel barrel will expand before the bullet does because that is what is getting heated first. Tubing, if heated evenly will change size faster than a cylinder.

The idea would be heat it just enough to expand the barrel by a couple of thousandths....and have the driving rod, which will also act as a heat sinc for the bullet, already in the bore to drive out the bullet.

You could also place a gob of paste heat sinc, available at a welding supply store, inside the bore up against the bullet on the side it will be driven to. It'll keep the bullet cool and act as a lube as well.

And, if it don't work, we all know it will cool off and something else can be tried...

Wicky · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 5:22 am Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

From memory Woodleigh projectiles are steel jacketed (fmj's) so may need a bit of extra effort to remove.
I would start with a close fitting rod from the reciever end initially seeing you are closer to the muzzle. Initially try resting the muzzle on some thick rubber, I have used conveyor belt before, and keep the amount of rod protruding as short as possible to lessen the chance of it bending. You will probably need a few lengths if it starts moving.
For the drill use the same rod with a drill silver soldered on and take off the edges of the flutes so they don't damage the bore. With the Woodleigh FMJ's drill from the reciever end as the drill will cut into the bottom a lot easier than the round nosed top. Then drive out with those tight fitting rods.
Hope this helps, and might be a bit cheaper than your gunsmith.

Hammer · Rookie Member Joined: May 17, 2008 Posts: 18

Never shot a Woodleigh, but I've never heard of any sporting bullet anywhere, made by anyone, that has a steel jacket.

Steel cases yes, but never a steel jacketed bullet. One could not expect a barrel to last more than few shots if the bearing surface was indeed steel.

fmj, to me, means a full copper jacket that encloses the entire bullet.........

Wicky · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 2:50 pm Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

Hi Hammer, Woodleigh and I think the Hornady FMJs are steel jacketed with a gilding metal cover.
Copied from the Woodleigh site - "The most heavily constructed steel jacketed solids available. Made from extra deep drawing grade steel, clad with 90/10 gilding metal alloy. The jacket is heavy at the nose (0.084") to create extra impact resistance. The base of the bullet is rolled back 90 degrees to provide a double strength heel to prevent core loss on impact."
I find these need to be loaded a bit lighter than softnoses of the same weight.

gelandangan · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

This is an image of the type of bullet thats stuck.
next to it is a 5c Australian coin.
an excerpt from Woodleigh site

Quote::

Woodleigh Weldcore Soft Nose are made from 90/10 gilding metal (90% copper: 10% zinc) 1.6mm thick. All jackets are made by deep drawing through several processes and are specifically profiled internally for optimum jacket wall taper. This gives them the feature of reliable controlled expansion at various impact velocities.

So lucky-ly for me the jacket material is NOT steel Very Happy

I am currently pickling the bore with WD40.
I will attempt to drive the bullet out on Monday.

It it doesnt work, then I shall attempt to drill it.
I already prepared a few 75mm (about 3 inch, to you bushy) long brass sleeve 0.307 inch dia
-with 0.200 inch hole for a #12 drill
- with 0.250 inch hole for 7/32 drill
- with 0.290 inch hole coaxial to it for a 9/32 drill
I sincerely hope I would not need these, but you never know..

Wicky · Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 3:05 am Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

gelandangan the soft nose will make it easier and you should be able to drill from the muzzle. Good Luck, done a couple of these over the years and still get goose bumps as I stick a drill down someones pride and joy.

Hammer · Rookie Member Joined: May 17, 2008 Posts: 18

As I've said, I've never fired a Woodleigh...likely because I've never needed one. Not an area of my expertise I'll admit, but I'm of piqued curiosity now.

This out of a 300 Whisper, correct?

How's it logical to use such a "hard" bullet in such a low velocity weapon? If the only purpose is to drive deep penetration with little expansion then there are plenty of other solids that wouldn't be so "hard" and still do the job.

The simple fact it stuck upon firing, and the fact being stated that the load was painstakingly measured, leaves the obvious conclusion that the bullet requires a much higher pressure to drive it down the bore. Would think the Woodleighs more suited to magnum type applications, and killing elephants.

I would investigate other options for the future. Were it me I'd look long and hard at Hard Cast Lead bullets.....

I fooled around for a while with a heat treated linotype 130 Lyman in a .270 Win and got some awesome accuracy out to 200 yards with it. It had the trajectory of a rainbow, but it WAS DAMN QUIET.......

Bushmaster · Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 6:06 am Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

Thankyou Gelandangan.. Very Happy

..Curious...You gave the length of the rods in meteric and the drill sizes in inches...Were you pickin' on me again? Very Happy

Here's to success... Cheers

gelandangan · Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 10:56 pm Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

@Hammer
Yes its for a 300 Whisper.
I know its not "logical" in the sense of using hard bullet in a subsonic gun (NOT WEAPON - in Australia we are not allowed to use these GUNS as weapon) because of the impossibility for it to expand.
However, the Woodleigh is used for two main reason:

1st - they are readily available good quality manufactured projectile that can be obtained easily. I could cast lead but unless I get my metal from a dealer (not wheel weights etc) I cannot reliably repeat my load (at least when the batch run out) The word expansion and subsonic do not mix well regardless of the pellet you use. I do not have a hot pot, I do not like to work with dangerous temperature (not dangerous to some but it is to me) so the best alternative is to use bought bullet.

2nd, I happen to have these projectile available at the time - so I just use them. SO There!! Very Happy

I agree that it sound like there is too little pressure to push the bullet out.
My best excuse I got right now is :
I have use the SAME load before, but at the time I forgot to measure the COL. When I reload this time, I was looking at a note I had on my reload book, I doesnt write what COL I use before so this time, I just guess for it.
Mind you small case like the whisper, the bullet placement could change the pressure by 20000 PSI, so I use what I think is safe load at the time.
Silly me, that reduced the pressure so much that the pellet fails to exit the barrel.
Oh well...

@Bushy,
A long time a go in a country far far away I bought a set of "Aircraft drill" which made of M42 Cobalt. They are exactly 1 foot long and they are in imperial sizes. So there is the reason I use these. Although pickin' on you definitely cross my mind Very Happy

foreign · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:33 pm Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

hows it going getting that bullet out. any chance of some pics??

gelandangan · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:24 am Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

YESS!!!

The bullet is out!!
Sorry didnt update here.. it was out a few days ago!!

What made me happy is that the barrel is in great condition - not even a scratch!!

whittling · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:25 am Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

Good for you

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:05 am Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

Glad to hear it's out! How did you get it done? (Filing this for future reference!)

Bushmaster · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 5:35 am Post subject: Re: Removing bullet from barrel

Yeh come on gelandangan...Why the suspense? Starting a soap opera? How did youget it out?