Stuck Brass

WVDanimal

New member
I was shooting my Baikal combo yesterday, sighting in the .223. After a few shots, I had a case break in half about 1/2" from the rear. Only that short portion fell out when I opened it up and I can't get the front half out of the chamber. It was a perfect cut all the way around like you had used a pipe cutter. I ran a cleaning rod down from the front to no avail. First of all, any suggestions on how to get it out? And most important, what in the world would make a case do that? Shooting Ultramax ammo which I have used in all my .223's exclusively for over 15 years without any issues. Thanks for any suggestions!!!
 
Case head separation.

Take a 30 caliber brass brush and shove it into your chamber with the rest of the case and pull it back out, sometimes it takes a bit of a jerk to get it out but it's always worked for me.

Strange to have happen to a brake action gun though.
 
Quote:
Take a 30 caliber brass brush and shove it into your chamber with the rest of the case and pull it back out This, or any other brush that fits snuggly into the body of your .223 brass.
 
If that doesn't work and you can get an easy out in there that will bite into the wall of the broken case that will usually work. I have had a couple that wouldn't budge with the brush.
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogThere is a tool made for this. They aren't expensive and won't FUBAR your chamber.

I’m glad I don’t have one of those tools.
 
Originally Posted By: fw707Originally Posted By: pyscodogThere is a tool made for this. They aren't expensive and won't FUBAR your chamber.

I’m glad I don’t have one of those tools.

Likewise.

I have only heard of head separations. Have never experienced one.

- DAA
 
I had my first case head seperation happen this past friday. Luckily both pieces fell out. It was a 223 also and looked just like the OP described. Looked like it was cut with a tubing cutter.
 
IF you know someone who has a military cleaning kit for an AR, there should be a split case extractor in it. At least the old ones did (70's). But that's the easiest way to remove a split case without screwing up the barrel or chamber.
 
I don't remember what rifle I had that split the case or how long ago it was, but it must have been a PITA to remove. I bought the extractor and it pulled it right out. Been in the shelf ever since. But I have it if I ever need it again.
 
I straightened out a bigger paper

clip and put a bend at the end.

Sharpened the point. Then you can

slip it up through the brass and

hook the mouth of the brass and pull

it back out. If its really stuck bad

then refer to the posts above.
 
You can take a 1/4 x 28 cap screw and screw it a couple of threads into the body of the stuck case and pull it out easily.
 
Great info here guys, thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately, I haven't had an opportunity to try any of the suggestions yet as I just put it back on the rack and grabbed another gun to take on my trip which starts tomorrow. I'll get to it when I get back in a week. Is it safe to assume that I can still use the rest of the box of ammo? Hoping just that round was the only culprit in the box.
 
Personally, I would not shoot any more of those rounds. Call the ammo manufacturer and tell them what happened. They would probably like the ammo back for inspection and will replace it if so.
 
I'm the second owner, good friend had it before me. Neither of us have shot it much. Probably less than 100 rounds in it's life so far. It's sat in my cabinet unfired for at least a few years. It is extremely accurate, will nearly touch hole for hole on a good day at 100 off my bench. No other issues.
 
Originally Posted By: WVDanimal Is it safe to assume that I can still use the rest of the box of ammo? Hoping just that round was the only culprit in the box.

Your failed case is almost certainly nothing more than a case which has been stretched too far/too many times and which finally failed.

This is a more common occurrence when shooting range pickup brass which may have been fired in a loose chamber and the number of times reloaded is unknown.

A case expands to fit the chamber everywhere except the solid case head, then is sized back to SAAMI specs. Repeat this a time or four and it is the equivalent of bending a piece of copper wire back and forth in order to break it.....the brass case becomes brittle and breaks at the "expansion ring" (where the case walls join the solid case head).

I suspect that is the situation here. I don't know how the ammo re-manufacturers avoid this, but, as a reloader, it is simple. I bend a paper clip w/a small 90* hook and use it to feel inside the cases for the groove that forms as this progresses. Often times a visible line will show up on the outside of a case just before it fails, but not always.

I have personally never had a case failure of this nature (but I do have both .308 & 30-06 GI broken case extractors somewhere that I bought many years ago when shooting competition.
wink.gif
) because I haven't shot any ammo other than my own handloads for over 50 years and I inspect every case carefully before each reloading as described above.

Quote:Call the ammo manufacturer and tell them what happened. They would probably like the ammo back for inspection and will replace it if so.

Wouldn't hurt^^^^^^

Regards,
hm
 
Originally Posted By: hm1996Originally Posted By: WVDanimal Is it safe to assume that I can still use the rest of the box of ammo? Hoping just that round was the only culprit in the box.

Your failed case is almost certainly nothing more than a case which has been stretched too far/too many times and which finally failed.

This is a more common occurrence when shooting range pickup brass which may have been fired in a loose chamber and the number of times reloaded is unknown.



reading the first post made by op it sounded like new factory loaded ammo. ultra max i think it was.
 
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: hm1996Originally Posted By: WVDanimal Is it safe to assume that I can still use the rest of the box of ammo? Hoping just that round was the only culprit in the box.

Your failed case is almost certainly nothing more than a case which has been stretched too far/too many times and which finally failed.

This is a more common occurrence when shooting range pickup brass which may have been fired in a loose chamber and the number of times reloaded is unknown.



reading the first post made by op it sounded like new factory loaded ammo. ultra max i think it was.

I took it to be re-manufactured (but maybe they offer new manufactured also??) based on:

Quote:


Quality Assurance

Ultramax 10 Step Quality Assurance System

1. Ultramax machine inspects all previously fired cartridge cases for flaws. Case inspection machines are fully automatic and perform several critical functions. All cases are probed for any foreign objects and pressure tested for cracks or dents. Spent primers are removed, flash holes are cleared of any foreign material, primer pockets are probed for flaws, and finally, primer pockets are reamed to insure compatibility with any new commercial primer.

https://www.ultramaxammunition.com/quality.php

ETA: Of course, if it turns out to be newly manufactured ammo (brass), my comments would not be applicable.

Regards,
hm
 
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