^That appears to be a lacquered metal case. Do you think it played any role in the shell getting stuck?
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^That appears to be a lacquered metal case. Do you think it played any role in the shell getting stuck?
Maybe it didn't help but this constitutes a pretty serious metal-to-metal interference fit.
Can anyone describe mortar clearing? Never heard that term before.
Ned, you stated that you had two stories about fatalities. You mentioned the benchrest shooter and wife, but what was the other fatality story? Did it also involve handloads? Was the other fatality also due to the case acting as a projectile and firing backward through the receiver?
Although I have no reason to doubt your assertion that a round can be fired due to pounding a rod through the muzzle onto the projectile, and your warning is fully justified, I suspect that concerning incidents of misfires or stuck cases, most injuries result because of unsafe muzzle direction during the clearing process.
Back when I was a newbie shooter, I once helped an "experienced" shooter clear an empty case from his AR15's chamber. He called me over and had me help him pound it out using a rod inserted through the muzzle. After a bit of wrestling, we finally removed the stuck case, but to our mutual horror, we found that the case wasn't empty, but instead it was quite live. During the clearing process, the "experienced" shooter had pointed the muzzle in some very unsafe directions.
Nobody was harmed, but I learned a few lessons that day.
Used to clear a stuck round or casing. You kneel down and hold the rifle vertically with the stock toward the ground, holding the foreend with your left hand. Close the bolt over the stuck case/round and then slam, or "mortar" the rifle onto the ground while holding open the release latch on the charging handle. It generates a sudden "jerk" on the bolt that can help pull the stuck case/cartridge out.
Beckman, let me see if I can refresh myself on the details of that other incident.
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