# Live round in the chamber



## TAMUGfisher12 (Mar 31, 2009)

My charge handle will not come back on my ar15. There is a live round in it and I am unsure on how to get it out without discharging the weapon. Does anybody jave any input or ideas? Thanks. 

sent from my galaxy s3


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## SharkBait >*)\\\><( (May 16, 2012)

you can shoot in the backyard like these guys lol...


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Bounce the weapon on the ground. Basically, slam the buttstock into the ground (cushion the ground with a sand bag) while pulling back on the charging handle. The weight/mass/momentum of the bolt carrier will eject the round. A/K/A mortaring the weapon. 

Don't try to clear it by applying excessive pressure to the charging handle.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

See if it was an old WWII weapon you could just stomp on the slide handle.


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## denimdeerslayer (Feb 23, 2012)

Pull the pins and slide BCG out.


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## TAMUGfisher12 (Mar 31, 2009)

I did pull the pins and try to pull the bcg out but didn't have any luck. Looks like I might need to get one of the neighborhood stray cats to give me a hand. 

sent from my galaxy s3


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## ReelWork (May 21, 2004)

Have carefully wedged a screwdriver tip in the gap at the front of the BCG to get one freed up in my AR. Doesn't take much force just be mindful of what you're doing and deliberate with your action so as not to damage anything. Always carry my leatherman with me when shooting and that's what I used - the larger flat bladed screwdriver. This was after some pretty forceful tugs on the charging handle and smacking the butt of the gun with my palm.

Bouncing your gun on the ground/table with the barrel pointed in the air probably isn't going to be received very well if you're at a range and the rangemaster is paying attention.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

Ernest said:


> Bounce the weapon on the ground. Basically, slam the buttstock into the ground (cushion the ground with a sand bag) while pulling back on the charging handle. The weight/mass/momentum of the bolt carrier will eject the round. A/K/A mortaring the weapon.
> 
> Don't try to clear it by applying excessive pressure to the charging handle.


I'd make sure to take scope/optics off the gun before trying this method.


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## CDHknives (Mar 17, 2012)

First question is if you have any idea why it is stuck!!! The procedure for sand in the barrel/chamber is going to be different than a oversized reload for example. In some cases you might be better off just shooting it out, but in others that could be quite hazardous.

Pulling the BCG in whatever fashion is putting all the stress on your extractor. It is a pretty thin section of the case rim, so if it is stuck well it will tear out the case rim.

Bouncing the butt on the ground isn't going to pull on the BCG any harder than the charging handle or screwdriver tip posted above...it is still the same contact point to the case.

Before I got to the point I thought I was going to tear out the case rim, I'd pour a good squirt of Hoppes (or any light penetrating oil) down the barrel, maybe once every 12 hours or so for a couple of days, and keep trying to see if it loosened anything up.


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

You don't need to remove the optics (assuming they are properly mounted). If your optics are damaged by a couple butt slams, you have poor optics or the worse mount in history. 

You don't need to worry about the round discharging. Keep your fingers off the trigger, but butt slamming will not cause an AR-15 to discharge. 

Never pry the bolt carrier back unless its the absolute last resort. 

Again, straight from the Army user manual. Page 3-11 of the 1985 edition. Title - Troubleshooting: Topic 11: Bolt Carrier Assembly "Hung up". Instruction - Butt slam the weapon. The mass/inertia of the BCG will cause the BCG to move rearward, and the round will eject. 

And, learn how to preform this drill. If you fire a decent number of rounds thru an AR, chances are at some point you will need to employ this basic technique to clear the weapon.


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## callsignsleepy (Apr 3, 2007)

Ernest said:


> You don't need to remove the optics (assuming they are properly mounted). If your optics are damaged by a couple butt slams, you have poor optics or the worse mount in history.


HAHA

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> Bolt Carrier Assembly "Hung up". Instruction - Butt slam the weapon. The mass/inertia of the BCG will cause the BCG to move rearward, and the round will eject.


Or the rifle will fire in which case you've accomplished your original goal lol.

Don't butt slam the rifle if you have optics on it, don't pry on anything just take it where you can shoot it and then figure out what was wrong while still at the range or wherever.

TH


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## Alexnillo (Jan 10, 2008)

I had one that did the same thing. The 3 gas rings got bent inside causing it not to slide back. I was able to open it by butt slamming it. It works. I thought I had a live round in it, but it was empty. Be careful anyway.


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## TAMUGfisher12 (Mar 31, 2009)

I got it out by butt slamming. The gun has not been shot yet and I think the jam was caused by cheap steel ammo. I could be wrong but it is a thought. I appreciate yalls help. Learned something new today !

sent from my galaxy s3


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

See sometimes ole Ernest gets things right LOL


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Wet, wet, wet. Dry bolt can cause it to hang up. Wet, wet, wet. 

Additionally, on a new, unfired weapon, sometimes a slightly out of spec cam pin can cause a hang up. Perhaps its a bit oversized, maybe the coating (if it has one) is a bit too thick in one spot. So, if the BCG hangs up on new "brass" ammo that is known to be properly sized (and the weapon is wet) look at the cam pin next.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> See sometimes ole Ernest gets things right LOL


Yea lol...butt slam a rifle with a round in the chamber per the Army Manual...proving once again that Military Intelligence is an oxymoron. 

TH


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Trouthunter said:


> Yea lol...butt slam a rifle with a round in the chamber per the Army Manual...proving once again that Military Intelligence is an oxymoron.
> 
> TH


That's not how you check your trigger jobs?


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## Bird (May 10, 2005)

Trouthunter said:


> Yea lol...butt slam a rifle with a round in the chamber per the Army Manual...proving once again that Military Intelligence is an oxymoron.
> 
> TH


Considering the development of the AR was for combat use and the manual written for use by combat soldiers, I'd say that slamming the butt of the gun to help clear a stuck round is a good field expedient method for correcting the problem. The idea being to get back into the battle asap. Time outs don't work on the battlefield. :wink:


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## DUTY FIRST (Jun 23, 2012)

Trouthunter said:


> Yea lol...butt slam a rifle with a round in the chamber per the Army Manual...proving once again that Military Intelligence is an oxymoron.  TH


I'll bet you've never had an M16 jam during a firefight.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

Ernest said:


> *You don't need to remove the optics (assuming they are properly mounted). If your optics are damaged by a couple butt slams, you have poor optics or the worse mount in history*.
> 
> You don't need to worry about the round discharging. Keep your fingers off the trigger, but butt slamming will not cause an AR-15 to discharge.
> 
> ...


I have never butt slammed a weapon except in a few instances where I did a trigger job and wanted to make sure it was safe. 
I have twice dropped my rifles (bolt action) while climbing into stands. Both times no more than five feet above ground and it was dirt ground, not concrete. Both times the scopes POA moved and I had to take the rifles back to the range to re-sight in. Both times were Leupold VXII scopes mounted with turn-in type mounts. They were definitely neither cheap scopes nor mounts.


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

The intertia of butt slamming is going to move the firing pin away from the case, not towards it. Put a wedge behind the trigger between the trigger and housing if that worries you. That would block the sear: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...JJUcq4MMfB2wWKg4CQBw&ved=0CF8Q9QEwBQ&dur=4327


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## Cody C (May 15, 2009)

Had the same problem with a brand new ar a friend got for Christmas. Think it was the 2nd round through it got stuck with a live round. Pretty disappointing of a brand new gun, but I think after cycling a few rounds its worn enough that it hasn't happened again like that. Was a Hornady round too. Not cheap steel. 


Cody C


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> I'll bet you've never had an M16 jam during a firefight.


LOL! And you'd be right too.

My point is that if there is a live round in the chamber the simple thing to do is to pull the trigger, which as you probably know or should know will fire the weapon causing the bolt to cycle and hopefully eject the spent round and if that works a new round will be chambered and you can go ahead with your combat without asking for a timeout. 

If you have a spent round stuck in the chamber and the charging handle won't come back butt slam that thing all you want too.

It ain't rocket science.

TH


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## CDHknives (Mar 17, 2012)

The problem, now that I think about it, with just shooting an AR with a known stuck round is that you have a hard time insuring it is fully in battery. Yeah you can hit the forward assist hard, but if it is well and truly jammed partially out of battery it looks fully closed from the outside but may do bad things when fired.

As for the butt slam, field expedients are great on a government issued combat rifle during a firefight, but for ones I paid for myself when not in a firefight, I'll err on the side of 'not likely to break it'. The AR platform is not well known for it's ability to butt stroke objects without damage...the M14 is much better suited for such maneuvers!

To each their own...


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Surely those black guns are more stable than that. Crater with a simple butt slam. No wonder most GI's dont like em. Never had to worry about M1's, 30 carbines, or M14's at all.


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Look, if you have a live round jammed in your weapon, the last thing, the very freakin last thing you want to do is to fire weapon. The round could have long brass, and now that bullet is crimped by the brass being chambered causing a massive over pressure condition. Maybe the bullet is jammed hard into the lands, again, potentially causing an over pressure condition. 

A serious over pressure condition typically breaks the bolt, and often will vent hot gas out the eject port and the mag well. Most people want to avoid such an event at pert near all costs. 

So, unless you know specifically why the bolt carrier is hung up, don't fire the weapon. To suggest otherwise is, at a minimum, foolish. 

Further, you are not likely to break your weapon with a butt slam. Butt slam is just the widely used term. The impact force required to "un-hang" a stuck bolt carrier group is not particularly significant. Its takes relatively little force. Thats due to the mass of the BCG and the relatively small force necessary to overcome the recoil spring. 

In fact, if you weapon breaks during a simple butt slam to clear a hung up bolt carrier, your weapon is an absolute and unmitigated POS.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Amen Ernest amen. Well said.


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## texastkikker (Dec 24, 2008)

TAMUGfisher12 said:


> I got it out by butt slamming. The gun has not been shot yet and I think the jam was caused by *cheap steel ammo*. I could be wrong but it is a thought. I appreciate yalls help. Learned something new today !
> 
> sent from my galaxy s3


my buddy always has problems shooting the cheap steel ammo from his AR.....i haven't ever tried it because i have seen so many problems with his.....


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## nickda (Feb 2, 2013)

*live round*

i had the same thing happen to me.do the smart thing and take it to a gunsmith.my ar had to be dismantled to get it out.turned out the chamber was bored wrong


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I've removed stuck ammo in old military bolt guns by cutting a piece of leather that fits tight in the bore.Fill the barrel up with motor oil,doesn't take much,and start the leather patch in the barrel.Next,get a dowel rod that'll go in the barrel,and hit the end of it with a rubber mallet.Do it outside.You won't believe how easy it'll pop out.Same as knocking a pilot bearing out.


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## markjustmark (Oct 10, 2012)

Do yourself a favor and get rid of the steel cased ammo. I made that mistake thinking I was getting a good deal. Found out the steel does expand just enough to stick in the chamber as well as beat the heck out of the extractor. Since then I only shoot brass cartridges and have never had a problem.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

More than likely the chamber is out of spec or has too much chrome plating. It can happen and some manufacturers are known to have 223 chambers in a 5.56 rifle. Considering the increased demand I can easily see some rushed rifles go out the door without having all the QC checks performed. 

Never use the forward assist to seat the round. You could be forcing an out of spec case into the chamber, or making your tight chamber situation worse. Why would you want to force a round into the chamber that did not feed on its own. That is knowing you have good ammo and magazines. 

The "mortar" method Ernest described is correct. Try some good brass cased ammo. If it happens again contact the manufacturer, or find a good gunsmith that has a 5.56 ream. It should solve the problem and shouldn't cost you that much.


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## OMGTruk (Nov 17, 2012)

Bantam1 said:


> Never use the forward assist to seat the round.


good info.

a guy on AR15 forums had a post a while back where he forced a 300 black out to chamber(sort of) in a 556 upper and the gun pretty much blew up in his face.


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## mrvmax (May 10, 2012)

OMGTruk said:


> good info.
> 
> a guy on AR15 forums had a post a while back where he forced a 300 black out to chamber(sort of) in a 556 upper and the gun pretty much blew up in his face.


I will have to look for that since I do not see how the primer would be struck to set off the round. The forward assist should never be needed by the average shooter.


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## OMGTruk (Nov 17, 2012)

mrvmax said:


> I will have to look for that since I do not see how the primer would be struck to set off the round. The forward assist should never be needed by the average shooter.


link to the exploded upper i mentioned earlier

http://beta.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=8&f=10&t=507358


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

Dayum!


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Evidently, the second poster in then linked thread is as bright as corkysteve is here

©


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

TAMUGfisher12 said:


> I got it out by butt slamming. The gun has not been shot yet and I think the jam was caused by cheap steel ammo. I could be wrong but it is a thought. I appreciate yalls help. Learned something new today !
> 
> sent from my galaxy s3


What model is it, and is it a .223 or a 5.56 chamber?

My carbine eats through steel case ammo no biggie. I've shot upwards of a thousand rounds of steel case ammo through it already.


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

Bantam1 said:


> More than likely the chamber is out of spec or has too much chrome plating. It can happen and some manufacturers are known to have 223 chambers in a 5.56 rifle. Considering the increased demand I can easily see some rushed rifles go out the door without having all the QC checks performed.
> 
> Never use the forward assist to seat the round. You could be forcing an out of spec case into the chamber, or making your tight chamber situation worse. Why would you want to force a round into the chamber that did not feed on its own. That is knowing you have good ammo and magazines.
> 
> The "mortar" method Ernest described is correct. Try some good brass cased ammo. If it happens again contact the manufacturer, or find a good gunsmith that has a 5.56 ream. It should solve the problem and shouldn't cost you that much.


My experience with the forward assist is from the military, where our M16's ran like **** most of the time. And once the gun got dirty, give it up, you were FA'ing a round or two from every magazine.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

I think today is a little different since we have better lube for the AR type platform. Also worn out rifles are worn out rifles. Who knows how many rounds were through them? The action springs should be replaced every few thousand rounds. Crappy magazines can be another issue. I think they have changed the powders too which are not as dirty as they used to be. 

I think the platform has come a long way since it was introduced, but maintenance and parts replacement is still something that needs to be addressed. I know its not as easy for the guys that have them issued. I just make sure my gun is well lubed and it will continue to run even when it's dirty.


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