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RUPTURED CASE IN MY LEE ENFIELD PART 2

EncoreEncore Member Posts: 29 ✭✭
edited October 2007 in Ask the Experts
HELLO and many thanks to every one that offered suggestions.

Many of the common sense things that were suggested I have already tried. Some of the new things that I hadn't considered were the "Chamber Cast" and the "45 Cleaning Brush.
It's good to know that alot of us think alike when it comes to perdicaments like this.
As for Checking the Head Spacing, I performed this task twice.
The first time was when I originally purchased the rifle and the second time was when I replace the barrel and receiver with a newer barreled receiver.
I thought since this was an old rifle to begin with it would probably be wise to check the Head Spacing both times.
The barrel, chamber and rifling on this new Barreled-Reciever are in excellent condition and accordingly the Bolt-Head has the number "1" stamped on it with the Head Spacing well within safe limits.
I believe the reason for the Ruptured case was due in large part to the fact that I had Fired about 20 or so rounds out of the original barrel with the intention of Neck Sizing only when I reloaded.
I then bought and installed the replacement Barreled-Reciever and I new that these few "Fire Formed" casings wouldn't chamber correctly in the new chamber.
In order to get them to chamber properly in the new Barreled-Reciever I'd just installed I Full-Length-Sized them. The original chamber was notably larger than my new chamber.
Although the cartridges now chambered properly, the "Full-Length-Sizing" left such a pronounced crease near the case head that Now, in hindsight, I see that a Ruptured case was inevitable. If not this time around, surely the next time I reloaded any of the 20 or so cases I mentioned above.
At any rate, it has left me with a broken shell in my chamber. I'm going to try the 45 Cleaning brush to get it out. If that doesn't work I'll order some of that chamber casting material an go with that route.
Thanks alot to every one. I really appreciated your input. If you think of anything else that might be of some help please don't hesitate to let me know.
I'll check back later to let you know if these new suggestion worked for me or not.

Encore
I'll be back.

Comments

  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Once I horse traded for a 96 Mauser pistol in close to 100% condition.
    I found the firing pin tip broken off and the pistol wouldn't chamber a 7.62x25 round.
    The gun had been so well disabled you couldn't see a case had been cut off and driven into the chamber. It had front and rear ends tapered so you couldn't see it in the chamber.
    It came out by driving a lead slug in through the muzzle.
  • 1KYDSTR1KYDSTR Member Posts: 2,361 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    EZE-E Out and a dent puller. Attach the dent puller to the Eze-Out after having driven it into the case head and bump it out. Sorry...just reread the post...typical 303 case head failure. Last time that happened to me I used a tapered wood rasp about "3/8ths around and a smashed 303 case. Place the case under the bottom edge of the reciever ring, get a purchase on the case body with the rasp and pry/inch it out using the 303 brass as a shield for the riciver ring. You might have to try a few angles (and should)but it always works for me!
  • Underdog2264Underdog2264 Member Posts: 164 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Here is an old method my father said worked well on Enfields and Mausers back in the days just after WWII. They would take the barrel and receiver out of the stock and place it in a low temp oven (around 250 deg.) for an hour or so. Once the metal had gotten to an even temp they would use the broken shell extractor as usual but with a twist, They kept the extractor in the freezer. According to him if you let the extractor sit in the shell for a couple minutes it would work like a charm, and the shells would almost fall out on there own. I haven't tried it on any of my Enfields yet, but it makes sense to me.
  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member Posts: 10,029 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    as to the chamber cast method, you aren't doing this to measure dimentions so you don't need the cerro safe material, any bullets casting lead will work.
  • EncoreEncore Member Posts: 29 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm Back; I finally got that darn ruptured case out of the chamber.

    I tired the 45 caliber cleaning brush but that didn't work out. I thought for sure it would cause it was so difficult to tape out from the muzzle end.
    Fully expecting to have to go to the Chamber Cast method that one of you guys suggested, I never considered using the same Lead that I use for casting my bullets. That's a good idea. I think I'll try that, if or when this happens again.
    I ended up using the Broken Shell Extractor for my 223 rifle. The expanding fingers on the 223 Shell Extractor are slightly larger in diameter in order to grip the inside of the straight interior walls of the 223 rimless case. The 303 Extractor seems to be made to grip the interior walls of the case neck area only.
    It just wasn't getting a tight enough grip. Even after installing a short length of Coil Spring between the threaded forcing cone and the back end and the threaded shank at the back of the expanding-fingers part of the extractor. I did this in order to force the fingers to expand once I had pushed into the neck.
    I removed the threaded forcing cone from the back of my 223 Shell Extractor. This allowed the expanding fingers to compress enough to make it into the neck of the ruptured case. I then dropped the Tapered expanding Rod down the muzzle end of the barrel.
    It slid right into the position it would normally be in if I were to have pushed the fully assembled Broken Shell Extractor up through the chamber like the instructions call for.
    As I lightly tapped the Broken Shell Extractor out from the muzzle end, the Tapered Expanding Rod slowly increased the diameter of the expanding fingers and forced the Ruptured case out with it. Hallaluja!
    I thought I'd never get that darn thing out.
    I did end up with some slight surface imperfection near the mouth of the chamber. I'll have to figure out how to smooth them out without altering the original dimensions of the chamber.
    When I tried cycling a live round through the chamber in its present state, there was definately some resistance while chambering and extracting the round.
    In a previous reply one of you guys mentioned polishing the chamber while another seemed to be against it. What are the suggestions for smoothing out some slight burrs just inside the chamber mouth? What say ye?
    Thanks alot for your help. I really did appreciate it. It seems that sometimes the answers we're looking for are already inside us. It just takes a few guys like yourselves to jarr them loose.

    I'll be back.
    Encore
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You raised a burr in the chamber that will have to come out.
    I would try a half round jeweler's file.
    The chamber needs to be smooth and bright to properly extract high pressure cases.
    If the chamber is gouged enough you need a new barrel or a setting back of the barrel and rechambering.
    Easy outs and taps are a mistake as they can readily screw up a chamber.
  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member Posts: 10,029 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    that's THE reason I don't like useing sharp tools in the chamber (e-z outs, taps, what ever). the revers bore brush or chamber cast are much less harmfull.
  • EncoreEncore Member Posts: 29 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    OK. She's back up and running.

    I got the stuck case out and my Lee Enfield is cycling ammo reliably again. Tomorrow I'll be back at the shooting range to see if this short bit of drama has effected the overall accuracy of the rifle.
    I don't see how it could have but, you never know. I've learned a few tricks that I really hadn't considered before thanks to some of you readers.
    Many thanks to you all.

    Encore.
    Over and Out.
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