Bullet drop rods, worth having?

[300WSMMAD]

Hi Guys,
Now I hope like hell that Im not the only one out there who this has happened to, infact I know Im not, but does anyone carry in there field kit a bullet drop rod?

For those who are reading this and think "what is this turkey on about?"
the situation is this.

As we all know some loads/bullets like being engaged into the lans, like some loads dont really like a tight neck tension, the combination of the two in a hunting situation can be well.... tricky.
If you chamber a round and dont fire it, then saftey first you unload the rifle, what happens is the bullet stays engaged and the case is removed, the result is you have bullet stuck in barrell, a primed empty case in your hand and a action full of powder,hmmmm.

Now the last two really aint sooo bad, the powder well, kinda but, bit of a shake, huff and a puff most of it is gone, not really going to upset the average joe.

THE BULLET, holy crap, you have just walked for two days, minimal everything, why would you need a cleaning rod? a boresnake will do everything you'll every need really! well think again. but who the hell wants a cleaning rod tagging along, yes I suppose a screw together one would work but, they fail, I've seen it.

This is where a $5 1/4"piece of brass 8" long saves your ***, hold muzzle up and drop that sucker down ya barrel, bullet and brass rod falls out, wheew, hunting again. not a long sorry walk out.

Lets just say, I have one now!!!

Just another one of those little things that you may just one day need, they weigh nothing and take up no room and for me NOW a invaluable piece kit.

Im interested to see if anyone else out there carrys them.

And BTW Im not going to back off my OAL nor increase my neck tension.

300WSMMAD

 

[bigngreen]

That's a good idea and I think I'll get one in my pack. Last time it happened to me I ended up pounding it out with a doubled over piece of barb wire of a fence, it was ugly but the show had to go on!!

 

[rscott5028]

I pretty much avoid seating into the lands for a hunting load.

I haven't had a rifle yet that I couldn't get decent results from yet with one bullet or another with at least .010" jump. Even that's not far off. So, perhaps you could still have something cause one to get stuck.

If you're going to be miles or days from home, it pays to think ahead.

 

[dig]

Spending thousands of dollars a year on hunts I would never dream of seating to a point where there is even a possibility of a stuck bullet. I full length size and generally keep to SAMI specs (possibly a bit longer when I know the rifle well). I have never had a big accuracy impact this way and frankly function is more important than all other aspects. I chamber every round I take on a hunt, prior to packing. Malfunctions happen as well and you have to be able to get a new round from the magazine in the chamber. A rod is a good idea for debris and barell obstructions but I would hate to get into a dangerous and/or expensive situation with a stuck bullet.

Dont get me wrong I have seated long for target rifles but not for hunting purposes.

 

[300WSMMAD]

"failing to prepare is preparing to fail" that is now I go into each hunt.

The load is not "jammed in" it would be best described as JUUUUST touching.

I deprimed the case and re seated the same bullet, I chambered it and opened bolt, the entire round came out bullet and all. go figure?

My point is.... **** HAPPENS!

 

[bigngreen]

I had one jam that was a fluk, I had been pounding away on rock chucks but never emptied my mag all the way and the last one I did not shoot but I felt the extraction was of so I checked and sure nuff the recoil had pounded out the bullet and I jammed it, glad I was paying attention!!

 

[helidriver72]

A last ditch fix if you have a bullet stuck in the riflings is to pull the bullet from a loaded round and then carefully without spilling the powder load it behind the bullet and shoot it out. I've done it,it works.

 

[foreign]

helidriver. ive done the same thing. though i spilt a little powder so the charge was a little lower. was just in my .223 though. would have been nervous if it was my 7mmwsm.

 

[Lynx.wildcat]

I always have one handmade rod, because compress powder increases COAL.

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

A last ditch fix if you have a bullet stuck in the riflings is to pull the bullet from a loaded round and then carefully without spilling the powder load it behind the bullet and shoot it out. I've done it,it works.

Ya, I guess that would work gun)
I do something that will make the purests freak out.
I always pack a screw together steel cleaning rod with me. Even for day hunts. For myself I may need it for cleaning snow, mud, dirt ect out of the barrel. If I'm hunting with people that use rifles or ammo that I suspect to not be reliable then knocking brass out of the chamber or bullets out of the barrel can be necessary. You can beat on a steel rod pretty hard.

 

[Nimrodmar10]

I do the same thing. It's a little Birchwood Casey rod that all fits into it's carry tube. It even has jags, thread adapters and a screwdriver tip. Short, light, stainless and handy.
Take a look at it. I've carried one for years.

https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/Cleaning-and-Maintenance/Universal-Gun-Cleaning-System.aspx

 

[Marble]

My dad has stuck entire rounds in his gun several times. We shoot identical rounds in our 7mm. He has grabbed my ammo several times and then has stuck it in his gun. He's my dad. I just deal with it. The end result is his gun is done until the bullet is removed. I would imagine if any piece of aluminum, brass or soft metal, cut down to pack size, would remove the bullet.

This is a great idea. I carry a rod in the truck, but not on my horse, or my pack. We carry bore snakes just to clear the barrels after hunting, but the small metal rod is ingenious.

 

[Bravo 4]

Old thread but still good advice.

A few sections of cleaning rods that thread together can save you. Tuck away easily in a pack and weight next to nothing.

I did the whole "piece of fence" thing as well several years back while hunting coyotes. I was a ways from the truck using my little beater NEF .223. Don't know if they all have this problem, but if you open the breach on a spent cartridge and then close it without removing the case the extractor will not grab the rim and you have to push it out with a rod.
I know our Barretts like to break extractors at the worst possible time!