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STUCK CLEANIMG ROD AND JAG

rjtfroggy

rjtfroggy

Gold $$ Contributor
Embarrassed to even admit to this dumb assed mistake, but I wrapped a jag with a 30 cal. patch and got everything stuck 3/4 of the way through a 6mm barrel.
Does anyone know of any way to get them out.
I already broke the rod handle off trying to smack it through, and right now it is soaking in oil.
I'm open to any well almost any ideas.
 
Save yourself the swearing, sweating, and beating of things into the barrel, take it to your smith.
Things can snowball pretty quickly once you start pounding things into the barrel, especially wood when it wedges between the barrel wall and whatever you are trying to get out.
Ask me how I know....
 
What kind of patch , cotton flannel , processed paper ( like lens cleaning wipes ) other ? What I've done is try to determine what dissolve s the patch , then wait . Whatever you do , don't try pulling yet .
If a chrome moly barrel , usually bleach , or some aggressive copper removers . Test on patches in a bowl to see what works .
If stainless , suggest taking to a smith .

Now that I see you added oil , you could add heat , a hot air gun on low ,no flame this will thin the oil and allow it to fully soak .
Is your jag brass ?
 
eric n said:
Ask me how I know....
Click to expand...

Agree 100%, if the wood breaks and wedges, big time problems.

I prefer using a soft solid brass rod that just fits the bore. I put a light chamfer to break the sharp outside edge of the rod. I don't know what the tip of your jag looks like, but it wouldn't hurt to recess the end to keep it centered in the bore.

Your local friendly gunsmith can do all this for you and make sure comes out without damaging the bore. Can be much cheaper in the long run.
 
Ggmac said:
What kind of patch , cotton flannel , processed paper ( like lens cleaning wipes ) other ? What I've done is try to determine what dissolve s the patch , then wait . Whatever you do , don't try pulling yet .
If a chrome moly barrel , usually bleach , or some aggressive copper removers . Test on patches in a bowl to see what works .
If stainless , suggest taking to a smith .

Now that I see you added oil , you could add heat , a hot air gun on low ,no flame this will thin the oil and allow it to fully soak .
Is your jag brass ?
Click to expand...

NaOH, sodium hydroxide, caustic are all the same thing and will eat up up cotton and leather. It can be found in drain cleaners. Be careful what you pick up because some of the magnum drain cleaners are sulphuric acid.
Bleach is sodium hypochlorite made by mixing sodium hydroxide and chlorine. It will work but will take longer.
I unloaded a lot of caustic cars in my lifetime and every time it splashed and got on my jeans and shoes, they began to fall apart.
Be careful handling this stuff because it will burn you but is slow to work on the skin. It can totally ruin an eyeball. You get a drop on your hairy arm and a slick hairless spot will appear.
 
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jepp2 said:
Agree 100%, if the wood breaks and wedges, big time problems.

I prefer using a soft solid brass rod that just fits the bore. I put a light chamfer to break the sharp outside edge of the rod. I don't know what the tip of your jag looks like, but it wouldn't hurt to recess the end to keep it centered in the bore.

Your local friendly gunsmith can do all this for you and make sure comes out without damaging the bore. Can be much cheaper in the long run.
Click to expand...
Have done this, worked for me
 
Cotton patch Dewey aluminum jag still threaded on a coated Dewey rod.
If and when I get it out I will need to make the 15 minute drive over to Dewey's place for a new rod and jags.
As for gun smiths there are not any left in this part of Ct. or at least none that want to work on anything anymore, and if they do it is 6-8 month wait for anything to be done.
Ct. sucks for anything gun related.
Worst part about this is it is my comp. gun and barrel has less than 150 rounds down it. Just put it together over the week end and sighted it in yesterday.
 
Can you heat the barrel with a heat gun,(blow dryer on steroids ) would expand the barrel a little and make the cotton more compliant at the same time.
 
Some of the CHEMS mentioned are aggressive toward steel - drain cleaner in a barrel is NOT a good idea! Brass rod or SMITH would be better option.
 
I've been party to destroying several barrels by trying to drive the rod forward. Usually the rod gets over on the lands and does damage with each blow on the handle.
On my truck I've run cables to the rear so I can put a winch in the reciever hitch and pull myself back out of any mess I'm stuck in. That applies to cleaning rods also
The only 100% way to not hurt the barrel is to pull the rod back out. For you it maybe to late but for everyone else who might get into trouble.
First stop as soon as you think something might be going sideways. DO NOT BEAT ON THE HANDLE.
Get a pair of vise grips and grab the rod in front of the handle. Edit; It may take two pairs of pliers.
Tap on the vise grips with a hammer to back the rod back out.
The rod may not move easily if the patch stays on the jag but it won't get any tighter.
 
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You could try to Pull it back out...clamp locking pliers to the rod and tap them with a hammer . Could also try compressed air from the muzzle,if you can get air between the patch and bore it will help.
 
223Randy said:
Some of the CHEMS mentioned are aggressive toward steel - drain cleaner in a barrel is NOT a good idea! Brass rod or SMITH would be better option.
Click to expand...
Never use any chemical not used for lube/cleaning . Bleach is the most aggressive, I've used it many times with success. Never mix chemicals, they can create very toxic or dangerous byproduct.
A cotton flannel patch will take about 4 hrs to reduce enough to notice .
BUT any oil on the patch will cause a big if not impossible chore for the bleach to overcome . Bleach is corrosive .
 
NaOH will also eat the aluminum jag rapidly. A cold solution will not hurt carbon or stainless steel for the short time it takes to dissolve the jag. Small quantities of food grade NaOH are available on line.

RWO
 
rjtfroggy said:
Embarrassed to even admit to this dumb assed mistake, but I wrapped a jag with a 30 cal. patch and got everything stuck 3/4 of the way through a 6mm barrel.
Does anyone know of any way to get them out.
I already broke the rod handle off trying to smack it through, and right now it is soaking in oil.
I'm open to any well almost any ideas.
Click to expand...
glad im not the only guy that does that kind of stuff...it seems that the more experience i gain (in years only) the more likely i am to mess up---at least you admit it---I try not to let my wife learn about my misshaps, she seems to bring them up...repeatedly
good luck!
 
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