[Cole125]

Alright guys, call me a idiot but I was cleaning my Mini 14 last night and got my pull through cleaning cable with a patch on it stuck in the chamber. By stuck I mean stuck, it won't budge.

I cut the cleaning cable off at the muzzle, and tried to tap the whole thing out with a cleaning rod, but that didn't work. In fact I think it made it more stuck.

Any ideas on how to get it out? I really don't want to take it to a gun smith if I don't have to.

Help me out

Thanks

***Edit happy ending 9 months later, got the cleaning cable out today without doing any damage. Story at last page of the thread.

 

[KingANuthin]

The patch should light right up. Burn it out.

 

[doorgunner]

The patch should light right up. Burn it out.

That really is a good idea. Certainly couldn't hurt anything.

 

[tri70]

Is there any oil on it? Don't take a chance and set the stock on fire unless you have a good fire extinguisher next to you! Can you stick a barbed fish hook and pull out a piece at a time.

 

[jgodwin2]

Always found my "Hemos" left over from the bad 'ol days very handy.
Truthfully I don't think I've ever heard of this..
Good Luck!
Richard

 

[KingANuthin]

Is there any oil on it? Don't take a chance and set the stock on fire unless you have a good fire extinguisher next to you! Can you stick a barbed fish hook and pull out a piece at a time.

Take it out of the stock?
Honestly I don't think I've ever cleaned my mini in the stock.. Hate wiping oil off it.

 

[kkina]

Maybe a metal tube that fits over the cable but inside the barrel? Than tap it carefully out. Much higher impact force than tapping on just the cable end.

 

[Cole125]

Thanks for the input guys, hopefully you can learn from my mistake, be careful you don't put a patch that is too big on your cleaning cable and try to pull it through!

Right now I just have the action of the rifle stripped down and its sitting muzzle down with the chamber filled with CLP. I'm thinking if I soak it I'll have a easier time getting it out.

I already tried to burn it out, poured a little gas in the chamber and lit it, just flamed up and only burnt the patch a little. Mini 14 on fire!(heat shield and stock removed) I'm thinking I might try again with a jet lighter if all else fails.


kkina good idea but the cleaning cable end is smashed flat a about 3 inches from the end of the muzzle(from trying to carefully drive it out with a cleaning rod).

I'll try the fish hook idea too, keep you posted.

 

[mini14rookie]

Man that sucks. How about some air? Crank up the compressor, plug the gas block and put some air down the muzzle. Might get it loose that way. Good luck.

 

[Joe226]

I think your torch is a good idea. Possibly tied with the air compressor idea. There probably isn't enough oxygen down that teeny .223 inch hole to sustain combustion of the patch by itself - it's most likely instantly using up the available oxygen and snuffing itself out.

How deep into the chamber is it?

Oh yeah - this is rapidly turning into something you should probably be doing sober, with safety glasses on.

 

[Cole125]

Oh yeah - this is rapidly turning into something you should probably be doing sober, with safety glasses on.

Yeah don't worry I am not touching it until tomorrow. Like I said the chamber is soaking in CLP so I'll leave it overnight.

If anyone else has any ideas let me know. Any gunsmiths here? What would you do if someone brought you a rifle in this "condition"?

Happy new years guys!

 

[coblake]

Happy New Years

Wait till midnight, go out in the backyard and shoot it out. Kidding...

 

[CWO USCG]

Using a Otis cleaning kit? If so I got one stuck in my AR once. I tried soaking it with Break Free and it didn't do anything. I eventually just muscled it out with the cable. I didn't follow the instuction for poperly threading the patch.

 

[breckenridge]

Even correctly threaded I found the .22 cal and up Otis patches very tight in the mini. The .17-.22 ones seemed a lot better and less likely to get stuck.

Good luck getting it out.

 

[whofarted]

Using a Otis cleaning kit? If so I got one stuck in my AR once. I tried soaking it with Break Free and it didn't do anything. I eventually just muscled it out with the cable. I didn't follow the instuction for poperly threading the patch.

Did you post that? I swear ive seen this thread already

 

[CWO USCG]

Did you post that? I swear ive seen this thread already

There's probably 10 posts on AR15.com describing this same situation. I wasn't the first and won't be the last to get an Otis patch stuck.

 

[kwg020]

You should of left the cable attached. Grab the cable with needle nose pliers and pry it against the muzzle or receiver. People do this with bore snakes as well. You can't develop enough strength to pull it but prying it a fraction of an inch at a time seems to work. I would not use CLP as it will swell the patch more. I would also put it in a deep freeze so the barrel will shrink back and hopefully the hole will enlarge.

Think about it. As you shoot the rifle the hole in the barrel gets tighter as it gets hotter. You want it looser so you can pull the patch through. It's the same concept as putting new sleeves in a deisel engine. You heat the block and freeze the sleeves and they drop in. kwg

 

[kkina]

I'm unclear...if it's an Otis you can unscrew the cable and extract it from the muzzle, leaving the patch tip in the chamber. This will then be much easier to beat out directly with a ramrod.

 

[Daddy-Justin]

I would go with compressed air. I had a similar situation and it blew the obstruction out like a gun shot. So keep your hands out of the way. 150 of pressure should do it. Clean and easy. Good luck!

 

[wxl]

Try dry ice on the barrel. The cold will shrink the plastic and enlarge the bore. Then push it out with a cleaning rod. Just a theory. Good luck.