On a recent trip to the range, I was shooting my 98k Mauser using surplus ammunition from the same era (I believe it was made in 1944 or something). The ammo was steel cased, and its outward appearance made me believe it was safe to shoot (oh BIG MISTAKE! )
I shot about 10 rounds of this same type of ammo through the rifle with only one failure to ignite; the rest shot pretty well. However, on the 11th pull of the trigger, I got an extremely light report, and felt almost no recoil. The bullet also only hit about half way down the 100 yard range. I let the rifle sit for a second, and then I attempted to extract the squib round. Upon opening the bolt, the extractor tore the case head away from the shoulder and neck, leaving about 1/3 of the top of the case stuck in the throat of the gun.
I spoke with the range master, and a gun smith who was on site shooting also. He suggested using a larger brush than 8mm, and feeding it down from the muzzle to try and extract the stuck case piece. He also said to oil it. I tried this, to no avail. It appears from looking into the throat that the case piece is stuck fast.
I also tried the following:
1. Gently using the cleaning rod to catch the edge and pry the case piece out.
2. Using a screwdriver to tap the edge of the case-taking care not to damage the throat.
Am I out of options? Is there something else I can try? Or do I need to tap out and take it to a gunsmith?
Any suggestions?
Jack