queersome stoppage and resolution

[jp 19]

i was shooting my AR at the range saturday i put in a fresh 20 rnd mag. released the bolt, pulled the trigger and "CLICK" thinking no problem 'stuff" happens... i pressed the forward advance and nothing.....i grabbed the charging handle to eject the offender....and the charging handle wouldnt move.... i dropped the mag and grabbed the charging handle and again it wouldnt budge... now i am trying to figure out how to cycle this live round out of my rifle... thought maybe i could open the reciever but after slidding the pin it also wouldnt open.... this is all being done very slowly and cautiously... a young guy who was there shooting black powder wanders over .... we had been talking through out the afternoon... and he says to pull the charging handle and smack the butt on something solid ... so i handed him my rifle with the muzzle pointed down range he pulled back on the locked up charging bar and lightly smacked the butt on a 4x4 upright the offending round came flying out... he said he had read of the proceedure in his manual... i couldnt find it in mine.... but it did work... he told me there might have been something under the extractor or a slight burr on the casing head... anyway it was intresting ... being the kind of person i am i reloaded the round in the magazine and it cycled just fine that was the first stoppage i have had with the rifle....has anyone else had this type of failure and used this method of clearing the round...

[sarge]

I've used that method of clearing before. Just remember that if you have a collapsible stock, collapse it before you whack it on something hard.

[jp 19]

Originally posted by sarge
I've used that method of clearing before. Just remember that if you have a collapsible stock, collapse it before you whack it on something hard.

more good advice.:thumbsup:

[MrMurphy]

Generally called the "mortar clearing" and a last resort, not all too healthy for the rifle (don't do it every day) but it will generally work if nothing else does.