Hey folks. Took my buddy to the range with me today to do some shooting and had a reloading mishap. He was shooting his .38 handloads out of my 637 when he had a squib. He said the shot before that felt strange as well, so I believe there is 2 bullets lodged in the barrel. I tried my wooden dowel, but no luck. Any other tips or suggestions would be very appreciated! Thank you

bmdaniel92

Can you open the cylinder? If so open it up , take the grips off put the gun on a hard wood surface, put in your oak dowel (1/4" I believe) and hit the dowel pretty hard with a hammer. Does the barrel look bulged??

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Still Running Against the Wind

The barrel does not seem to be bulged. As soon as I got home, I pulled the grips off and took the cylinder and yoke assembly out and proceded to try and punch out the slug(s). I think the bullet(s) moved slightly, but I was unable to make any further progress. I didn't want to damage the barrel or frame, so I gave it a break.

put some lubricant in the barrel and continue to rap it with the dowel

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Because your 637 has an aluminum frame I would strongly suggest that you make up a support saddle to support the barrel, otherwise you face a distinct risk of bending the frame. Basically you need a bar of steel about 1 inch square with a hole drilled in it you can punch the bullets through. It also needs to be long enough that you can place this bar on top of your vise jaws with the frame inserted loosely in a gap between the jaws of your vise. It's also a two man job unless you have 3 hands. Have a friend hold the gun on the saddle and give your dowel a good hard hit. You'll also need to reposition everything after each strike until those bullets engage the hole in the support saddle. The key to moving those bullets is to support the barrel as rigidly as possible, thus the support saddle resting on top of the vise jaws instead of being clamped between them, it will keep that saddle from sliding in the vise jaws.

I would also suggest that once you have the barrel clear that you check your Barrel/Cylinder gap to insure that you haven't already bent the frame from your efforts. BTW, I would use the same method on a steel frame because these frames were never intended to take high forces in this direction, IMO it's far safer to support the barrel and let that part take all the force needed to drive a squib free.

With two rounds in the barrel, a wooden dowel might not be strong enough. I use a brass rod that is about .275 diameter and about 12 inches long with a larger knob at the end. It is stronger than the wooden dowel. I have driven as many as three rounds out of a friend's model 13 barrel without any damage to the lands in the barrel. The brass is soft enough not to damage anything.

And use PLENTY of light oil ! ! Sewing mach. oil, gun oil, penetrating oil or the like, ahead and behind the bullet.
I favor a brass 5/16" rod, rigid support, and increasingly heavy TAPS with a HEAVY hammer, until you feel the bullet start to move.

Larry

What type of bullets. Lead, FMJ, plated??

If the previous suggestions do not work it may be time for a trip to a Gun Smith

Good luck, don't screw your gun up bashing it.

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Still Running Against the Wind