Friends:

My brother acquired a .35 Newton Springfield- gorgeous custom rifle from about 1930. Needless to say, we want to return it to service. The ballistics are impressive and it is likely powerful enough for our Texas whitetail, as well as any wooly mammoth which are encountered.

While fire-forming .35 Newton cartridges, he closed the bolt on one which was a bit stiff. Upon opening the bolt on the unfired, un-fireformed cartridge, resistance was way too much. Long story short, the extractor broke.

We are left with a fully loaded cartridge stuck in the chamber. Obviously, a new extractor is no big deal, but.... how do we get the cartridge out of the rifle?

I told him I was extremely leery of firing it and then dealing with just an empty case, because I think it is possible that the case was a bit too long, and the bullet has been jammed into the case mouth. If this is the case, the bullet neck tension will be enormous, and extremely high pressures will be result. I recall reading somewhere they might exceed 100k psi. A Springfield is hell for stout, as demonstrated in Hatcher's Notebook, but we do not wish to risk eyes, limbs or the rifle.

I seem to recall some sort of gunsmith tool for this problem, but dont actually know.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

Regards

GKT

Texas Declaration of Independence 1836 -The Indictment against the dictatorship, Para.16:"It has demanded us to deliver up our arms, which are essential to our defence, the rightful property of freemen, and formidable only to tyrannical governments."