And the idiot of the year award goes to.... me.
Just went out to the garage to have a look at my new 10/22, and to put the lock on it. Opened up the box, took it out of the plastic, everything looks great. A piece of plastic was in the chamber, I figured to indicate that the chamber was clear. Ok, time to take that out. Hand slipped, bolt slipped, and half the plastic fell onto the floor. The other half? In the barrel. This thing looks like it is a wire tie, sort of. Which means that there could still be at least part of the male end in the barrel.
Ok, I'll just try and tweeze it out. Tweezers were slightly too big to get a grip, perfect to push it just a little deeper. Well great. How about a dental pick? Now that it is further in, the dental pick worked just like the tweezers, pushing it further along.
Thought of using an air compressor and trying to blow it, from the muzzle into the chamber, but I now can't find my air compressor hose. Is that even a good idea? (Not to make a seal, just to burst it with some air.)
Tried using some canned air, I saw a couple of tiny pieces inside the receiver, but I don't think these were "the" piece I got stuck. Can't be sure.
I suppose I could disassemble the rifle, remove the barrel, then work on it that way, but I'd rather not.
Would aiming a laser pointer down the barrel be an OK way to check for blockage? I tried a flashlight, that didn't do a lick of good.
Any ideas? Would firing it be the dumbest way to check if it is clear? (I'd hate to melt some plastic into my brand new barrel...) Or do I need to further hang my head in shame and take it to a gun shop? (Thought I could get sufficient embarrassment here, but maybe I need some more.)
Thinking about trying to get a bore snake from Wally World and passing that through. That would be the sanest option, right?
Just went out to the garage to have a look at my new 10/22, and to put the lock on it. Opened up the box, took it out of the plastic, everything looks great. A piece of plastic was in the chamber, I figured to indicate that the chamber was clear. Ok, time to take that out. Hand slipped, bolt slipped, and half the plastic fell onto the floor. The other half? In the barrel. This thing looks like it is a wire tie, sort of. Which means that there could still be at least part of the male end in the barrel.
Ok, I'll just try and tweeze it out. Tweezers were slightly too big to get a grip, perfect to push it just a little deeper. Well great. How about a dental pick? Now that it is further in, the dental pick worked just like the tweezers, pushing it further along.
Thought of using an air compressor and trying to blow it, from the muzzle into the chamber, but I now can't find my air compressor hose. Is that even a good idea? (Not to make a seal, just to burst it with some air.)
Tried using some canned air, I saw a couple of tiny pieces inside the receiver, but I don't think these were "the" piece I got stuck. Can't be sure.
I suppose I could disassemble the rifle, remove the barrel, then work on it that way, but I'd rather not.
Would aiming a laser pointer down the barrel be an OK way to check for blockage? I tried a flashlight, that didn't do a lick of good.
Any ideas? Would firing it be the dumbest way to check if it is clear? (I'd hate to melt some plastic into my brand new barrel...) Or do I need to further hang my head in shame and take it to a gun shop? (Thought I could get sufficient embarrassment here, but maybe I need some more.)
Thinking about trying to get a bore snake from Wally World and passing that through. That would be the sanest option, right?