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Reverend Recoil
05-28-2011, 08:58 AM
Several boxes of 38 Special ammo got submerged in water for a few days. Most of this ammo is good but 20% are duds. I want to pull all these bullets to salvage the cases. The bullets are Lyman 141gr. wadcutters. My inertia bullet puller will not budge these bullets. There is not enough exposed bullet for a collet bullet puller to grip these. Do any of you know of a way to take these things apart?

BBA
05-28-2011, 09:05 AM
Make an inertia puller out of a 3ft 2x4. It works.

redneckdan
05-28-2011, 10:05 AM
^he is right. Take a 3-4' long 2x4 and drill a 5/16 or 3/8 through hole in it on the 2" side, should be a light friction fit on the case body with the rim to back it up. Now go find a kid willing to play home run derby on a tree stump. Sit back and watch him go to town. Kills two birds with one stone....pulls the bullets and tears the stump up pretty good.

RobS
05-28-2011, 10:17 AM
Several boxes of 38 Special ammo got submerged in water for a few days. Most of this ammo is good but 20% are duds. I want to pull all these bullets to salvage the cases. The bullets are Lyman 141gr. wadcutters. My inertia bullet puller will not budge these bullets. There is not enough exposed bullet for a collet bullet puller to grip these. Do any of you know of a way to take these things apart?

Are you trying to hook the collet of the inertia puller to the cast boolit itself??? Try turning the loaded round the other way so the groove in the head of the brass rides in the collet and then tighten down the plastic nut............whack a way.

Reverend Recoil
05-28-2011, 10:26 AM
Thanks. I will give it a try.

Le Loup Solitaire
05-28-2011, 11:50 AM
If everything else fails, try the following trick/way. Take 2 pieces of iron/steel bar stock or else a couple of wood chisels and place the cartridge neck section between them and then roll them back and forth with moderate downward pressure. After a few passes the neck section will loosen up around the bullet and then you can take it from there with your inertia bullet puller. LLS

mdi
05-28-2011, 12:21 PM
I'd try pushing the bullet in a bit deeper to break any "seal" and then "whack-a-mole". But, swaging/rolling the case between two plates sounds good too...

deltaenterprizes
05-28-2011, 06:00 PM
The rim of the cartridge should be against the collet in the inertia puller. Also do not whack it on a hard solid surface, place a piece of wood on the floor and hit the wood. When the puller contacts the wood allow it to bounce so the bullet will continue forward and the case will move backwards.

This video may help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijWTccP_NtM&feature=related

Ugluk
05-28-2011, 06:16 PM
Remove the decapper from a 38spl sizing die and run them through. Brass will spring back from the sized down boolit and it will come out easy.
I do this as I dont own a bullet puller. Works nicely even on jacketed, and I haven't blown myself up yet..

steg
05-28-2011, 06:22 PM
Le Loup Soliteire After reading your post it was a Jeeze why didnt I think of that, I'd been using a small hammer and tapping around the casing until it loosened, your way is much better, thanks......................................steg

Centaur 1
05-28-2011, 06:33 PM
Hold the inertia puller in one hand, and a mallet/hammer in the other. Smack the two together when trying to pull a bullet. There's something about the way the hammers rebound from each other that can break a stubborn bullet loose. Not to mention that it's also easier on your puller than smacking a hard fixed object.

harvester
05-28-2011, 06:48 PM
I use a shell holder, not the collet to hold the case rim, works better for me. Hit it on a large block of wood like a 16 inch round of firewood.

Mal Paso
05-28-2011, 11:28 PM
Remove the decapper from a 38spl sizing die and run them through. Brass will spring back from the sized down boolit and it will come out easy.
I do this as I dont own a bullet puller. Works nicely even on jacketed, and I haven't blown myself up yet..

Ding! Ding! Ding! I think we have a Winner!

bumpo628
05-28-2011, 11:42 PM
Remove the decapper from a 38spl sizing die and run them through. Brass will spring back from the sized down boolit and it will come out easy.
I do this as I dont own a bullet puller. Works nicely even on jacketed, and I haven't blown myself up yet..

It's tips like this that make this place great.

Ugluk
05-28-2011, 11:59 PM
Awesome!
I pick the imaginary hug for my prize..:drinks:

It really works rather well, and you were going to size them anyway.. right?

bumpo628
05-29-2011, 01:32 AM
Awesome!
I pick the imaginary hug for my prize..:drinks:

It really works rather well, and you were going to size them anyway.. right?

How about one of these instead?

http://www.indiescreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/95-Internet-High-Five.jpg

Reverend Recoil
05-29-2011, 01:35 PM
"Remove the decapper from a 38spl sizing die and run them through. Brass will spring back from the sized down boolit and it will come out easy."

I tried it. It works! Thanks Ugluk.

Ugluk
05-29-2011, 01:51 PM
Happy to be of assistance.
The only downside is that bullets have to go in the melting pot, but then I never reuse boolits anyway.
Cheers

HangFireW8
10-07-2012, 08:39 PM
Thanks to Ugluk and Mal Paso for the resizer technique! Also Centaur 1 for the puller-to-hammer idea!

I've had this handful of yard sale 38 Specials lying around for months. I wanted to pull them because I don't trust other's reloads. I tried pushing a few in a little to break the hold, but that only wedged them tighter. I found this thread and within minutes finally pulled all the boolits using the resizer technique to loosen them up, and then the intertial puller against the hammer, at that point it was easy.

I really like the hammer idea because I don't have choose between bending over to the floor, versus beating up my workbench.

HF

Jal5
10-07-2012, 11:25 PM
I have a piece of 4x4 right next to the reloading bench for that purpose, can sit in the normal chair I use for reloading and wack the inertial bullet puller a couple of times on the 4x4. Its just high enough for me so there is no bending down, etc.

Wal'
10-08-2012, 01:34 AM
Only suggestion I could make, when hitting your lump of 4"x4" always make sure you're hitting the end grain.

MikeS
10-08-2012, 03:18 AM
When I use an inertia type puller I generally do it outside, straddling a concrete bench, and whack it against the bench, seems to loosen up almost any of my cast boolit loads with ease.

milkman
10-08-2012, 05:59 AM
My easy method for pulling boolits is to remove the die from the press, place the cartridge in the shell holder, run it up through the die hole far enough to grab the boolit with with a pair of side cutter pliers, then lower the ram to pull the boolit. takes about 5 seconds.

Milkman

H.Callahan
10-08-2012, 01:44 PM
My easy method for pulling boolits is to remove the die from the press, place the cartridge in the shell holder, run it up through the die hole far enough to grab the boolit with with a pair of side cutter pliers, then lower the ram to pull the boolit. takes about 5 seconds.

Milkman
Normally good advice, but the OP is dealing with wadcutters, which are seated totally in the case. There is nothing sticking out the top to grab on to.

blackthorn
10-08-2012, 01:49 PM
Quote "Remove the decapper from a 38spl sizing die and run them through. Brass will spring back from the sized down boolit and it will come out easy".

Seems like a perfect use for the Lee Pistol FCD!!!

Jal5
10-08-2012, 02:33 PM
Only suggestion I could make, when hitting your lump of 4"x4" always make sure you're hitting the end grain.

absolutely exactly what I meant.
Joe