Home made bullet pullers

[oldred]

I am going to make a bullet puller to pull bullets without damaging them, ok I know kinetic pullers are so cheap they're almost free and work well enough but what's the fun of buying one? This should be simple enough and I have a couple of ideas already but I would like to see/hear about others' ideas for this little project, home made gadgets are just part of the fun!

[country gent]

Keep in mind most styles other than the kenetic hammer / type are caliber specific. I made up a couple of the forrester type that are press mounted and they worked really effient with J bullets never tried them with cast.Making the tools yourself is alot of fun and gives a sense of pride.

[targetfreak]

I made a puller for .38 spl and .357 mag. If the cartridge has a rim, the job is almost ridiculously easy, if one has access to a lathe. For rimless, one needs to make a sliding shim to fit between the end of the cartridge and the extractor groove, OR a reloading case holder ( the piece which holds the shell in the press). The main body of the puller should be an engineering plastic, such as Delrin, PVC, or similar, to prevent damage to the brass. Then, all you need is a hammer handle, and some good tape to hold things together during those few good swipes against a solid piece of wood.

[salty dog]

On some board a guy posted a home made puller that looked practical and affordable. As I remember it (important qualifier!) it was just PVC pipe with a threaded fitting that would capture a shell holder. If I was going to try it I would just head down to the hardware store with a shell holder and see what it would fit in to.

[bangerjim]

For $17 ( and over 500 pulled undamaged boolits) I will stick with my purchased commercial kinetic hammer puller!

Time = $$

But good luck on your quest to make the perfect puller from the scrap box.
Let us know what it ends up being.

banger

[reg293]

Put " diy kinetic bullet puller " in Google and then select images. You will see a lot there to select from.

[Whiterabbit]

For $17 ( and over 500 pulled undamaged boolits) I will stick with my purchased commercial kinetic hammer puller!

Time = $$

But good luck on your quest to make the perfect puller from the scrap box.
Let us know what it ends up being.

banger

For $17, it doesn't fit a 378 weatherby case or bigger. 338 lapua, 416 rig, forget it.

I agree though if you only shoot reasonable rifles.

[UBER7MM]

I've tried the reloading press style pullers on J-bullets and they work fine. But for pulling cast boolits I end up putting the cartridges in the press without a die and grabbing them with diagonal pliers, then using the arm to pull the cartridge apart. The damaged lead goes back in the pot. The down side to pulling cast boolits is sometimes the gas checks end up in the bottom of the case. A surgical clamp, long tweezers or like tool is needed to fish them out.

[Cmm_3940]

The down side to pulling cast boolits is sometimes the gas checks end up in the bottom of the case. A surgical clamp, long tweezers or like tool is needed to fish them out.

Perhaps just chamber it without the powder and fire the primer?

[bangerjim]

For $17, it doesn't fit a 378 weatherby case or bigger. 338 lapua, 416 rig, forget it.

I agree though if you only shoot reasonable rifles.

Yea......you ARE shooting "unusual" sizes. I only shoot the standards that work very well with any of the cheap plastic hammer pullers.

Have you looked into machine the standard collets/adaptors to larger? Don't know what you have or the sizes of your rifle cases, but I would make/adapt one to fit if the "hammer" is too small.

banger

[Whiterabbit]

I don't have a collet puller. I just end up smashing the bullet as I pull as per post #8. I don't have to pull many large-size cases.

[Chapo]

I agree. For the price, I'll stick with my Lyman bullet puller. Has pulled many a bullet and has been awesome to me.

[upnorthwis]

I sometimes use an electricians wire stripper pliers with the press. Has nice sharp edges on it that easily dig into the J-word jacket.

[WRideout]

I had a pile of 30-30's with pointed J-words on them that I wanted to keep. At the time, I didn't have a bullet puller (have since acquired one.) I took a piece of 2x4 dimensional lumber, and drilled a hole in it slightly larger than the 30-30 case, partially through the wood. The case fit easily into a standard flat washer (this only works with rimmed cases) and the assembly was then dropped into the hole in the 2x4. The first time I whacked it against a chunk of firewood, the case flew out the back, so I added a screwed on piece of scrap metal that acts as a backstop. The metal swings out of the way for loading. My piece of redneck engineering lasted for a pretty good while, considering that the tool was essentially free. I used it successfully with 38 wadcutters, which have no exposed boolit to grab and pull.

Wayne

[oldred]

As I was hoping there have been some good ideas and that one with the 2x4 is especially neat! That was the motive for the original question, to "make do" in a pinch when necessary not to save the few dollars a ready made puller costs because I just enjoy doing that type of thing.

BTW, I still haven't gotten around to making my puller, I will try to do that today.

[Jonesy]

I registered for this site just to share this info. After loading 100 or so rounds of 45 ACP that I did not like at all, I needed a bullet puller. After an hour of trying different things from the garage, I came across a sprinkler head that fits the collet from my press PERFECTLY if you take it apart and stick it where the water flows to spray your lawn. A few zip ties onto the old hammer, and bam, perfect bullet puller made from a bum sprinkler head. Hopefully someone can use this information as most people can scavenge a sprinkler head from somewhere and zip tie that thing to a hammer. Once you whack it loose you can hear it rattling around in there, simply unscrew the head from the base, and dump the bullet and powder.

One of my better midnight inventions, I'm quite pleased with myself right now.

[NavyVet1959]

I made one out of PVC pipe. I was able to use the shell holders from my press with it for the rimless cartridges and a washer filed out to the proper inside diameter for the rimmed cartridges. Worked well enough, but it eventually broke. But then again, I've broken the commercial kinetic pullers also. These days, I just use my single stage press with some electrician wire stripping pliers. Something like a pair of diagonal cutters, but with a sharpened hole drilled in them for stripping wire:

https://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/Photos/tools/utica_40-7_pliers_diag_f_cropped_inset_w560_h294.jpg

The sharpened hole allows you to grip the bullet better than just a straight cutting blade would do.

For cast bullets, I don't care if it damages the bullet since I'll just recast the lead. If I'm really careful, I can often remove jacketed bullets as long as they are not crimped too tight.

[GoodOlBoy]

yeah the only downside to kinetic pullers I have come across is old military ammo with a heavy crimp, AND sealant around the bullet. I busted the board I was whacking the bullet puller against one time and still didn't move the thing before I realized what I was up against. I borrowed a collet puller for my press and popped the bullets out fairly easily. there were a couple that were even stubborn for the collet puller.

GoodOlBoy

[sthwestvictoria]

Have a look at the grip-n-pull type, I think that would be easiest for saving jacketed. For cast I just use the destructive wire stripper method as above and recycle the lead.

[mozeppa]

i just finished pulling almost 40,000 rounds with the kinetic hammer.

busted 4 hammers
and 8 caps for the hammers

there is no "fun" in pulling bullets...only getting the job done.

[Plate plinker]

i just finished pulling almost 40,000 rounds with the kinetic hammer.

busted 4 hammers
and 8 caps for the hammers

there is no "fun" in pulling bullets...only getting the job done.


WHAT! Thats crazy numbers. Why?

[Jonesy]

You're right about that, bullet pulling sucks, but at least when you have a "unique" (read 'ghetto') way of pulling them, it's slightly more fun. I can't justify spending the 20 bucks on a puller since I'm cheap and don't often find a need for one, this baby cost me nothing and gets the job done just as well.

I've got an old Lee turret press and it doesn't lift the round high enough to use cutters to grip the bullet, and pliers were scratching up my brass pretty well.

[NavyVet1959]

I've got an old Lee turret press and it doesn't lift the round high enough to use cutters to grip the bullet, and pliers were scratching up my brass pretty well.

When I started out trying to pull a bullet with my RCBS single stage press, I found that the bullet didn't stick up through the press, so I cut off a piece of 1.5" diameter sched-40 PVC pipe and put it around the shaft of the press and used this as the base to put the cutters across. Eventually, I found the Hornday Universal Extended Shellholder which raised everything up to just the right size for the shorter pieces of brass.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/225116/hornady-universal-extended-shellholder?cm_vc=ProductFinding

[blixen]

Don't know if this would help with non-standard calibers, but my kinetic puller accepts standard shell holders. Turn it so the opening of the shell holder is toward you when you swing it. Comes in handy when the O ring breaks.

[Maximumbob54]

I'm still waiting for Lee's bullet puller:

http://youtu.be/yzNTuQuebvs?t=1m38s

[bangerjim]

I just bought the RCBS in-press collet style puller with all the collets they make for the many sizes I load (and UN-load!) at Sportsman's Warehouse. And glad I did! Great tool as long as you have a teeny area to grip the boolits.

And........it works GREAT on lead boolits! Unlike what the stupid directions say. Definitely a whole lot more $$$ than those silly plastic hammers, but well worth having a solid machined die to do the job. Will last a lifetime.

Now I only use the plastic kinetic puller when there is nothing to grab hold of.

bangerjim

[mozeppa]

WHAT! Thats crazy numbers. Why?

cuz i knew what was in them ...but not how much was in them...( i didn't assemble them...not gonna take a chance...and the components were very valuable!

[country gent]

I have used the press mounted Forrester/Bonanza style press mounted pullers with good results. A thin sttel collet locks on the bullet when it passes thru on the way up at case neck reverse force on handle and pull bullet. next round pushes old bullet out. The draw back is short dia of full bullet dia has to be outside of case. Dosnt work on wadcutters or semiwadcutters seated to shoulder. But for rifle rounds they are the simplest fasted puller I have used.