Which Hornady Collet # is best for pulling .45 ACP

[detroitcharlie]

Which collet is ideal for pulling an un-jacketed truncated nose 230 grain .45 ACP? Soft lead.

[wv109323]

I have never had success in pulling .45 ACP with a collet. There is no flat surface that be clamped onto by the collet. The best I have found is the inertia puller. A tip I have used with the RCBS is to use the appropriate shell holder instead of the expandable case holder. ( that flies apart every time you remove the case). Good Luck

[detroitcharlie]

Thanks- I've heard similar. Somewhere in the forum I thought I read someone used a collet to pull a .45 ACP. I have a Frankford Arsenal hammer-style puller.

[quack1]

Beware when using a Lee shell holder in a hammer-style puller. I ripped the lip that holds the rim of the cartridge right off the shell holder when pulling a 32-20 cast bullet that wasn't even crimped in. One whack was all it took. Don't know if it was just a bad shell holder, or if all Lee's are all like that. The metal at the break looked granular, almost like the shell holder was a casting.

[dudel]

Beware when using a Lee shell holder in a hammer-style puller. I ripped the lip that holds the rim of the cartridge right off the shell holder when pulling a 32-20 cast bullet that wasn't even crimped in. One whack was all it took. Don't know if it was just a bad shell holder, or if all Lee's are all like that. The metal at the break looked granular, almost like the shell holder was a casting.

Lee makes the fewest number of different shell holders, or taken in another view, they make fewer shellholders do the work of many. As such they have the loosest fit. If the shell holder doesn't break, the rim gets deformed. To keep the inertial hammer collet from coming apart each time during removal, I loosen the collet retaining nut, then pick the brass out with a pick or a fingernail.

I've not had good luck with collets on truncated cone style boolits. Just not enough grip. If you're not trying to preserve the boolit, you could raise them through the ram opening, and grab them with a ViseGrip type plier. Lower the ram, and the boolit should stay in the pliers. Expect to remelt and cast them again. Most of my boolits can be reused if pulled with the hammer type.

[detroitcharlie]

Beware when using a Lee shell holder in a hammer-style puller. I ripped the lip that holds the rim of the cartridge right off the shell holder when pulling a 32-20 cast bullet that wasn't even crimped in. One whack was all it took. Don't know if it was just a bad shell holder, or if all Lee's are all like that. The metal at the break looked granular, almost like the shell holder was a casting.

Wow, good to know, I was going to use a Lee shell holder too..

[detroitcharlie]

Lee makes the fewest number of different shell holders, or taken in another view, they make fewer shellholders do the work of many. As such they have the loosest fit. If the shell holder doesn't break, the rim gets deformed. To keep the inertial hammer collet from coming apart each time during removal, I loosen the collet retaining nut, then pick the brass out with a pick or a fingernail.

I've not had good luck with collets on truncated cone style boolits. Just not enough grip. If you're not trying to preserve the boolit, you could raise them through the ram opening, and grab them with a ViseGrip type plier. Lower the ram, and the boolit should stay in the pliers. Expect to remelt and cast them again. Most of my boolits can be reused if pulled with the hammer type.

Good idea, yeah I don't care about messing up the messing up the projectile, I cast every other weekend so into the pot she goes ;)