Best bullet puller for cast bullets ?

[jski]

Looking for a bullet puller for some .45 Colt hard cast rounds. Looked about and found the RCBS collet puller. Got great reviews on Mindway but it's been suggested that a collet puller may be sub-optimal for cast bullets. Not sure why?

[Larry Gibson]

Because lead is slicker than brass and compresses so the collet can't hold onto the bullet.

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

The hammer style impact pullers work fine.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Just as Larry says, they don't grab the boolit well enough.
>>> I've attempted to use a RCBS collet puller for cast, sometimes it "kind of works" on small caliber Rifle boolits, but almost never works are larger diameter bullets. I use the Lyman inertia (hammer style) bullet puller for cast, of all the hammer style pullers, it seemed that Lyman's is built a little better, and I've pulled hundreds with it so far.

BUT, you can just get by, by using a reloading press. Remove the die, put the shell holder in the ram, and insert the cartridge, raise the ram so the boolit is through the die hole, Grab the boolit with a "grippy" pliers of some sort, then lower the ram....PULLED !

[lightman]

Jon B posted while I was typing but this is what I do also! I've had the RCBS for years. It only works marginally well on pistol bullets. I doubt that any of the other collet pullers would work any better. I pull pistol bullets with a pair of linemans pliers using my press for leverage. This damages the bullet but my pulled bullets get remelted anyway. Cut a piece of 1-1/2 inch pipe about 1-1/2 inches long. PVC will work. Install the correct size shell holder in the ram on your press. Slip the piece of pipe over the ram, put the cartridge in the shell holder, raise the ram, grab the bullet with the pliers, lower the ram and the bullet is out. On taller cartridges you can use the top of the press but don't put the nose of the pliers down into the threads. The pliers are harder than the press material and will damage the threads.

[Walter Laich]

depends if you want to save the bullets

mount shellplate in press, cartridge in shellplate

put PVC straight coupling over cartridge (has to be taller than top of cartridge)

raise till bullet is showing

use electrical crimping tool at the stripper section of it to grab onto bullet--it bites into the lead rendering the bullet useless

lower the ram and the bullet is pulled

here is a pic of crimping too: https://www.delcity.net/store/Crimp-Tool-&-Wire-Terminal-Kits/p_802248.h_802249.r_IF1003?mkwid=sc9nzWzMA&crid=38094426869&mp_kw=&mp_mt=&gclid=CjwKCAiA8P_TBRA9EiwAJrpHMzhwHWKjJtatFnO-QJ7iunixEnWi4iAw6PCO1BdBoMCIoGRD02jYvhoCCYUQAvD_Bw E

[Motor]

Here is a little trick I learned from accidentally mistaking a 9mm sizing die as a 9mm FCD with post sizing ring.

If you are going to melt down the boolits after you pull them, remove the de-capping rod from your size die and run the cartridges into the die just far enough to cover how deep the boolits are seated.

This totally relaxes the neck tension because the brass springs back. After doing this you should be able to pull the boolits almost effortlessly.

I recently had to do this with some 500s I loaded (powder coated cast) that I simply could not get to budge using my kenitic puller.

Yes this method ruins the boolits but I'd be hesitant re-using pulled cast boolits anyway. Oh yeah it doesn't hurt the brass or the die.

Motor

[jski]

I'd prefer to remove the bullets for reuse, if possible.

[DaveF]

Looking for a bullet puller for some .45 Colt hard cast rounds. Looked about and found the RCBS collet puller. Got great reviews on Mindway but it's been suggested that a collet puller may be sub-optimal for cast bullets. Not sure why?

I had to pull a bunch of 454190 bullets, and used an RCBS inertia puller to start the process until there was enough of the bullet's straight shank showing that the collet puller could grip.
The bullets were then re-usable, and there was no loose powder to mess with.
An extra step in the process, but being a frugal type, I hate wasting/damaging stuff.

[jski]

Someone recommended: https://grip-n-pull.com/

Anyone with experience with this product?

[Streetwalker]

Just like DaveF, I use a RCBS inertia bullet puller as well for my boo-boo's and find that it works very well. I clean the powder and lube off the bullet and relube. The key take away here is to NOT have to pull loads apart but "stuff" happens.

[Bloodman14]

I have the Hornady collet type puller, and use the pulled boolits for plinking/practice.

[1Hawkeye]

The rcbs hammer type puller works fine for cast bullets and if you want to try to reuse them just put a cotton ball down in puller before the round. This acts as padding so the bullet won't get deformed.

[jski]

Just read the RCBS info sheet for their collet bullet puller. It explicitly states not to use it with lead cast bullets.

[jski]

According to Reloading Addict: The Hornady Cam-Lock puller
is the superior choice for recovering cast lead bullets or bullets seated with a factory crimp. Hammer type bullet pullers can damage some types of bullets, but the Hornady Cam-Lock provides a mechanically superior choice that is both easier to use, and does a better job at bullet pulling. If you have a lot of bullets to pull, stubborn bullets, or need the mechanical advantages that come from using a press, this is the absolute top bullet puller out there.
Don't know if you guys agree?

[Livin_cincy]

Hs anybody used the Forester Cam-Lock ?
No word about not for lead/ cast bullets.

https://www.forsterproducts.com/pdf/instructions/Standard-Bullet-Puller_%20BP1010.pdf

[MSD MIke]

My Hornady Cam-Lock puller does not work at all on .357 cast stuff but I haven't tried it on 45. As mentioned above, inertia puller with a cotton ball in the bottom if you want to reuse the bullet. Otherwise I use the pliers and press method.

Mike

[jski]

Ended up going with the Lyman inertia bullet puller. And here's some very useful information to have with it: https://youtu.be/vLcxqisS7KA

[Bzcraig]

I use the RCBS and though I have to crank pretty hard sometimes, the only boolit it failed to pull was just last night. I aws pulling some old dummy rounds that crimp really tight and a Keith style boolit just deformed. Another trick I've used with good success is using a collet one caliber smaller than what I'm pulling. Saving boolits for reuse is a very rare occurrence.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Another hint when using a hammer style inertia bullet puller, is to hit the puller onto another hammer/mallet, instead of a fixed surface (I use a large rawhide mallet). Besides not making any noise, it's not as hard on the puller.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I'd prefer to remove the bullets for reuse, if possible.
I suspect you don't cast your own yet?

I had similar thoughts about reusing cast bullets before I became a boolit caster. If the bullets you are pulling are commercially cast "Hard cast" bullets, then reusing them may work out for you. But, when I attempted to save/reuse pulled cast bullets, my attempts were futile.

[Rizzo]

The rcbs hammer type puller works fine for cast bullets and if you want to try to reuse them just put a cotton ball down in puller before the round. This acts as padding so the bullet won't get deformed.

Good tip. Thanks.
I just pulled some 30-06 soft point bullets and the tip got smashed and deformed.
I'll melt them down for the lead but the cost adds up when I ruined 5 or 6.

I'm going to try the cotton tip out.
Maybe a piece of styrofoam instead so the powder doesn't get stuck in the cotton.

[DocSavage]

Inertia pull puller and a piece of 4x4 post. For pointed j bullets put a foam earplugs in the puller to cushion the bullet upon release. The jaws I have for the puller is from Quinetics O ring is crimped in place and split on one side jaws segments stay together but the O ring can't split/ fail.

[gwpercle]

When using an inertia puller, with boolits that have been crimped in place, including Military ammo,
seat the bullet just a tad deeper to break the crimp, it will make pulling easier.
Gary

[joebaja]

The Hornady cam-lock works great for 9mm, but took me all of about 10 minutes to bust a collet tooth off in 45. It is just a bunch thinner and very unforgiving if you accidentally grab brass. That horrible crunching sound still haunts me. For 45 I do use the rcbs, and it is fine on most but not all cast shapes. For SWC's in 45, where I have very little full diameter shoulder to work with, I get enough squeeze from the 9mm collet in the Hornady grabbing the "nose" of the bullet for most.

[HangFireW8]

I have the RCBS collet puller, two inertia (Q-netix green and Midway blue), and a pair of vice grips by the press. All of them get used, depending on the circumstances.

I found I can usually reload my inertia pulled cast boolits, with a few caveats. It has to be not crimped, and it has to be loaded without excessive neck tension. Since I usually minimally resize rifle brass with a bushing die, and usually expand to full depth with an NOE in Lee expander die, I usually get an unmolested boolit back. However if I'm using a standard jacketed-oriented FL die and just flaring, it usually does some resizing on the cast boolit- which is why I'm phasing out that equipment for cast loads.