Hate to waste stuff--but

Acquired a .357 S&W a while back and passed it on to my daughter. It came with a bunch of ammo,several hundred rounds of reloads as the guy was a police instructor. My normal policy is to pull all loads that I didn't load. Everything is loaded in mag cases so figured on saving them. I did try 2 that had 158gr lead bullets-target loads?-- but found them a bit "snappy" for my taste,so figured I'd pull everything. Incidentally there's no labeling except for the majority which have 158grJHP and are marked as "Hot-Hunting" or "Very Hot-Personal Defense." Started impact pulling and quit, the cases are crimped beyond belief. Did get one core out but can't extract the jacket. Only thing I can see is maybe shoot the target loads which are marked as 5.0grWSF and scrap the rest as the bullets won't come out. Just more reasons why you don't shoot others' reloads. GW

If you can live with using the bullets to melt for new lugs then a pair of side cutters and your press may pull the bullets. run the bullets up thru the opening grip close to case with the cutters flat and use the press to pull them. One side note is with that heavy of a crimp even pulling with the inerta puller the crimp may damage the bullets even

Well I have hopes of salvaging the lead cores. Got over my mad will work on it tomorrow.GW

You might get the bullets out with a press mounted collet bullet puller. Maybe.

Country boy would drill a large hp in the bullet, reducing the projectile weight and therefore the pressure. And shoot them up. Lots more fun than pulling them. You've already fired a couple so at least they aren't bombs. My .02 only based on what I would do faced with same.

PC Empire Homemade bullet puller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvb7sPyz6Go

I Just looked at the youtube and it certainly looks like a winner for very tight bullets. I am going to use it myself.
Ole Jack

Seat deeper to break the crimp.

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Originally Posted by popper

Seat deeper to break the crimp.

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That is exactly what I did when I disassembled a bunch of milsurp ammo.

I was at a estate auction a few weeks ago and they sold a lot of the guys reloads and people were buying it up like it was factory ammo. I was asked why I was not bidding and I told them the price was to high to spend the time taking them apart and they were not labeled with any data. They thought I was out of my mind for not shooting them like they were.
Everything will be just fine until something goes wrong people I think do not understand the danger.
I also was talking to a guy that said he reloaded which always peaks my interest always wanting to learn something new or see how someone else is doing it. Turns out he was not the guy to learn anything good from since he told me he just fills the case up for a 357 and he gets a huge fireball out the barrel. I tried to warn him but the thickness of his skull would not let anything sink in.
Now I kind of steer away from people that are shooting reloads unless I know them well enough to think they are being safe about it.

scrap em!

I was shooting a friends .357... bang, bang, bang, bang, BOOM... jerk had put a hot load in there and didn't tell me. Dang near broke my wrist...

For handgun ammo teardown, cut a piece of pipe (PVC works) that will fit over the ram and is longer than the longest handgun cartridge and shell holder is in the ram

use this for pulling the boolits http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-Bullet-Puller

Grmps beat me to it but thats the way I pull bullets when the cartridge is too short to reach through the top of the press. I just use my Linemans pliers, and don't worry about damaging the bullet. I'll remelt them anyway!

I would not shoot them!

I just pulled a bunch of my 25 Krag AI that were so tight my RCBS puller would not grab ahold of the bullet to pull it. Inertia worked.

I would not shoot someone elses reloads who I didn't know their reloading practices well enough vouch for. Even some people I consider smart people shouldn't be allowed to reload. One guy I worked with who was an avid shooter and occasional reloader who I regularly shot with would "put an extra grain or so in it because the lawyers water down the reloading books". He was shooting some fairly stiff 45Winmag loads when he said that little beauty.

What really set me back was the labels "Hot-Hunting" and "Very Hot Personal Defense". GW

I believe it would be best to pull them all somehow. If I were to shoot them, I'd Do as TBG suggests and drill the HP larger and fire them in my Handi Rifle. Lots of folks making 357 Max out of those rifles. Gp

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Originally Posted by Goatwhiskers

What really set me back was the labels "Hot-Hunting" and "Very Hot Personal Defense". GW

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That would scare me too, wouldn't want to pull the trigger on those.

I like the idea of drilling out a huge hollow point. On concern with that would be if you hollow them too much and they're jacketed bullets, there's a possibility of blowing the lead out and leaving the jacket stuck in the barrel. If the jacket is thick enough at the base that shouldn't happen, just something to be aware of.

If they won't come out with a kinetic puller, I can't imagine you could grip them enough with a vice-grip to pull them with a press. I've tried all that stuff before, with limited success. If it's crimped that tight you have to really crush that lead bullet with a big pair of vice-grips.

Here's something that's worked for me: run the loaded round through your sizing die. It will size down the brass as well as the loaded bullet. You'll typically get more spring-back in the brass, decreasing neck tension significantly. They should then pull much easier with either a kinetic or press puller. That's worked for me in extreme cases. Just be sure to lube them good, even in carbide. Sure don't want to get a live round stuck in a sizing die!

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Originally Posted by popper

Seat deeper to break the crimp.

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Bingo .... we have a winner.
I pulled 500 military 30-06 rounds with bullets that were crimped and sealed by seating them 1/8th inch deeper. If you don't break the crimp...they aren't coming out .
Gary