RCBS Impact Bullet Puller - How long should one last?

[MUSTANG]

My RCBS Impact Bullet Puller died today. It broke between the screw on top and the handle area.

I had done an "Aww Shucks - I Knew Better"; had a 5 gallon bucket full of various caliber Rifle, Pistol and Rimfire brass. Last week, my wife wanted us to go out for the day so I just chunked the whole bucket into the Cement Mixer (my bulk tumbler) with corn cob media and let it tumble for the whole day. At the time I thought: "I really shouldn't do this until I finished hand sorting it into caliber and type groupings".

Well today I spent the day sorting all that pretty shiny brass. Lots of pistol cases with .32, 9mm, .40, and ,45 all stuck inside of each other so I had to work them out. When I got to the 6.5 Creedmore rifle brass, each and every one of them had a 22LR case stuck in the mouth with he case full of corn cob media. Had to grasp each of the 22LR head with a thumb nail and pull it from the case and dump the media out.

Well, when I got to the 7MM Mag cases; that was a different kettle of fish. The 22LR's had infiltrated into the mouth and inside of the 7mm Mag Case - three deep. Had to use the RCBS Bullet Impact Puller and many repeated hammer cycles on each case to get the 22LR's and media out of them. All went well until I had three left to do; then the RCBS Impact Puller broke.

Seems that these impact bullet pullers have short lives! After all, I bought this one in the late 1970;s and surely they ought to last more than 40 years and through many thousands of Pulled Bullets/Boolits.

Seriously; hated to loose this old friend who has been literally around the world twice with me; but it goes to show that RCBS usually makes a great product. Placed an order for another RCBS Impact Bullet Puller a little while ago, hope it lasts as long as it's predecessor.

[Jack Stanley]

I still use the one I bought in the seventies ... I just use it for pulling bullets though .........

Jack

[tazman]

My old RCBS puller broke last year after over 25 years of use. It's replacement is a Frankford Arsenal which looks just like the old RCBS. The new RCBS version has a plastic handle that I didn't like the looks of.

[Texas by God]

Same here, Tazman. I like how regular shell holders can be used instead of the o-ring dilly in the new blue one.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[dverna]

Mine, is really old too. But I do not use it much. Darn handy to have around though.

I bet you won't dump mixed cases together again...LOL.

[Wayne Smith]

Forever - call RCBS and they will replace it. They did mine.

[Wild Bill 7]

I bought 2 pullers from Midway about 30 years ago and I used one foe most of that time. About six months ago the first one broke and I got the second one out to use. Well that one broke with less than fifty bullets pulled. Must of wanted to go with the other one ha!ha! Bought a Frankford Arsenal and it is working just fine.

[MUSTANG]

I am thinking that "Age" is an issue. Most items on this old globe get weaker over time. Maybe that high density plastic deteriorates enough over time that it eventually shatters when used as intended.

[shaggybull]

I have a couple of old old impact hammers the handles are dated 1967............My RCBS one I wore out the collet that hold the shell.

[pworley1]

I have had mine 30+ years, no problems yet.

[Hardcast416taylor]

A few years back I made a striking block build up of pieces of 4x4`s screwed together. The block is 3 pieces high by 3 pieces wide. The OAL is about 10". This is a sort of cushion for the puller. I hear of people beating their puller on a concrete floor and wonder why the head eventually breaks off.Robert

[TCFAN]

My RCBS broke and I boxed it up and sent it to RCBS with a note asking if it was covered under their life time warranty and got a new one back a few days later.

[375supermag]

Hi...
I have been using the same RCBS impact bullet puller since the late '70s, early '80s time frame.
Just used it today to pull some bullets from .45ACP cases...and yes, I pounded it on a concrete garage floor just like always.
Can't say how many bullets it has pulled over the years but it has been a quite a few over quite a few calibers

[W.R.Buchanan]

Ditto on mine 1975ish. hundreds of bullets. Hit on concrete floor every time. Collet is a PITB I use shell holders.

Randy

[Tom W.]

My first one was from Midway and it broke in less than a month. I called and asked what was up with that and they said that they had gotten in a bunch that had flaws in the plastic, and sent me a new one. That was a lot of years ago, and still have the second one.

[Minerat]

I have one of the RCBS metal arm puller from the mid 80's. I often pounded it on top of the partner press or press base. Read somewhere that a WW muffin worked good for a hammer base, it works great and the press thanks me. I have a new plastic one but it just feels funny so I don't use it much.

[tomme boy]

My old one lasted over 25 years. The new one lasted about a month. They would not replace it. Then ordered a Midway one. Broke after a week. Sent it back got a refund. Now I go without.

[Gewehr-Guy]

I bought one used years ago and the nut finally split, three whacks and have to re-tighten it, I need to contact RCBS and get a new nut. Thanks for the tip on using a shell holder, as the o-ring holder is not handy.

[Bent Ramrod]

I buy mine from Quinetics, who I believe was the original designer and maker of these hammer-type bullet pullers.

The first one I bought broke in less than a month. I contacted Quinetics and they sent a replacement for free. That one lasted nearly 40 years. Plenty of pounding on garage floors. I wore out both the aluminum chucks, (the one from the busted one and the one from the new one), and started using shell holders.

The second one broke in the middle of a particularly strenuous session of pulling down some heavily crimped black powder .25-20 SS cartridges. The top section of the plastic head, from the screw head to the handle, broke off. I can’t help but think that it was a combination of the strain from the heavy hitting necessary to get a relatively light boolit past a heavy crimp, and the imbalance caused by the weight of the steel shell holder as the hammer is swung through its arc to the impact.

I sent Quinetics an e-mail explaining that the thing really owed me nothing and asking about a new one. They asked for a photo of the broken one and gave me a discount on a new one with an improved chuck, still made of aluminum. I’ve used that several times, and it seems to be holding up well. I got an extra aluminum chuck just in case, although they assured me that the new ones don’t wear out, and am done with using shell holders as a substitute. I think that aluminum is there for a reason.

I filled the bottom of the broken impact puller with epoxy glue and #6 lead shot and use it for a “precision” machinist’s nonmarring hammer, to tap things square into vises and chucks for turning and milling. Works great!

[georgerkahn]

One of my "dis-likes" about this tool is when taking apart loaded rounds, the bullet ends up on bottom along with the powder. Most of the time powder is stuck to the lub in cast bullet grooves as well. And -- vis either static electricity or sticky product -- the plastic tool is quite the challenge to clean as well. My "solution" was/is to put a spring in the unit -- one from a junk box which is relatively weak, about 1/4" in diameter. Having this spring, which I stretched to make longer than "factory", it just contacts bullet in loaded round to be taken apart. After a few whacks, with the bullet moved sufficiently to be gripped (I'd wager maybe 19 out of 20 times) I then remove cartridge from (mine is an old Quinetics) the unit and put it in the shell holder of an empty single stage press. With more than enough bullet exposed, I raise cartridge so its above the press; grip the bullet with pliers, and then lower it. I have a "clean" bullet, and am able to dump 99% of powder in (it depends) a can for use as garden fertilizer -- or, if my disassembly is of known powder, another jar for re-use.
"Yes" -- a few grains may remain stuck to bottom of bullet -- but it is, imho, so much worth the time/effort rather than have that ubiquitous bullet/powder mess from just whacking bullet out.
What I do.
geo