Component recovery help, please.

[Rooster]

Mods-I'm not sure where to post this so please move to the appropriate spot.

I have a (ahem) few rounds of 7.62x45 surplus that are in sad, but not totally ruined state. I am trying to disassemble them but my Forsters puller won't work with them in the RCBS RC press as the round will not protrude far enough for the jaws to adequately grip the projectile. I am NOT going to pound these apart, so forget that. They have been sitting off to the side and I would like to get the job done but I'm at a sticking point. Does anyone have an idea of a quick takedown of Milsurp stuff. I'd even go as far as <gasp!> buying an especially prized tool for the job, that is, if its within my tight-wad budget.

Seriously though, any thoughts? Thanks!

[oneokie]

Find an extend shellholder for the ram.

[jack19512]

I have no idea if this is any help to you but my RCBS bullet puller with the appropriate col-let has never failed me when pulling ammo, even my cast ammo.

[markinalpine]

I use a Lee Reloader press for a lot of simple ujtility jobs that don't require a lot of force, such a decapping and disassembling rounds. It's simple, open C frame, or that of another manufacturers similar press, may give you the clearance to take these rounds apart.
Also, since these are old, military surplus rounds, they may have been sealed with a mastic, usually a black, tarry substance, that can be hard. You may have to seat the bullet just a little bit deeper to break this seal.

Good luck,
Mark

[Shiloh]

Like the above post said, they may be sealed with creosote or whatever the commies used.

I have used an inertia tool to get some Indian 7.62x51 started and then pulled with a Hornady collet puller. That stuff was sealed with the creosote substance. Took it off the boolits with Coleman fuel. My ammo wasn't corroded though. I don't blame you for not wanting to hammer them apart.

Shiloh

[462]

Rooster,

Once, I had an inertia puller break. In order to finish the project, I put a shell holder in the press and inserted a round, ran the ram all the way up, grabbed the boolit with a pair of diagonal cutters, held them against the top of the press for leverage, and lowered the ram. Primitive, but it worked. Cutters will probably leave a mark on a jacketed bullet, though.

[HeavyMetal]

Seat the bullets about .020 to .030 deeper in the case! This will break the grip the glue has on the bullet and make it easier to pull.

Collet puller works best but an Inertia puller will work as well once the glue is broken.

[RoyRogers]

If you don't need the casing, drill a hole just over .311 in a piece of hardwood or metal. Insert bullet up to case neck and wiggle it around. Bullet can be pulled by hand after loosening it in the case mouth. If the cases are good and you wish to reuse them, if you are gentle when rocking the bullet out of the case, the case can then be neck sized by removing your decap pin assembly from sizing die - or ring sized if you have comp dies - and the case will be fine.

[3rptr]

I think it was $16 I spent for a bullet puller to use on my press.
Can't recall the name offhand but it has spring steel fingers in a flat configuration and a hole in the center.

It screws into the die spot, ram pushes bullet up through hole, downstroke tightens fingers on bullet and case continues down.

The fellow who sold it to me promised it Would scratch the bullets.

Someone should come along and know the name of it...

Good luck

[hiram]

Post #7 worked for me once. I heard the hold let go with a little 'crack'. Try pulling then. I used it on WWII 6.5 carcano ammo. If you feel the collet isn't grabbing the bullet tight enough because of decreased bullet diameter from seating it a little deeper to break the hold, try cutting off the neck of a case, cut it in half to make a 'C' shape, and slide that between the the collet and the bullet as a shim to make up for the decreased diameter.

[StarMetal]

I think it was $16 I spent for a bullet puller to use on my press.
Can't recall the name offhand but it has spring steel fingers in a flat configuration and a hole in the center.

It screws into the die spot, ram pushes bullet up through hole, downstroke tightens fingers on bullet and case continues down.

The fellow who sold it to me promised it Would scratch the bullets.

Someone should come along and know the name of it...

Good luck

I remember that bullet puller. It had fingers in it and the bullet pushed through them, but when you pulled the ram back the fingers grabbed the bullet. Kind of like a Chinese finger trapper. Forget what it was called.

Joe

[hiram]

Bonanza product. I have one in 30 cal that I don't use and want to get rid of. I tried it twice and I went back to the collet system.