A Mostly "Red" Reloading bench", with a touch of green

[watkibe]

Most of my bench is populated by red Lee equipment, an old red and black CH powder measure, and a red Hornady collet bullet puller. But there are a few important specks of RCBS green.

The 5-0-5 scale did yeoman duty for many years before I was saved by the advances in digital scales and the corresponding dip in prices. Before then I had several occasions to contact RCBS customer service; to this day I think of it as the best service I have ever had in the shooting industry. Cheerful, no questions about dates and receipts, just "how can I help you", "what do you need", and nearly instant arrival of the needed part.

The powder trickler frustrated me no end the first few times I knocked it over full of powder. I finally put a couple of self drilling screws through the walls of the bottom, turned it over, and filled it with molten lead. The screws held the lead in after it solidified, and has ever since, and I don't knock it over any more. Ever !
(I turned it up-side down for the photo, maybe you can see the lead and one of the screws.)
The kinetic bullet puller must have pulled a thousand bullets, from 22 to 24 calibers, with the on 3 piece collet held together by an O-ring. Ones I need to replace the O-ring; a trip to the hardware store, and I was back in business. But sadly, I can't think of an easy fix for the sadly bent shaft ( the result solely of pulling bullets, not abuse), and even I don't have the nerve to make a warranty claim on RCBS on this one !
SO... well done, good and faithful servant, but you are going to bullet puller heaven. Despite having the Hornady collet puller, I still will need to replace the kinetic puller, since some bullet can't be pulled with the collet tool, and the kinetic tools pulls everything.http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_70454ddde3f240436.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=964)

[cajun shooter]

I would spend the postage to send it back, you may be surprised by the outcome. Rcbs is a great company. Although the puller may be purchased for $12 or so, the postage would be just a few bucks if sent standard mail. After all it would be a great prop with the caption that reads " Our tools may bend but not break"

[Jim]

I'm just curious; how did you bend the puller?

[jonk]

I like the modification to the trickler. Personally I epoxied mine to a piece of wood to raise it a bit and screwed the wood to a sheet of thin aluminum to give it a wide foot and large base. It's also high enough now to actually fit in place over the scale (which rests quite well on said sheet aluminum right next to the trickler).

The bend in the shaft makes it appear that you are pounding the puller at the wrong end, i.e. the fat end.

So far as RCBS goes, I have mixed feelings. I've found them very polite and useful for small fixes, but any major issue from my lubrisizer to my scale, they made me pay for the repair AND for shipping BOTH ways. AFter that they went way down on my list of brands to be loyal to. I don't want a company that repalces a $.30 decapper pin for free, I want one that replaces the broken scale for free (oh and by the way, they did NOT fix it right the first time, and said "Sorry, repaires are not under warranty" and I had to pay a SECOND time to get it fixed WITH shipping, all within 3 weeks).

[1hole]

" I can't think of an easy fix for the sadly bent shaft ( the result solely of pulling bullets, not abuse), "

I disagree, there is no way the arm force required to bend that shaft can be transmitted unless it's used incorrectly. Inertia pullers simply need a high speed impact to remove bullets, not arm power. Try this; grip it lightly near the end and flick the hammer down rapidly with wrist action, the forearm should hardly move. Bullets will generally pop out in 3-4 hits, and without damaging the puller.

Any mechanically minded friend who owns a bench vise or even a sturdy 5-6" C clamp should be able to quickly straighten it fairly well for you.

If you get a new one, take a look at Berry's. I recently got one as a gift and perfer it to my old green puller.

Ref. "lifetime warrantees"; I like the idea of a warrantee that even covers owner neglect and/or abuse forever too. But, that's not reasonable is it? I wonder how much would they have to charge for everything they sell if that was applied across the board.

[462]

I, too, got tired of the RCBS powder trickler sliding about and filled its bottom with lead. I wasn't imaginative enough to use screws to retain the lead, but beagling tape has long worked, without a hitch.

[Box13]

Quinetics made the original boolit puller...http://quinetics.com/ ...They have made them for many different suppliers eventually were been coppied by many more.They still make them here in the usa.They are reasonable priced and I prefer to buy from them.Yours looks like it might be one of thiers.An interesting bit of information originally they had a wooden shaft between the head and handle....Robin

[giddyupgo55]

I have sent back a couple of bullet pullers to RCBS and they have replaced them every time. Great company to deal with. Give them a call.

[noylj]

I, too, poured molted lead into the bottom of the my RCBS trickler (sometime around 1981?). Didn't use any screws. Think I epoxied it in after it cooled (or else it stayed in by itself). Still have it somewhere, but I used the original PACT-built RCBS powder dispenser for years and then got the ChargeMaster--so I haven't looked for the trickler for years now.

[Hardcast416taylor]

A call to RCBS after the head broke off my puller had me sending the broken puller to them, in about 10 days a new puller arrived. A hint about the cartridge holder on the puller - take it out! I use the LEE or RCBS or Lyman reloading press shell holders for that cartridge, try it once and you may never use that 3 finger holder again. I mixed #5 birdshot with E-Poxy and filled the base of my trickler. I covered the base with duct tape, that is still on there, I put 3 finishing nails thru the trickler base before putting glue/shot mix in. The discharge tube on the trickler is just to short! I affixed a 4" piece of an aluminum arrow shaft onto the trickler tube, now it`s long enough to reach where I want to add a few granules of powder.Robert

[Cowboy T]

My bench is "mostly red" as well, with a touch of green, specifically an RCBS 10-10 scale. Fine scales, those Ohaus units. There's also a "touch of blue", specifically the Frankford Arsenal boolit puller.

I find that a good, sharp tap on concrete will unseat most boolits, with two raps being the max I've ever had to do. A good, snappy flick of the wrist, kinda like the one you do when you throw a curveball in baseball, is enough. Doesn't need the whole arm.

[watkibe]

JIM - I bent the tool simply by using it for almost 30 years. It stayed straight for a long time, but once it started to bend, it wasn't long until it no longer usable.
I agree with JONK, the direction of the bend is counter-intuitive, and I don't understand why it bent that way. It doesn't make sense. I DO know which end to hit on, haha!
The only idea that occurs to me is that the only surface I have that is stable enough to work after 2 or 3 hits is the concrete floor. Since I usually bend over or crouch to do it, the head may not be hitting the floor at 90 degrees, like it would be if I had a sturdy enough bench I could hit it on.