What are these things? Vintage tools

[jmace57]

I am not a reloader or caster, so forgive the dumb questions.

Can anyone tell me what these are? I'm not sure if they are to put a bullet on a cartridge, put in, or remove a primer, etc. These were in a box full of old vintage bullet molds. They appear to be identical to one another, but one is stamped U.S. in one place and O.M.L. in another place. The other has no markings at all.They have an adjustable knob on the top and a spring inside that causes the handles to pull apart when you release them. Many thanks to all.

6792167922

[I'll Make Mine]

Bullet puller. Case locks into the long extension arm, collet tightens with the knob at the top, and squeeze the handles to lever the bullet out of the case.

This one is from the days of tong tools for everything; similar construction to tong type molds and the classic tong tools (ancestors of the Lyman/Ideal 310).

Edit: Woops, looked back at your description, they close when squeezed, not open. Not a bullet puller, not sure what they are (possibly a bullet seater or neck sizer for a long case like .50-110).

[Bent Ramrod]

They are the de-and-recapper tong tools that the Springfield Armory used to send out to local Guard and Army units to reload practice ammunition with. They came with a pound-in-and-out sizing die. Supposedly you could use them to deprime, reprime and load .45 and .30 caliber ammunition. Since I've never seen any bullet seater with the set I have no clue as to how you could turn out ammunition very effectively with the set.

A full set came in a nice wooden box. Navy Arms sold a lot of the loose tongs back in the '70's. The one I bought didn't have the depriming punch on it, just the swivel head, like yours.

[jmace57]

Thanks so much. The area at the bottom is shaped to fit a bullet. It looks like they are the .45 cal.