Bullet pulling technique

[charliek]

I loaded 40+ rounds of 45 Schofield with 4.6 gr. of Trail Boss and a 200gr swc bullet. I went to the range with the cartridges and my USFA Rodeo. Out of the first five rounds one sounded odd, but checking the bore showed it was clear. Of the second five rounds one sounded very odd, and checking the bore showed a bullet stuck just inside the barrel. That finished that day at the range. Faced with pulling the remaining bullets was not a happy situation. But after a few blows with the inertial puller I remembered a trick I had read somewhere, maybe here. I put the round in the shell holder of my single stage press, and raised it so the nose of the bullet just showed through the top of the press. Clamping the nose of the bullet with needle nosed vise grips I lowered the ram and the bullet was pulled. It was much quicker and easier than pounding on the bench.

All the cases showed a full charge of Trail Boss, so I suppose I have 40+ primed cases with suspect primers. I don't want to punch out live primers, but neither do I want to loose the cases. I may try killing the pimers with WD-40 and them punching them out.

[Bzcraig]

I have decapped numerous live primers, if you go slow and careful it shouldn't be a problem.

[mozeppa]

i too have removed 1000's of "live" primers without a ((((bang))))....just press slowly.

[mac60]

I've done it too - and actually had one detonate in the decapping die. It was a non event.

[C. Latch]

I have rarely had use for a bullet puller, so I use the press-and-pliers technique when I need to pull a bullet. Works fine, best I can tell. A little hard on bullets, but that's not an issue with cast bullets.

[Alferd Packer]

Don't count on that WD40 to kill the primers . That only seems to work on a cartridge you need to fire desperately. Murphy's Law.
You could just load the primed cartridges in the pistol and fire them after dumping the loads of course.

[JASON4X4]

I load the empty cartridges and fire the primers

[Mike W1]

Probably this trick I picked up on this forum. Pistol rounds are generally too short to stick up above the press. Get a 3/4' plastic pipe coupling and then use the pliers above that.

[W.R.Buchanan]

If you've only got 40 to do then I'd use the hammer puller. That way you save the bullets for reuse.

You might try just reloading with a little bit stronger charge as opposed to scraping the primers. Very seldom do primers go bad. Like almost never.

As far as removing the live primers I use a Lee Loader Depriming Punch and Base and put the punch in your drill press and use it like an arbor press. Gently.

Just keep your face out of the way. Done every kind known to man and never had one blow up.. Not saying it can't happen, it just hasn't yet.

Randy

[John Boy]

To crush the anvil of a primer that will ignite it - the primer has to be hit HARD & FAST. So just put the case in the shell holder and slowly lower the ram pushing the primer out.
Next time you have suspect reloads with possibly no powder: pull the bullet on one round and dump the powder out. Weight the bullet and empty case. Then weight the other reloads. If they have powder in them - they will weigh more than the one bullet and empty case

[seaboltm]

Like has been said, it is non-issue. I have been pulling bullets with a MidwayUSA impact puller for 25 years, same puller. I go to the hardware store every few years and get a new o-ring as I have dry rotted several. I have de-capped hundreds, if not thousands, of primed brass with ZERO problems. I do like it when I empty my primer catch and put them in the burn pile outside! It's like the 4th of July! BTW, I have a couple of wads of cotton balls in my impact bullet puller. It helps save the tips of lead tipped "j" bullets. Like another poster said, who cares about cast. Melt them again.

[a.squibload]

Or put a couple of foam ear plugs in the impact puller.

Hammer type can have their problems...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VZR8DGulV88/U-G8d6Ggj6I/AAAAAAAAA7w/uoxt8yzgXDY/w614-h461-no/boolit%2Bpuller.JPG

Had to yank the jacket out with needle nose pliers.

[Lead Fred]

Too much crimp Id say, been using kinetic pullers for years, with nay a problem.

Ive taken out 1000s of live primers without one ever going off.
You can also use compressed air, you may never find the primer

[Garyshome]

Primers come right out. Just don't put your Face over the de caping die and wear safety glasses.

[davep]

I've also pressed out live primers, no issue. I put a small piece of Masonite against the press, to protect my favorite parts, but no problems. However, if you want to be sure of your concern, pull the bullets and powder, then fire the primers in the cases from your gun. If the sound is consistent, the primers are probably not your problem. They will be dead at that point as well, so depriming is certainly of no issue.

[gunshot98]

Some one on this forum has made the neatest set of pliers I've ever seen. They have holes cut in them caliber specific. You put the round in the press, raise it up and grab it with the pliers. Lower the ram and you have the boolit without a mark. I just can't find it again.

[JASON4X4]

Google bullet puller pliers. I couldn't find the thread either.

[youngmman]

I use the press & pliers way also with bullets that won't grip with the Forster bullet puller. I never had any luck with an impact puller when I had to pull crimped bullets.

Sometimes though you have to use an extended shell holder so the bullet will go through the die hole sufficiently to grip. Specifically the 45ACP is where I had that problem.

[GhostHawk]

I've pulled a lot of FMJ out of 7.62x39 ammo for my SKS. Mosin ammo the impact hammer works fine. I think a lot of the SKS/AK ammo has something sticky between the bullet and the neck. In the Russian Standard you can see a black gunk on the bullet. (couple sprays of goo gone on the bullets and agitate them a bit in a container removes it)

So Impact hammer just was not working for me, and I didn't want to wait for a collet type puller. So I grabbed a pair of small vice grips and pulled them. I did find that using a fairly large washer on top protects the threads on my press. Pulling them with a vice lock's leaves a few small marks in most cases. A few in each box are EXTREMELY hard to pull those I end up melting down.

I started pulling 150 grain SP Jword bullets and put them into 7.62x39 rounds for the SKS should I want some rounds with expansion.

Before long I was putting home cast 185 grain gas checked boolits in everything. I have got a pretty good supply of 7.62 123/4 grain FMJ bullets.

Who knows maybe I'll load them back up someday. For now I prefer cast.

[brassrat]

I use and keep a old 5# hunk of lead that my dad had, on my workbench . I smack the hammer tool against it, while holding the lead. Its quick and easy, everytime. Never did the floor thing.

[waltherboy4040]

Linemans pliers with a screwdriver through it for lead bullets

[ridenclimb]

Here is a little tip for using the kinetic hammer bullet puller. Don't pound it on your bench. You want to transfer maximum energy to the bullet. Pounding it on a wooden bench soaks up some of the energy. Much more effective is too hit a very hard surface. I have found a concrete floor works great and most pistol rounds only require one hit to get them pulled. If using a hard surface like concrete you will quickly get the hang of exactly how much force is required to pull the bullet without going overboard. Give it a whirl. You will be pleasantly surprised.

[a.squibload]

...

Sometimes though you have to use an extended shell holder so the bullet will go through the die hole sufficiently to grip. Specifically the 45ACP is where I had that problem.

Yeah pistol cartridges are a little short. I cut a piece of conduit to fit loose
over the ram, short enough to go in the press with some room at the top
for pliers. (I use a flat crimper tool to grab the boolit but whatever works.)
It does mangle the boolits though.

I reloaded a batch of pulled primers, all worked fine.