Bullets wont budge!

[superior]

Last night I tried to pull some steel cores out of several types of steel-cased ammo and after carefully breaking the bullet sealant with my seater die, the bullets would NOT budge. I'm using an RCBS kinetic bullet puller and I'm afraid that if I wack it any harder on the piece of 2x4, I'm gonna break it. What's the secret here ? Can anyone help me save my puller? Oh, 7.62x39.

[madcaster]

Try a press mounted collet die?

[clintsfolly]

shoot them out!!!! clint

[beanflip]

I have tried hitting wood and it doesnt work ....so well try wacking concrete if it breaks rcbs will replace it.

[atr]

wood will dampen the impact....use a concrete floor instead or the top of your steel vise....
the other option is to purchase a collet type puller

[superior]

My puller instructions say to never strike on a metallic surface but what about a formica countertop? Hmmmm

[lunicy]

you will most likely destroy the counter-top. If it didn't budge w/ wood, the counter isn't gonna help.

[Gohon]

I whack mine on a vice on the work bench and I really whack it hard. Been doing that several years with the same puller and no worse for the wear. Not sure why the instructions about not hitting a metallic surface............ don't remember reading that when I bought mine.

[superior]

I just watched a couple of vieos on youtube. One guy whacks on the end of a hardwood log. He says never hit on concrete beacause it'll destroy the puller. The other guy does it on the basement floor ( looks like hard tile ) He basically says you want the surface hard enough to make the puller bounce for max kinetic energy. Now I know why my pine 2x4 wont work. I'm still afraid to strike it on metal because maybe the new pullers aren't made as well as the older ones. I don't like the hassle of sending stuff back to the manufacturer but I'm determined to pull these bullets so I can load my new boolits. I kept my instructions and they say that striking on a metallic surface will ruin the tool. I should have read the fine print
( made in china?). I'll check that when I get home.

[kamikaze1a]

Kinetic pullers work most of the time but as madcaster said, for those sealed military rounds, try a collet puller. About the kinetic puller though, be sure the wood that you are whacking is solid so as to not absorb your blows. Have the wood on a solid surface such as on concrete floor. Having the 2x4 on a wooden floor or carpet will absorb some of the blows. Also, if you plan to reload those bullets, insert a little padding in the puller chamber. A bit of tissue or cotton ball will keep the tip from getting deformed when the bullet lets loose...

[imashooter2]

It's all about head speed. Snap your wrist and get them moving.

[superior]

Maybe that's why I sux at golf lol!

[bohokii]

beat it on oak

[fourarmed]

Run the round up in your press with no die in it, grab the bullet with pliers, and pull it back down. If your press is aluminum, lay a large washer on top to prevent boogering the threads.

[jimkim]

Use your press and some long handled wirepliers. I use my multitool, but you may want more leverage.
Put the round in the shellholder.
Raise the ram.
Turn the pliers straight up and apply them to the bullet just above the mouth of the case.
Slowly lower the ram until the pliers go into the hole where the dies screw in.
Squeeze the pliers and lower the ram. It helps if you rock the pliers a little to the side when you pull the bullet. Pretend it's a tooth.
With steel cored bullets this shouldn't damage them too much,if at all.
You may want to put a little electrical tape on the threads to protect them.

I talk too much fourarmed beat me to it. lol

[Freightman]

Maybe that's why I sux at golf lol!
Golf is supose to be relaxing! make me want to kill something! Use a set of side cutters and your press grab right above the case and the damage is slight.

[MT Gianni]

Try seating them deeper in the case, then seeing if any bond has been released. They should move once they have been moved in either direction if that makes sense to you.

[superior]

I use a Lyman Accu-press. It works like a Lee handpress. The handle is reversible to convert it to a bench mounted press, however the press is made of zinc and I'm worried about messing it up. I think I'll try rapping it on some harder surfaces like so many of you have recommended. If that doesn't work Ill just bag the idea. I really want to pull these steel cored buggers as I have so many of them and brass prices are through the roof, if they can found at all!
I already broke the sealant with my seater die ,like I said in my openning statement.

[lead Foot]

Try tapping the neck of the case with a hammer then seat the bullet lower like Gianni said before removing.

[montana_charlie]

Try seating them deeper in the case,

then seat the bullet lower
You've been told twice. Give it a try. You only have to move that bullet an eighth of an inch deeper to break it loose.

Once it moves (in), it should move (out) more easily.
CM

[superior]

Hello I've also said twice ! Please read my openning statement. I mentioned that I used my seater die to break the seal. One would think that implies moving the boolit? lol

[jsizemore]

A real butcher block is made from end grain up wood, and a decent one is made of maple. It should resist compressing as much as whacking across the grain. If you know a carpenter that builds decks, get a cutoff end from a piece of 6x6 pressure treated pine about 6-12' long.

[Ricochet]

A rifle is the best bullet puller I know of.

[montana_charlie]

Hello I've also said twice ! Please read my openning statement. I mentioned that I used my seater die to break the seal. One would think that implies moving the boolit? lol
So you did...and BOY! do I have egg on my face...?
CM

[mooman76]

I wack mine on a good size chunk of lead. It works allot better than wood. It has enough softness or give that the hammer doesn't break because the lead dents but is solid enough the bullet comes out easier too from the sudden shock. On these sealed bullets I think I would do the vise grips idea. Just but the hole case in the reload press without the die run it up and put vice grips on it and pull it back down.

[JIMinPHX]

I've been using my kinetic gizmo on concrete floors for over 20 years now. It has yet to break. Sometimes you have to really whack them pretty hard to get the military stuff apart. For years I was afraid of breaking that thing, but I never managed to do it.

[monadnock#5]

I've found that with mil spec ammo two techniques are necessary. For the initial, just get it moving stage, it's about momentum. Smack it hard with as little rebound as possible. Using end grain blocks of wood is very good, but I especially like the idea of using a lead ingot. Once the bullet is on the move, free rebounding kinetic energy will speed up the process.

So, my suggestion, FWIW, would be to apply a dab of magic marker on bullet and case mouth, lay a lead ingot on the saddle of your vise and lay into it. When you see that progress is being made, move the ingot aside and continue on, beating on the saddle directly. Check that, rather than beat directly on the saddle (what I would do), use an end grain block of wood, or whatever the maker says to use. Their pockets are much deeper than mine. :)

[superior]

Success ! I folded a piece of newspaper on the concrete floor of the garage and it worked perfectly. 3 or 4 short but sharp smacks did the job. I pulled 50 steel cores. However after about the 10th one, the aluminum looking shell holder started failing, Small pieces of the metal started to sheer off and wouldn't hold the shell anymore. I inverted the shell holder and was able to finish the job. I will be calling RCBS Monday. Thanks for all the good tips! Other than the shell holder failure, you can't tell the tool was ever used except for where the shellholder seats against the inside.

[Rusty W]

I lost the little aluminum collet long ago on mine. I use a shell holder from my press. Lee #2 for .308, #1 for 357 etc.

[nathan99]

after about the 10th one, the aluminum looking shell holder started failing, Small pieces of the metal started to sheer off and wouldn't hold the shell anymore.

I've found that a Lee shellholder fits perfectly in my kinetic puller instead of the aluminium collet, which looks a little weak. No danger of it breaking, and it obviously fits the brass rim perfectly.

[mikenbarb]

I have always put them in my press and give them a little bump with the seatind die first to break the seal and then give em a good wack on a thick piece of steel or lead block. Invest in a collet die puller that mounts in your press and you will find it much easier to pull bullets. Good luck.

[JIMinPHX]

...the aluminum looking shell holder started failing, Small pieces of the metal started to sheer off and wouldn't hold the shell anymore.

You need to keep the top of the puller screwed on tight so that the aluminum pieces have proper support.

[jonk]

I've banged my puller on concrete hundreds of times. Never busted it yet.

[Willbird]

The collet pullers are the only way I was ever able to budge quite a bit of steel jacketed bullets seated in steel cases.

Bill

[carpetman]

If pulling lead bullets and you mess them up--so what?-remelt and repour. Reason I mention this is that the collet pullers don't seem to work so well on lead. So for lead bullets--run it up through the press with no die in it and clamp onto the bullet with vice grips and the bullet will pull when force is applied to press handle. For jacketed bullets--the collet type work great. My RCBS collet puller is from the 60's and originally it didn't have the locking set screw on the ring and the body would turn when tightening the collet. I put the locking ring with the set screw on it and end of problem. I suspect they now come with the locking set screw. The inertia pullers will work at their best which in my books is about unsatisfactory if used on end grain. I have a section of a mesquite log,but for the most part the inertia puller is good for exercise maybe,but a poor way to pull bullets, especially if you are doing very many.