Pipe kinetic bullet puller

[Carrier]

Tried on another forum and no luck. Does anyone remember the kinetic bullet puller made from iron pipe that I believe was in an NRA article from years ago? I had the instructions on building it but can’t find them.

[country gent]

Seems pretty straight forward the tricky part is would be attaching the handle as it cant just go straight thru. WOuld take a ring with a stem pressed on or the stem machined as part of the head making for more machining. threads could be vee or acme but coarse would be better made right a standard shell holder could be used in it.

I made one from stainless steel machined the handle socket into the head used a 10 tpi acme thread Bored the cap so a standard shell holder slipped in and held the round in when screwed down ( a bayonet lug similar to the die mounts would be great here) It had the weight and mass did a great job but I bored the end a little thin and it deformed in use.

[Outer Rondacker]

I made one from PVC. I took a piece of 3/4 about 18 inches long and glued on a 90degree fitting. Then took another 3/4 inch pieces 6-7 inches and glued it to the 90. Then glued a coupler on that and a small piece of 3/4 cut flush to the top of the coupler. I use a shell holder with what ever round I want to pull in it and set in on top. Then with the help of two rubber bands to hold the shell holder and bullet in the pipe I smack it on the concrete floor. One or two wacks does it. Funny thing is I have been using this pipe for so long I have four bullet pullers on the shelf.

I always forget to answer peoples questions. NO

[Carrier]

I’m not so much going to make one as I have RCBS and Hornady ones but would like to have the original article if anyone has it.

[elmacgyver0]

I just bought one maybe 40 years ago, still works.

[G W Wade]

Even with commercial impact pullers ,I use RCBS style shellholders instead of collet GW

[Texas by God]

One I saw in a magazine article was simply a 1/2” galvanized pipe nipple about 6” long with a cap for the impact end and different size washers and spring clips for the cartridge rim. Your thumb held the top end down during the strike.
Once a guy at work asked how to safely take a 7mm magnum cartridge apart. I told him to bring me one and we’d figure it out.
I slipped it inside a 1/2”x6” Sch 80 PVC nipple and the belt would not slide inside.
So I held it in with my thumb and smacked it on the sidewalk twice and out it came- powder and bullet.
He asked me how to do stuff a lot after that[emoji848][emoji16]


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[Kosh75287]

One I saw in a magazine article was simply a 1/2” galvanized pipe nipple about 6” long with a cap for the impact end and different size washers and spring clips for the cartridge rim. Your thumb held the top end down during the strike.
Once a guy at work asked how to safely take a 7mm magnum cartridge apart. I told him to bring me one and we’d figure it out.
I slipped it inside a 1/2”x6” Sch 80 PVC nipple and the belt would not slide inside.
So I held it in with my thumb and smacked it on the sidewalk twice and out it came- powder and bullet.
He asked me how to do stuff a lot after that[emoji848][emoji16]


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I simly must smile at this! LOL!

[gloob]

I got tired of buying new kinetic pullers. I might be hamfisted. The part I kept breaking was the cap.

I went to the scrap bin and fashioned a new cap out of a piece of aluminum pipe. Works perfect and is shatterproof. The rest of these plastic pullers seems to hold up a long time for me, if not for those caps. I think they're designed to break.

[GWS]

This my version used without breaking for 40 years. I use RCBS shell holders, but I mold and fashion a "Keeper" out of epoxy putty that slide into the shell holder up against the case head to prevent the shell holder from moving with the cartridge and it's primer inserted. Without a keeper the primer can slide where it could be impacted and cause a detonation. You sure don't want that....and that is the reason they can be dangerous. Even replacing plastic head with such can be dangerous unless you take measures to make sure that primer never touches anything but air. The "keepers" might be a good project for 3D prints....I'll have to try one.....see if it lasts longer than the epoxy ones. (The keeper and the red cap are the only parts that might break.....the caps are cheap at home depot.

https://i.postimg.cc/L8PCSTXD/IMG-0246.jpg

I'll try to find pictures or take new ones tomorrow of how a safe keeper is made.

Mine also has vents to prevent a detonated primer/power from exploding.....but I've never in 40 years had a mishap.

Under the red end cap is soft foam-filled so as not to deform bullets....the top side and cap has a reducer so the shell holder can't fall through...just bullets and powder. The handle part of the Tee is filled with expanding foam to prevent powder from going that direction.......usually takes 3 strikes, more when crimped hard.

I don't recommend this if you can't pay attention to safety measures......you don't want one to go off. Obviously I never make them for others....since there is no control over how they are used.

[Carrier]

GWS that’s the one I’ve been looking for. There was an article for the instructions on how to make it. Any chance you would have that as that is what I’m looking for to go with other old reloading tool articles.

[GWS]

One I saw in a magazine article was simply a 1/2” galvanized pipe nipple about 6” long with a cap for the impact end and different size washers and spring clips for the cartridge rim. Your thumb held the top end down during the strike.
Once a guy at work asked how to safely take a 7mm magnum cartridge apart. I told him to bring me one and we’d figure it out.
I slipped it inside a 1/2”x6” Sch 80 PVC nipple and the belt would not slide inside.
So I held it in with my thumb and smacked it on the sidewalk twice and out it came- powder and bullet.
He asked me how to do stuff a lot after that[emoji848][emoji16]

When I first built one that's also how I did it......not very easy on thumbs when trying to get crimped bullets out! So I tried other ways until I had something better than what the original NRA magazine article had....but it required epoxy putty, Vaseline to prevent it from sticking to cases, and RCBS shellholders, with their epoxy putty "keepers", thusly kept primers from sliding towards a shellholder edge. Actually people using such shellholders on RCBS and other brand plastic kinetics, without keepers to keep cases from sliding towards an edge, caused the bad rep people have heard about.

But tonight I decided to give it some more thought having learned a view things in the last 40 years.....and I have a 3D printer plus I have clear tubing I can use internally to sleeve it. I had a verbal altercation with some-know-it-all idiot the last time this came up, so it doesn't make me want to get in the middle again.

There was never any possibility to "spark" an ignition just because this uses steel pipe, only in his dreams.....but nevertheless. it's easy to address, any even half baked arguments if you just drop a 9/16" clear plastic rigid thinwall tubing down the pipe.....fits like a glove and makes zero metal to powder to bullet to case...contact, period......plus two tiny 3d printed parts and it's perfect to save our thumbs from kinetic damage! Way better than the way I've done it for 40 years using epoxy keepers on RCBS shellholders. ;)

If the OP will be patient (there is nothing surviving that I can find on how it was done in the "oldindays" except my memory) I will put together the new idea this week and document it all.....and if somebody wants to contest the safety again, just erase the whole thread and I'll never let anybody sucker me down this road again! :) But I will continue toward 50 years of safely using mine....only improved....again! If you are against this let me know now and I'll keep it to myself. Deal?

[Texas by God]

Bring it on, sounds interesting.


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[Carrier]

When I first built one that's also how I did it......not very easy on thumbs when trying to get crimped bullets out! So I tried other ways until I had something better than what the original NRA magazine article had....but it required epoxy putty, vasoline to prevent it from sticking to cases, and RCBS shellholders thusly kept from primer slider towards a shellholder edge. Actually people using such shellholders on RCBS and other brand plastic kinetics, without keepers to keep cases from sliding towards an edge, caused the bad rep people have heard about.

But tonight I decided to give it some more thought having learned a view things in the last 40 years.....and I have a 3D printer plus I have clear tubing I can use internally to sleeve it. I had a verbal altercation with some-know-it-all idiot the last time this came up, so it doesn't make me want to get in the middle again.

There was never any possibility to "spark" an ignition just because this uses steel pipe, only in his dreams.....but nevertheless. it's easy to address, any even half baked arguments if you just drop a 9/16" clear plastic thinwall tubing down the pipe.....fits like a glove and makes zero metal to powder to bullet to case...contact, period......plus two tiny 3d printed parts and it's perfect to save our thumbs from kinetic damage! Way better than the way I've done it for 40 years using epoxy keepers on RCBS shellholders. ;)

If the OP will be patient (there is nothing surviving that I can find on how it was done in the "oldindays" except my memory) I will put together the new idea this week and document it all.....and if somebody wants to contest the safety again, just erase the whole thread and I'll never let anybody sucker me down this road again! :) But I will continue toward 50 years of safely using mine....only improved....again! If you are against this let me know now and I'll keep it to myself. Deal?

Sounds good.

[John Wayne]

I love homemade stuff :drinks:

[GWS]

And I love John Wayne movies!......and American Bald Eagles as you can tell.....;)

Okay, here's the first installment: Picture shows all the parts involved. Video shows how it's set up to safely pull cases of a diameter to fill the first 9/16" clear thinwall tubing....the same size tube Lee uses in their four-ways. Great for .308 based, .30-06 based, and .45acp....those that fit RCBS's #3 shellholder.....and Lee's #2.

More if I have time tomorrow....I use the other two tubes to telescope into this first one to allow it to safely pull smaller cases/bullets. With the tubing centering the cases and the little 3D printed piece (red part) centering the shell holder, the cases/primers cannot slide in the shell holder slot to allow primers to touch anything but air during the operation.

The red plastic shellholder keeper and plastic tubing in the center also prevents the steel pipe from ever sparking (if that's even possible hitting concrete)..... isolating steel parts from where powder or primers are.

https://i.postimg.cc/yxbhYh6R/IMG-4302.jpg

Notice the larger parts on the right of the picture. Twas made for a large Weatherby caliber....even the shell holder is larger. Notice the epoxy molded keeper I used to use to keep cases from sliding to the side where a primer could strike an edge.....and that demonstrates why you can't just replace a broken commercial plastic kinetic puller's caseholder with RCBS or Lee shell plates with the slide in mount.

Accidents did in fact happen, according to RCBS, when some customers attempted to "fix" their broken plastic kinetic puller. A proud primer, sliding in the groove, and hitting the edge of the shell holder is the reason for that.....so you have to stop the sideways sliding, and why commercial kinetic pullers don't use that type of holder.


https://youtu.be/cXu2dYHvKs8

Center Tee and pipe....and the handle cap are all 1/2". The fitting on each end are reducers for the 3/4" caps to the 1/2" pipes. The one used on the larger shellholder on the right reduces from a 1" cap to the 1/2" pipe. I found the handle wrap....some kind of padded tape, years ago, and I have no idea if it is even made today.....but it's comfy. ;)

[John Wayne]

Good for you to talk the problems through with RCBS!!! I see some good ol' American ingenuity here and a well thought out tutorial. You would fit in well at our machine shop!
JW

[GWS]

No, that would be jmorris! Me I'm just a builder/designer....more comfortable designing houses, businesses, and grocery stores. :) I did work on a lathe one semester in college and in their machine shop......did not get an "A".

[John Wayne]

Nice of you to give some credit to Mr. Morris, he is sharp!
I can't remember my grade, but when I went to work as a machinist later in life, (at the urging of the shop owner), it was like being in high school all over again. The young guys didn't know any of the old jokes and pranks that I did. We had a blast.

[GWS]

I recommend you watch both these video in full screen mode if you are thinking of building this tool.

In the last video, I showed installing the 9/16" Thinwall tubing into the pipe sections, and how the parts work together. The other two sizes, 1/2" and 7/16" tubing is used for smaller caliber cases to keep the cases-shellholder-primers centered. The video below explains this. Just remember to reduce the inside tubing to just barely larger in diameter than the cases you are taking apart, to keep those primers safely centered.

After bullets and powder drop out of the case remove the bottom reducer and cap together so there is no powder spillage. Then dump them in a container.


https://youtu.be/0CsaRvUVEAE?si=vef1PEHGJ_46K0UR

Look at the first post again, to see that I slid over and glued a small 5/8" long 5/8" tube to the 9/16" tube which stops that tube at the top of the pipe, and the reducer fitting then goes over that. Order installing the reducer or the first tube doesn't matter.

Remember this is only safe using the proper tube with the proper case diameter. Gotta keep those primers centered in the hole of the shell holder.

Update: The new red 3d printed piece needs one more try in the design. The hollowed out hole for the shellholder design would have been great......but I did not realize that the hammering also caused upward hammering against the top plastic and mashed and separated it from the centering hole. Plastic is not tough enough....the cast iron cap is too deep and needs a washer epoxied inside, maybe, and just use the centering plastic ring without a bottom. Anyone have any other ideas on that? plumbers lead? There always has to be a fly in the ointment before it's perfect......

Hickok below is right about the "heavy duty, hard service" requirement. The one plastic part.....

Last night I tried it out first on a .357 mag I knew would be tough......old, nickel-plated, crimped into a furled bullet.....took 5 hits on concrete......but came out nicely. The plastic piece did not. :)

[Hickok]

This is just what I needed!

Over the years I have busted an RCBS and a Hornady kenetic puller, (WV coal-miner, retired, says it all!)

And I was using a hard-wood block, not concrete with the puller!:wink:

Anything I use has to be "heavy duty, hard service" rated!:redneck:

[GWS]

See "update" in my last post..... Works except for the plastic centering ring I printed.....I redesigned that non "heavy duty" part of the tool....now it's just a centering ring....no bottom to get mashed and it works perfect. If one can find nylon washers to fit inside the pipe thread, and drill out the center to 1/2" should do the same thing without a 3D printer. Happy now...works like a charm.

[Texas by God]

I’m thinking that I may have to assemble one of these myself.
Thanks for sharing, GWS!


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[GWS]

This is just what I needed!

Over the years I have busted an RCBS and a Hornady kenetic puller, (WV coal-miner, retired, says it all!)

And I was using a hard-wood block, not concrete with the puller!:wink:

Anything I use has to be "heavy duty, hard service" rated!:redneck:

I have a bother-in-law just like you, and my sister gets that honor with computer programs. If I can "Sally-proof" my programming, I've got something that works. My brother-in-law brought home a brand new Jeep Wrangler last year. By the end of the week he had it in the shop 3 times.....he can break anything.....and he hadn't even taken it off-road yet.;)

We all need "heavy duty" beta testers like you! Then we KNOW it's right!


I’m thinking that I may have to assemble one of these myself.
Thanks for sharing, GWS!

Just trying to help. One more thing about threaded pipe......it wants to unscrew with the banging. So wrench the joints you don't want/need to take loose with every use......and re-hand-tighten after every three strokes, the caps and reducers that you "want" to unscrew after every bullet removal operation. And keep an extra bottom....even cast iron can crack eventually.

One more thing.....new uncrimped rounds may come apart in 3 strokes.....but many others take more, sometimes way more strokes. If you don't hear the bullet fall, (noisy house like mine sometimes) you can unscrew the bottom bullet/powder reservoir (cap I sprayed red) and check.

[Carrier]

GWS thanks for the write up and video. It is slightly different from what I remember the one in NRA article but looks like a better one.

[GWS]

GWS thanks for the write up and video. It is slightly different from what I remember the one in NRA article but looks like a better one.

First, in those "ancient" days they didn't even have the internet or telescoping clear plastic rigid tubing to line the pipe with.;)

Second, the one built one off the plan in the Nat. Rifleman article was smaller....3/8" pipe....had no reducers from larger caps. They used metal clips that went into case head groove which held it against the top of the pipe.....and we were supposed to figure out a way to hold it there.....thumbs?....and yes that option was a little painful. So people improvised......mine was just one of many ways to do it and it evolved. From those simple NRA plans, RCBS was inspired to come up with their plastic mallet idea. The rest is history.

Oh, and BTW, I took that first little one to show a friend at work. He had a cartridge in his car he wanted to try it on. He was a BIG guy, and I guess thought he was pounding railroad spikes. The little 3/8" cast iron cap at the bottom split on the 3rd mighty swing.....and pieces of it and the bullet and powder was all over the shop floor. So the next one was bigger and stronger and we refrained from mighty earth shattering impacts.