Pulling Bullets

[grumman581]

Having recently broken an inertial puller, I've decided to see if I can come up with something that would work hopefully better and (more importantly) quieter. Someone mentioned previously about using a tubing flare tool clamp to hold the bullet and a single stage press to pull the brass from the bullet. I'm not sure that is quicker, but it looked like it might work, so I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, on my single stage press (RCBS RS3), the round does not come up far enough for the flare tool to grab onto it. At least not for the handgun rounds that I need to do this to. Any suggestions? Is there an extension to the ram arm that someone has designed for this? I don't really want to go to the extreme of using an entirely new ram arm and having to install it each time, but an extension that would give it a couple more inches would probably work.

[grumman581]

I just had an insight...

I took two blocks of wood that were about the right size and put them on either side of the ram arm so that the flare tool could sit on top of them and be right below the bottom of the top of the press. For a .357 mag round, it worked ok. Not sure whether it will work with longer rifle rounds, but for them you could probably get away with putting the flare tool on top of the frame of the press instead. When you push up on the handle and the ram goes down, the flare tool's descent is stopped by the blocks which distributes the force across the bottom of the frame.

Of course, the bullet is a bit the worse for wear, but that's no big deal, I just throw it in the bucket of culls and recycle it during the next casting session.

As a bit of an improvement on this design, I was thinking that a piece of sched-40 PVC pipe that had an inside diameter larger than the diameter of the ram arm might work. But that would require putting the two pieces of the flare tool around the bullet while it was in the press instead of attaching the flare tool to the bullet and then putting them in the press, so it might be a bit more cumbersome.

[garandsrus]

If you don't mind destroying the boolits, you can just put the loaded round in a shell holder and run it up into an empty die hole. Grab the boolit above the die hole with a pair of side cutters and lower the ram. The boolit should vacate the case pretty easily.

John

[44fanatic]

Had some rounds that were overcrimped and had to use vicegrips to get the bullet out.
Grabbed the bullet w/ the VG, then used a piece of 2x4 and lowered the ram. Pulled em out quicker than snot...then threw the bullets in a pot w/ sinkers for my first smelting session.

[hoosierlogger]

I have a short section of pipe I slip over the ram. I then grasp the trouble making boolit with a pair of vice grips and pop it out. I then deposit the unlucky feller into the "recast cup" that will eventually get dumped in the pot next casting session.

[John Boy]

The trick to long life of the kinetics is tap it on a concrete floor or block. Friend has had his for 30+ years! And he reloads more than 10 of us put together
http://di109.shopping.com/images/di/73/71/75/495457733673496d4b435a7736676f545f7a67-100x100-0-0.jpg?p=p14.7ee864c7775756f16f00&a=1&c=1&l=8057398&t=100323170143&r=8

[grumman581]

If you don't mind destroying the boolits, you can just put the loaded round in a shell holder and run it up into an empty die hole. Grab the boolit above the die hole with a pair of side cutters and lower the ram. The boolit should vacate the case pretty easily.

Nope... The bullet does not go above the die hole...

[Jim]

Go to Castpics, find "Articles by members" And look for "Kinetic bullet pullers".

[Lead Fred]

I have an RCBS cullet puller somewhere in my die box.
Ive never used it. I guess I may someday.
Ive been using a blue hammer for years now. What you strike it against does matter.

I put a dent in mine by hitting a steel plate. I use the carpeted floor now.

[garandsrus]

Nope... The bullet does not go above the die hole...

Most rifle calibers do, but pistol calibers probably won't as you suggested. Sorry, I missed that in your post. You can do what hoosierlogger suggested and accomplish the same thing.

John

[grumman581]

I was using a block of wood instead of hitting it directly on the concrete. I ended up breaking the plastic. I guess I could redesign it so that I made one out of some iron pipe, a t-fitting, and some end caps, but that's a bit extreme. And I would still be at the point where it was too noisy. It seems that whenever I need to pull a bullet, it is 2am or so.

[grumman581]

It would depend on the caliber

Which I've mentioned previously... Even with a .357 mag, it doesn't go above the top of the press. Probably some rifle calibers would go though.

[a.squibload]

Hard to believe one of those broke! Used to sell them in the '70s, we would whack 'em HARD on the floor to demonstrate. Mine's still good.

[Mk42gunner]

For pulling bullets with a press, I have always used pliers/vicegrips/sidecutters to grab the bullet. This won't work with rounds too short to go through the press, as Grumman581 found out.

My theoretical (because I haven't actually tried it),solution is to use an extended shellholder, or make about a one inch extention for the ram.

Robert

[jcwit]

What brand of inertial puller is it? If it an RCBS, call their 800 number and they'll send you a new one,more than likely not even ask for the parts back, at least they didn't with me.

[BABore]

If your talking lead boolits here, the just remove the decapping rod from you sizing die. Size the loaded rounds and the boolit will be loose as lead has very little springback compared to the case. Once sized, the boolit will tap out easily with the inertia hammer, or pull easily if you can get on it with vise grips.

RCBS owes me an inertia hammer right now. Brand new hammer and it took 4 hits on the concrete floor. Shattered into a 100 pieces. I only strike on a block of wood now.

[jlchucker]

Most rifle calibers do, but pistol calibers probably won't as you suggested. Sorry, I missed that in your post. You can do what hoosierlogger suggested and accomplish the same thing.

John

I rarely pull a bullet but when I had to pull a couple out of some 357 cases a while back I discovered that my RCBS collets, which would always work with condom slugs, would slip right off the cast boolets. I put the rounds in a shell holder, raised my ram (Lee Classic Cast press) until the boolet cleared the die hole, grabbed the boolet with vice grips, and lowered the case. Boolet came out fine, but chewed up. I didn't have any luck at all when I tried banging them out with one of those inertia pullers. I don't know if a 38 special round would come up high enough to clear the die hole, and really don't want to find out if I don't have to. Maybe, if you have a Lee Classic Cast press, you could take the die bushing out as though you were going to load 50 BMG rounds, and maybe have room enough to reach down through with some small enough pliers to grab boolets loaded in those shorter pistol cases.

[MtGun44]

+1 on using the inertial puller on concrete. It is the quietest by far that way, fewest strokes
and seems to damage the puller less, too.

Bill

[.357]

I wack mine against a 30 pound pure lead pig works great! for rifle though i use a collet puller.

[a.squibload]

Another +1 for concrete or hard surface (does that make a +2?).
It's the "tip speed" that makes it work.
Hammer-Fu, stop the power in your swing before it hits.
I've never had to hit more than once even with a good roll crimp.

[Alan in WI]

Thank you BABore,
I took my mistakes and ran them threw the sizer die as you suggested. The once tight bullets that I could not get out, no how no way, pulled out with my fingers. I can see no reason to pull bullets any other way.

Alan :drinks:

[walltube]

I destroyed an RCBS inertia puller some years ago trying to pull bullets from mil-surp ammo. The tar sealant tween bullet and case mouth had a mortal lock on the bullet.

I am now disassembling 384 rounds of S. Korean KA73 & 72 headstamp, using Hornady's collet style puller. In a word: excellent. Properly set up in the RCBS RS-5 press I can easily adjust the tool to the cartridge without grasping the case mouth, and no pull marks on bullet. That onerous sealant has met its match.

Try one, you may like it..:)

[Bill*]

I just had an insight...

As a bit of an improvement on this design, I was thinking that a piece of sched-40 PVC pipe that had an inside diameter larger than the diameter of the ram arm might work. But that would require putting the two pieces of the flare tool around the bullet while it was in the press instead of attaching the flare tool to the bullet and then putting them in the press, so it might be a bit more cumbersome.

How about taking a slice ( not just a cut,but a piece) lengthwise out of the PVC pipe? You could then slip it around the ram and the flaring tool would still sit on top of it.

[Shiloh]

Hornady Collet Puller works for me.

Shiloh

[Alan in WI]

BABore, That was a great suggestion. I had a bunch of mistakes I needed to pull apart. I ran them through the sizing die and the bullets pulled out with my fingers. I see no reason to pull them by any other way.

Thanks :drinks:

Alan

[deerslayer]

I keep seeing to tap the inertia hammer on concrete. I have broke two that way now one RCBS and one frankford arsenal. Of course the warranties took care of them but I use a wood block now!