Best way to pull 45auto?

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I was given a lot of old 45auto ammo (5gal bucket) full. It is a mix of factory and reloads, about half cast the other half are FMJs. I have no intention of shooting this stuff (the previous owner destroyed one gun already.) I would like to break this stuff down to reuse the brass and FMJs and recast the lead. What is the best way to accomplish this task? I had a collet style puller, but the 45 FMJs are really difficult for the collet to grip and I ended up breaking my 45cal collet. Hoping there is a better way.

[jcren]

I use a genetic (hammer type) for my mess ups in 45

[chsparkman]

For the lead boolits, see if you can push the cartridge up through your press with no die installed then grab it with a pair of pliers. It might work for the jacketed also but it might ruin them. For those a kinetic puller works well, though it is slow going.

[RG1911]

Since the collet type did not work, I think you are stuck with using an inertial puller. Highly labor-intensive, but it does work.

[kbstenberg]

If you have a drill press and something to cut wood (tablesaw, circlesaw) Make a square 2.5" by 2.5" by 3 layers of 3/4" stock glued together. Measure the ram on your loading press. Drill a hole in the wood block slightly larger than the ram dia.
Put the block over the ram resting on the frame of the press. With the correct size shell holder raise the ram so the shell holder is just above the block of wood. Insert the shell into the holder, slowly lower the ram until just before the bottom of the exposed bullet goes into the wood block. Grab the bullet with an electricians wire stripper and hold the bullet as hard as you can.
You then hit the handle of the press with a HARD/ FAST blow with your other hand. The blow is intended to lower the ram forcing the bullet to be pulled out of the case. It may take 2 or 3 blows but the bullet will come out.
If you don't hold the bullet hard enough with the wire cutters (cast bullets) you can just strip some lead from the surface of the bullet.
This is how I pull pistol bullets. If I am doing rifle bullets. they are long enough to go through the top of the press and that's where they are pulled. Kevin

[w5pv]

If you have an old flaring tool clamp use it the grip your bullets with.Works well on the larger calibers.

[gwpercle]

A genetic hammer ? The g is close to the k...that made me smile.

Seat the FMJ's a little deeper in the case to break the crimp if you choose a genetic puller.
I had to do this with some military ammo, without breaking that crimp it takes a lot of hammering.

[smokeywolf]

"K" and "G" not that close. 2 keys apart, different hands and different fingers. "Kinetic" "genetic" still funny though. Genetic bullet puller, for pulling boolits with genetic defects.

[sparky45]

I've got and use a Hornady Collet puller that has worked with all 45's I've pulled, jacketed, cast and coated.

[country gent]

Kenetic pullers work well if several things are followed. One is a solid surface with little to no give. concrete and steel arnt really recomended as they can damage the puller over time. One that does work really well is a chunk of tree trunk about 2 ft long and 18-24" in dia dried hardwood is better still. Sit this is on the concrete floor and use it to hit on. Solid and secure it gives a good place for this. The other is the blow you use. a solid blow that is allowed to bounce pulls bullets quickly. SOme times seating bulltes .050 deeper helps break sealants presure grips and crimps helping also. On the cast side cutters or pliers on top of press and pull ram down is effective. Hammering smacking a press handle is very hard on the linkage.

[bangerjim]

For a 5 gal bucket........I would definitely buy 2 hammer pullers! That plastic does break. I use an RCBS collet puller for everything except SWC's....nothing to grab onto.

[MarkAD]

thus us what i use for pulling.
http://quinetics.com/ quick chuck, Wonderful

[Le Loup Solitaire]

If you don't want to get involved with bullet pullers and you want to salvage the components, there is an old method that is slow, time consuming, but sure to work if you have the time and patience. If you don't have either then forget the following.....take two wood chisels and use the backs of them or else bars of steel and put the neck of each cartridge case between them and roll the sandwich a couple of times on a hard surface (like a vise anvil) It will loosen the necks and you can pull the bullet out with your fingers....then pour off the powder and do what you will with the cases, powder etc. LLS

[jcren]

Oops, didn't even catch the K-G thing! Gotta love phones and auto-correct ( as a side note, my "auto-correct" does not recognize auto-correct...)

[Mk42gunner]

A semi-educated guess, (I issued and used a heck of a lot of .45 ACP during my career) you have somewhere between 3 and 6,000 rounds. That is a lot of bullet pulling, no matter how you do it.

For that amount, I would buy an extended shell holder and use a big set of end nippers. Anything else just sounds too painful.

I would also not try to do the whole bucket at one sitting, either.

Robert

[mozeppa]

last winter for 2-1/2 months....

i pulled over 30,000 rounds using 4 inertia hammers, 3 sets of collets for the hammers and 8 plastic rings for the hammers.

3 of the 4 hammers broke off 1/2" below where the handle goes into the hammer head.
on one hammer i broke it twice re-drilled out the head , re-inserted the handle shaft and installed a tension pin.
when it broke a 3rd time, it was too short to swing!

[marvelshooter]

last winter for 2-1/2 months....

i pulled over 30,000 rounds using 4 inertia hammers!

Do you mind sharing why that was necessary?

[dudel]

Kinetic hammer for me. Found they last much longer if you don't hammer on concrete. I use a 2' length of PT 6x6. That allows me to sit while I use the hammer.

Safely dispose of the powder, because it's not going to be the same type (mix of reloads and factory ammo).

[mdi]

I've never had much success with a collet type puller on any handgun ammo. So, I would suggest an inertia type puller (the one I have has no markings on it and I don't remember where I got it, mebbe Frankfort Arsenal [?], but it has lasted mebbe 18 years and hundreds of my mistakes and a whole bunch of mil surp, 30-06 ammo). I have an ingot of fairly hard lead about 2"x4"x12" and I use that for an anvil. It's not so soft as to deaden the impact and is much quieter...

BTW; there's only one way to eat an elephant, that's one bite at a time. I'd say just pull as many as comfortable in one sitting, and it won't become tedious...

[rondog]

I got lucky once and found a couple of pieces of RR track in a junk pile, one is 8" long the other is 10". Keep the 8" one by my reloading bench, it's perfect for whacking my bullet puller on.