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Thread: Pulling Bullets, there got to be a better way?

  1. #21
    Boolit Master Baltimoreed's Avatar
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    If you use a correct shellholder in the inertia puller to hold the loaded round instead of the 3 piece coller thing that works on any sized case your job will be much easier. I also bang my inertia puller against a ball peen hammer that I also give some momentum to [one ‘hammer’ in each hand]. Seems to work better than whacking just the puller against something.

  2. #22
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    I large pliers and throw them in the pot to remelt.
    Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!

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  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by openbook View Post
    I used to whack my kinetic puller against hardwood or a lead ingot. Then one day I tried it against the concrete floor and was amazed at the difference. One or two hits and they're out. Crimped or no. I was worried that I'd break the plastic puller banging it against concrete, but that hasn't been the case.
    I hit it against a granite stone I keep around just for that. It definitely works better on a harder surface. I always think the plastic is going to shatter, but it hasn’t yet. I tried a collet type puller and marred jacketed bullets. Never tried it on lead boolits.

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruntson View Post
    I have been using a 3/8" steel plate on my concrete basement floor as the anvil. Usually 3 whacks is all it takes to unseat the bullet. But with something like over 200 cartridges to do, the process will get old very fast. I would like to save the bullets if possible. The ammo came from an estate sale so who knows how old or what quality these cartridges are. I've pulled 2 bullets and they are 250 grain lead SWC. I've must have lived a sheltered life for I have never heard of a collet puller but I will be checking it out now. Thanks!
    You will probably find a collet bullet pullet may or may not work with cast bullets as the alloy is soft enough that the collet swages the bullet and can't get a grip in it. With cast rounds that are "old" may times the lube will stick to the case making a seal the inertia pullers require very hard multiple whacks. I've found running the cartridges through the seating die to seat the bullet just enough to break the seal makes it much easier with the inertia puller. Lot less real hard whacks that way.
    Larry Gibson

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  5. #25
    Boolit Grand Master

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    There is a technique to using the inertia pullers. A solid base helps I use a big chunk of oak tree trunk cut to be comfortable when Im sitting. Now here is the big help when you swing the puller down do it with a weak wrist and let it bounce from the impact. This bounce increases the inertia a bunch.

    When I dont want to save bullets I use a pair of side cutters on top of the press. If the round is to short then pick up a extended shell holder this raises the bullet about 1" higher

  6. #26
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    country gent is right on about the technique. I hold the handle loosely with two fingers and thumb. Then swing it very fast against a piece of RR track or concrete floor, letting it rebound rapidly. The rapid rebound changes the direction of the case very fast and helps pull the case from the boolit as the boolits inertia continues to pull the boolit from the case. This loose hold also helps prevent breaking the puller. or bending the aluminum handle if it's of that type.

    Collet pullers don't work on most cast boolits and you can reuse inertia pulled boolits if you want vs pliers.

  7. #27
    Boolit Master WRideout's Avatar
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    FWIW: When I have had boolits that were very difficult to extract with a kinetic puller, I loosened the grip of the case neck by tapping lightly all around the circumference of the neck with a small hammer. They come out on the next try.

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  8. #28
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    Here are some "save the boolits" pulling tips .
    Press snap-in Shell Holder for sure ... works best .
    See if you can break / loosen the crimp ...deeper seating (may not be possible with lead SWC) or rolling neck on metal surface with metal bar pressing on neck ...may or may not work . Tapping on the neck may work better ...
    Hammer puller onto large block of wood sitting on concrete ... end of a 8 X 8 post or section of tree stump . I don't know why but hammering onto wood seems to work better than hammering onto steel .

    3 whacks is about as good as it gets ... fairly hard whacks work better than full blown Magilla Gorilla all out hits ... if they drop in three whacks then that's just about right on .

    Don't try and do them all at once ...just do some .
    In the old days (1968) I aquired 500 rounds of military aircraft belted machinegun ammo ... not only had to get them un-linked but all the bullets pulled... wanted deer hunting ammo ... most were FMJ with some tracers thrown in . I still have primed empty cases from that deal .
    You can do it ... just take your time , don't rush it .
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  9. #29
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    I like the Hornady cam lock puller. It is fast. I have pulled both jacketed and cast with no problem. However I have never pulled a very soft lead boolit.
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  10. #30
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Use a short piece of PVC pipe over the ram and grab the bullet. Sometimes running through a sizing die will squish the lead enough to make it looser. Some just seat it deeper to break any hold the neck has - doesn't work for me - ruined some 308 brass.
    Last edited by popper; 03-28-2023 at 11:03 AM.
    Whatever!

  11. #31
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    I use a kinetic for small batches and a collet for the one's I want to save or if there is a large pile to disassemble. Almost none pulled via the collet are damaged.

  12. #32
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    Another +1 to countrygent's technique with a kinetic puller.

    I broke two pullers while using a steel shellholder. The screw cap cracked in half both times. Not sure they wouldn't have broken, anyway. But I went back to using the lighter weight aluminum holders they come with.

  13. #33
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    I use a length of 4x4 post as an anvil for my kinetic puller works quite well

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by G W Wade View Post
    I usually use the plier and press method. Really tight bullets can be loosen by running them thru your resizing die with the decapper removed. For the impact puller I remove the 3 jaws and oring and use an RCBS style shellholder in it's place. All bullets go back to remelt GW
    duck for cover...there is certain member who shall be along telling you "you cant do that,the shells will explode"
    been using the lee shell holders myself,much better than the plastic bits... have done the plire flat across top of press thing too,it works very well and damage very few...if yo uthink its going to be tight or they have been seated for a long time,seat them SLIGHTY deeper first to crack the seal.

  15. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruntson View Post
    I've acquired a significant amount of reloaded 44 mag that I want disassemble. There's got to be a better way to pull the bullets than using my kinetic (hammer) bullet puller. Any suggestions?
    I got a super-$$$-deal on a fairly large quantity of 10mm Auto, loaded by, let's just say, a fellow who was well known to not be too diligent in his loading efforts. Faced with the disassemble challenge, VERY shortly after the need to brush stuck powder off bullets in top section of my Quinetic puller -- I searched, and found the Grip N Pull. It seemed a tad costly, but... it worked/works SOOO well -- I have zero! regrets. The bullets can be reused with no marks, dents, stuck powder or other issues; powder can be easily dumped... a great tool.Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Grip N Pull.jpg 
Views:	2 
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ID:	312317 My go-to bullet pulling tool!
    geo

  16. #36
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    Forster once made a little spring-steel disc with a hole in the center and radial cuts coming out of it. You put it in the die station of the Forster press and pushed a loaded round up so the fingers on the disc gripped the bullet. The downstroke pulled the loaded shell away, and the next round’s bullet would push the first one out the top of the disc before being gripped itself.

    There were other devices of this sort made by now defunct or merged companies in the old days. Typically, they were in .30 caliber, for pulling down the surplus ammunition that was so cheap back then. The jacketed bullets might have a slight ring on them, but it wasn’t much worse than a cannelure, and the bullets could be used for casual shooting.

    You might check with them and see if they still make this thing, in other calibers and for other presses. Otherwise, if you want the components as undamaged as possible, the Quinetics hammer is the way to go. You’re lucky in having .44 Magnum, with its heavy boolits, to take apart. Try it with military .22 Hornets or 100-year-old .25-20’s sometime.

  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by 725 View Post
    I use a kinetic for small batches and a collet for the one's I want to save or if there is a large pile to disassemble. Almost none pulled via the collet are damaged.
    My methods exactly.. my Forster colletts do Not seem to damage Jacketed Bullets.. I haven't even Tried Cast..
    Quote Originally Posted by georgerkahn View Post
    I got a super-$$$-deal on a fairly large quantity of 10mm Auto, loaded by, let's just say, a fellow who was well known to not be too diligent in his loading efforts. Faced with the disassemble challenge, VERY shortly after the need to brush stuck powder off bullets in top section of my Quinetic puller -- I searched, and found the Grip N Pull. It seemed a tad costly, but... it worked/works SOOO well -- I have zero! regrets. The bullets can be reused with no marks, dents, stuck powder or other issues; powder can be easily dumped... a great tool.Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Grip N Pull.jpg 
Views:	2 
Size:	50.2 KB 
ID:	312317 My go-to bullet pulling tool!
    geo
    I like that gizmo...gonna source one...
    Last edited by racepres; 03-29-2023 at 10:30 AM.

  18. #38
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    The forester super fast pullers were just that. And they worked very well with jacketed bullets. I believe they were 30 caliber. i bought a 30 caliber one years ago and made several more in 22, 6mm, and 45 calibers. They are simple to make. .060 steel spring banding or shim can be used for the jaws. Turn a body up with a recess .250 deep and a 7/8" 14 thread on the bottom. I believe the body size is 1.375. The recess in the top is 1.125 dia and .250 deep. A ring is bored to press in this recess 3/16" wide and a inside diameter of 1.000. The bottom side of the ring gets a 10*-15* angle faced on it.The jaws are the tricky as they need to be .010 longer than the center line of the recess. I turned the banding to 1.135 and drilled the hole as to caliber. Drill the hole a few thousandths under size and polish with a light radius on the edges. then split into 4 jaws. The jaws are laid in the recess and the ring pressed in angled side down.

    In use pushing a round up into it the jaws lift up at an angle, being a longer center line they cant drop down so when the ram is retracted the bullet is gripped and pulled. When the next round is inserted it pushes the jaws up releasing the bullet and ejecting it and then the process repeats itself.

  19. #39
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    taking a little poll on inertia bullet pullers (going to buy one). what is your most favorite and least favorite?? this poll should save, me some grief

  20. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by porthos View Post
    taking a little poll on inertia bullet pullers (going to buy one). what is your most favorite and least favorite?? this poll should save, me some grief
    Waste of time and energy... the Hammer type are All The Same... just get one of 'em...

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