My review of the Hornady cam lock puller

[tackstrp]

I purchased a horandY Cam lock bullet puller. Will pull any bullet, however the pulled bullets is mangle so bad it is usless. Called Hornady, and they agreed.

Whatever I pulled had to throw into the scrap lead box. Copper jacket and lead. Very displeased.

[300winmag]

I was looking at the Hornady cam lock puller but this throw's a flag. for no more pulling than I do might just stay with the hammer.

[Shiloh]

I have the original version that one has to screw down to tighten the collet. Jacketed bullets are able to be reused. The cam lock version may not be as forgiving.

The original version mangle boolits as well. One has to have a good bite on a lead boolit or else the collet jaws slip off.

Several years ago, I pulled almost 1200 commercial lead 9mm 125 gr RN that wore loaded to stout. Did it over a period of a couple of months in the winter when it is to miserably cold to shoot anyway.

All were remelted and recast.

Shiloh

[Von Gruff]

I have the camlock as well and have gone back to my quinetics hammer for the few I have to pull. Cam lock slips of often enough to be frustrating on cast boolits and not worth the trouble of setting into the press for a few j words.

Von Gruff.

[onondaga]

That tool can be used to pinch a gas check shank into plain base bullets. Some members here are doing that. So, maybe all is not lost in your investment.

gary

[Alchemist]

I've actually used the Cam-lock successfully with j-word bullets. The trick is to just clamp down on the bullet enough to hold it securely without crushing it. Once you figure out the correct pressure, it's a piece of cake....although a little slow. Still faster than an inertia puller.

[DCM]

I have tried a variety of puller and the hammer consistantly does the least amount of damage to the bullet. The cam lock is much faster but does far more damage. When you are talking strictly boolits the hammer is best IMO.

[selmerfan]

My Forster Universal puller doesn't mar up my jacketed bullets at all. Boolits, they get a shiny spot, but nothing more.

[John Boy]

Will pull any bullet, ...

Nope, a tapered lead ogive bullet will be mangled and not come out of the case.
The Hornaday puller is JUNK!.

[Frank]

John Boy:

Nope, a tapered lead ogive bullet will be mangled and not come out of the case.
The Hornaday puller is JUNK!.

I broke the handle on the Hornday collet puller. Is the RCBS stronger? I broke the orange hammer style puller. I've shattered the nuts on RCBS brand. Quinetics brand was the first to go. The aluminum collets wear out. It was replaced by RCBS, then the Hornady collet puller, then that orange hammer brand. Now I have nothing and I need another puller. I'm going to go back the RCBS hammer style. Maybe the extra collets they give you with the orange one will work when that one wears out.

Tackstrp:

Whatever I pulled had to throw into the scrap lead box. Copper jacket and lead. Very displeased.

You can't expect it to grab on to the bullet without some disfiguring on it. If you reuse your bullets then use the hammer style.

[CATS]

I use a hammer for lead and odd singles. I have used the cam-lock for mil-surplus with only light marking on bullets. I adj the collet to just short of the case mouth and use a light touch on the cam handle. It has worked well for me so far.
CATS

[wiersy111]

I have broke my RCBS hammer several times and they replace it every time.

[wallenba]

Sometimes if you seat the bullet deeper to loosen the crimp first, then less effort will be needed to pull it and less damage.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Most of us pull jacketed bullets to salvage and re-use them. Hornady knows that. They didn't tell me it destroyed jacketed bullets in use when I bought . Shame on them !

I tossed mine and the collets. It will be a long WHILE before they will have a chance at my pocket again. It seems that the people in the reloading equipment business are sorting themselves out. Used to be all worked toward excellence and equipment differences were more like preferences. REWARD your positive experiences, discourage your negative ones.

BvT

[John Boy]

I broke the handle on the Hornday collet puller. Is the RCBS stronger?

Both pullers are of the same design. Me too with a broken Hornaday handle. They sent me a new one and the whole assembly has been retired to the parts box.

IMHO, the only puller that works every time and doesn't mangle the bullet is a kinetic puller. Whack it on a lead ingot from a muffin tin. Three whacks is a lightly crimped bullet. Ten whacks is a hard crimp.

[mold maker]

I'm still using my first hammer puller (Quinetics) from the 60s. It's all in how you swing it and what you strike with it. You don't swing it like a framing hammer driving 20 p nails. You snap it with your wrist, held loosely, against a heavy object like a 5lb chunk of lead. Your only trying to transfer momentum to the bullet, so it keeps moving, when the brass held by the collet stops.
The object you strike should be heavy enough to absorb the energy of the blow, but soft enough not to shatter the plastic or bend the handle. A 5lb ingot of plumbers lead is perfect.

[high standard 40]

I've used an RCBS collet type puller for many years and have pulled a lot of jacketed bullets with no damage to them at all. I'm speaking of jacketed rifle bullets. It does not work so well with handgun bullets so for them I use the hammer type puller. All the cast bullets get the hammer treatment.

[Frank]

mold maker:

The object you strike should be heavy enough to absorb the energy of the blow, but soft enough not to shatter the plastic or bend the handle. A 5lb ingot of plumbers lead is perfect.

Thanks for the tip. I didn't know. I was using the concrete floor.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have one of those kinetic hammer pullers in which I never use the aluminum collets with that tiny black rubber band to hold the 3 pieces together.

I just us the correct shellholder instead. It gets the job done. It does not take a long time to place the hind end of the cartridge into and does not wear out.

Mine is over 17 years old and still rolling along.

[Alchemist]

Most of us pull jacketed bullets to salvage and re-use them. Hornady knows that. They didn't tell me it destroyed jacketed bullets in use when I bought . Shame on them !

I tossed mine and the collets. It will be a long WHILE before they will have a chance at my pocket again. It seems that the people in the reloading equipment business are sorting themselves out. Used to be all worked toward excellence and equipment differences were more like preferences. REWARD your positive experiences, discourage your negative ones.

BvT

Baron,

Can you get 'em back out of the trash? What collets did you have for it? I may be interested in more collets.