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Thread: My review of the Hornady cam lock puller

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy tackstrp's Avatar
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    My review of the Hornady cam lock puller

    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.

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy 300winmag's Avatar
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    Question

    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.
    As I was told when I was a child; your elders will make you smarter if you listen. Then when you are older your elders will teach you WISDOM.
    300winmag

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master
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    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
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  4. #4
    Boolit Master Von Gruff's Avatar
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    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.
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    tackstrp

    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

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    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.
    "Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton


    Converting lead into gold

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    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.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    My Forster Universal puller doesn't mar up my jacketed bullets at all. Boolits, they get a shiny spot, but nothing more.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    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!.
    Regards
    John

  10. #10
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    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.
    Last edited by Frank; 02-16-2011 at 03:38 PM.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy
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    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

  12. #12
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    I have broke my RCBS hammer several times and they replace it every time.
    A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America " for an amount of "up to and including my life."

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Sometimes if you seat the bullet deeper to loosen the crimp first, then less effort will be needed to pull it and less damage.
    Dutch

    "The future ain't what it used to be".
    -Yogi Berra.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master Baron von Trollwhack's Avatar
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    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
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    Since almost all aspects of our cultural existence are LIBERAL in most states, this means that the nation is on a trajectory to dissolution by the burden of toleration and acceptance of LAWBREAKING as a norm, a trajectory back to the dark ages of history.

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  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    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.
    Regards
    John

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master

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    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.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    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.

  18. #18
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    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.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master



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    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.
    Pax Nobiscum Dan (Crash) Corrigan

    Currently casting, reloading and shooting: 223 Rem, 6.5x55 Sweede, 30 Carbine, 30-06 Springfield, 30-30 WCF, 303 Brit., 7.62x39, 7.92x57 Mauser, .32 Long, 32 H&R Mag, 327 Fed Mag, 380 ACP. 9x19, 38 Spcl, 357 Mag, 38-55 Win, 41 Mag, 44 Spcl., 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 454 Casull, 457 RB for ROA and 50-90 Sharps. Shooting .22 LR & 12 Gauge seldom and buying ammo for same.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by Baron von Trollwhack View Post
    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.
    Last edited by Alchemist; 02-18-2011 at 09:32 PM. Reason: spelling
    "Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton


    Converting lead into gold

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check