Dang, thanks, I read about that here somewhere and forgot all about it!
Dang, thanks, I read about that here somewhere and forgot all about it!
I haven't read all of the comments of this thread. But I use an electricians wire cutter to hold the bullets instead of a pliers or side cutter. They hold the bullet better. And the flat side of the cutter doesn't mar the top face of the press. That is for rifle bullets.
For shorter pistol bullets I use a large enough socket so the socket fits (cup side down) over the ram and the pistol case comes up through the ratchet hole. Raise the ram so that the bullet comes above the socket. Grab the bullet with the wire cutter then just lower the ram to pull the bullet. If the socket is too short you may have to add some sort of shim to get more height.
As to getting the GC out. Take a pliers very "slightly" squeeze the case neck so it is oval and shake the case (upside down) until the check comes out of the case. Then it is just a matter of running the case neck into a sizing die to make the neck round again. Kevin
Last edited by kbstenberg; 06-23-2013 at 08:54 AM.
I use an old pair of diagonal cutting pliers that have wire stripping holes in them. Somewhat similar to the following picture, but I think the holes are not as close together and they are a bit further from the end of the pliers. Regular diagonal cutting pliers do not work as well since the bullet is likely to just slide out as the cutting edges start to close. With the stripper holes in it though, the bullet does not move and the sides of the hole that you are using start to punch an indentation into the bullet allowing it to hold onto the bullet better. It definitely puts a mark on the bullet so that you won't be reusing it, but since I case my own bullets, it's no big deal -- the bullet just goes back in the lead scrap / reject pile and I recast it the next time I'm casting bullets.
I suspect that you could make one of these out of an old pair of diagonal cutting pliers by just drilling a small hole in the middle of the cutting edges where they come together and then filing down the inner edge of the hole so that it was tapered a bit to make it sharper.
Live fast, die young, leave a cute widow...
Nickle, I tried the shell holder in the hammer-puller, works great.
I've been using the cheap flat crimper-strippers in the press,
like grumman says, the corners of the stripper holes really grab the boolit.
Even jaxketed ones don't slip.
You're welcome. I've been doing the shell holder trick for years, learned it from my father.
I got some ammo for free that was crimped in hard and you could not pull the bullets with a collet or the hammer type so I ran them through a full length sizing die and used the hammer type again and they came out slicker than goat snot.
Just lay a large flat washer on the hole and that will protect the threads as the pliers can bear against it to maintain a grip on the bullet. Just let it float loose atop the threaded hole.
It may have been mentioned already but placing a foam ear plug in the hammer puller saves the tips on sp jacketed bullets. I also learned the shell holder trick many moons ago. I'm shooting up some wretchedly disfigured 8mm 196gr fmj from the wrong pliers decades ago. Funny thing is they group 2-3"@100yds from my Tikka.
Over the years. GONRA has pulled 1000 9MM bullets and 1000 .380ACP Bullets with inertia pullers. (One broke.)
More recently, also 1000 Czech LSC 7.62x25mm Tokarev bullets with my olde Forester Collet puller.
>>> You gotta select a "puller" that "just happens" to fit yer application. <<<
Budget Bullet Puller
1) wire stripper
2) Drill out a hole in wire stripper or? 1 size smaller than the desired bullet; round off edges with a file
3) Get proper shell holder
4) If cartridge won't reach through the top of the press, get pipe/tubing (PVC is OK) that will fit over the ram on your press and is ½ in taller than the (brass set in shell case in ram) your pulling the bullet out of. Raise the ram through the pipe/tubing- put case in shell holder. lower ram until boolit base is flush with the top of the pipe/tubing grip with stripper and lower ram to pull pistol boolits.
If you size the hole right, 99% of the J-words are reusable.
Man o man. I wish I'd found this thread sooner.
I tried the RCBS collet puller on lead RN cast bullet in 45 ACP. Didn't work at all. The RCBS inertia worked out well, but slow. I'm remelting anyway so pinchers would have been so much faster and better.
Next time...
full length sizing die to squish the lead and wire stipper/PVC pipe in the loading press. For Jacketed, seat deeper and use collar puller (hornady) so they are re-useable.
Whatever!
Rcbs inertia / kinetic hammer type puller piece of junk breaks collets , no warranty. Useless , useless
GONRA sez -from decades of "experience" get a variety of bullet pullers.
Best one is Situation Dependent. They'll ALL get used .....
Hammer type inertial pullers will get "used up" or more likely - "busted."
While yer at it, get a 7/8-14 tap and 7/8-14 die to chase threads.
(You can thank me later.)
If you use "nippers" on the top of a press, just place a flat washer that just fits over the bullet on top of the press to protect the threads in the press.
Getting old is the best you can hope for.
Here's a newer option, I was given 450 223 loaded in LC 07 brass that had bad primer pockets -- the primer fell out when fired.
I bought this, bolted it to a 2x4, and clamped it to a bench (I can easily stick it in a corner when not using it)
Attached a hose leading to a catch container and went to town.
Frankford Arsenal Pile Driver Bullet Puller
https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Ars...s%2C354&sr=8-2
It's a little loud, I found using a short dowel helps in removing the brass after pulling the boolit/bullet
I think small tweezers would pull out a neck stuck gas check if you poke one side to tip it on its side in the neck.
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 |