What to do with unshootable rounds?

[Shinbone]

Rookie question:

What do folks do with rounds that are found to be over-pressure and thus are not shot? Pull the bullet and reload the case? Is the powder reuseable? Can the bullet be reloaded, too? Something else? What's the best way to pull the bullets, if that is what you do?

These unshootable rounds are what's left over after you do a ladder test and find maximum pressure before you get to the top of the range of powder charge weights you loaded. For example, you load from 65.0gn to 70.0gn in 0.5gn steps. Then when shooting at the range, you get pressure signs at 68.5gn, and thus don't shoot the 69.0 to 70.0n loads. What to do with those 69.0gn to 70.0gn loads?

Not to mention all those half-empty boxes of factory ammo that never shot well in my gun, and, now that I reload, have no chance of ever being shot by me.

 

[M-61]

Collet puller for the bullets works for me. Powder? As long as you are sure what it is either back in the can or just reduce to what you want and refill case. An inertia puller is another option. One time I had over 200 bullets to pull because of a change in cartridges. (6.5x284 to 6.5 BR).
Bought a collet puller and I've never used anything else since even though the cost was a consideration.

 

[mike a]

I like the inertia (hammer like) puller. Knock the bullet out, adjust the charge and reseat. Use these as foulers. Also for ladder/ charge weight tests I do this, I take prepped and primed brass to the range. I use a Wilson inline seater and an arbor press. I take premeasured charges in these.

 

[jepp2]

What do folks do with rounds that are found to be over-pressure and thus are not shot? Pull the bullet and reload the case? Is the powder reuseable? Can the bullet be reloaded, too? Something else? What's the best way to pull the bullets, if that is what you do?

The only in addition to what has been listed, is I always resize the case neck after pulling bullets. If you don't the neck tension will be much weaker. I used inertia pullers for years, but collet pullers are so much better.

 

[biggun2869]

I have both but would only use the inertia puller is if I only had a few.

 

[JMayo]

Store bought are a bitch to hammer out. Might have to just shoot em for the cases.

I hammer out the extra I make every match if I'm changing anything.

 

[MGYSGT]

I use the Hornady bullet puller. It lives in a Lee C press on the bench. The C press is plenty strong for this job and nothing gets in my way. I also have a Lee primer remover die. Fits almost any cartridge and it shares the same C press. Great when I seat a primer in sideways or upside down.

 

[Arcticshooter]

I use a collet puller to re build any rounds that aren't performing the way I want.
The inertia puller doesn't leave the drawer anymore.

 

[CaptainMal]

Inertia puller. No bullet damage if out easy. Powder back in container. I take case and re-size neck after removing primer pin from die.

 

[pirate ammo]

I use the Hornady bullet puller. It lives in a Lee C press on the bench. The C press is plenty strong for this job and nothing gets in my way. I also have a Lee primer remover die. Fits almost any cartridge and it shares the same C press. Great when I seat a primer in sideways or upside down.

I do the same,that hammer's to much like work.I pull the bullets from a lot of old ammo people are getting rid of and save the brass.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Inertia hammer if you want to re-use the bullets. Collet puller only if you use them for sighters

 

[Fotheringill]

The puller is one thing, reusing the powder is another. Personally, I wouldn't. Are the insides of your cases perfectly clean where no other foreign matter is going to wind up mixed in with the new cases which might cause a less than optimal primer ignition?

 

[jackson1]

I think you have received some fine answers to your question. Have both, but 99% of the time use my collet puller. Yesterday, I salvaged 100 rounds for a friend, that I am dragging kicking and screaming to better accuracy. Forty plus years ago I loaded a gauge and stuck it in my die box. Foolishly I used a live primer in my case. Salvaging it many years later with a hammer type puller, the primer went off. You can still see where the primer and anvil stuck in my ceiling. Bought a collet puller and never looked back. The ease of using a collet puller will lead to more use of it, as an eraser. Over tightening of the colt will deform bullets. So there is a small learning curve and some touch involved. I have used my seating to break to bond of old ammo.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I think you have received some fine answers to your question. Have both, but 99% of the time use my collet puller. Yesterday, I salvaged 100 rounds for a friend, that I am dragging kicking and screaming to better accuracy. Forty plus years ago I loaded a gauge and stuck it in my die box. Foolishly I used a live primer in my case. Salvaging it many years later with a hammer type puller, the primer went off. You can still see where the primer and anvil stuck in my ceiling. Bought a collet puller and never looked back. The ease of using a collet puller will lead to more use of it, as an eraser. Over tightening of the colt will deform bullets. So there is a small learning curve and some touch involved. I have used my seating to break to bond of old ammo.

Wonder what the outcome would have been had that round went off inside a collet pulling die?

 

[Willoughby]

I also find I end up with a few that need pulled down and recycled , Ive used inertia pullers and collet pullers , but the grip and pull is by far the best bullet pulling system I have used

 

[JFrank]

Rookie question:

What do folks do with rounds that are found to be over-pressure and thus are not shot? Pull the bullet and reload the case? Is the powder reuseable? Can the bullet be reloaded, too? Something else? What's the best way to pull the bullets, if that is what you do?

These unshootable rounds are what's left over after you do a ladder test and find maximum pressure before you get to the top of the range of powder charge weights you loaded. For example, you load from 65.0gn to 70.0gn in 0.5gn steps. Then when shooting at the range, you get pressure signs at 68.5gn, and thus don't shoot the 69.0 to 70.0n loads. What to do with those 69.0gn to 70.0gn loads?

Not to mention all those half-empty boxes of factory ammo that never shot well in my gun, and, now that I reload, have no chance of ever being shot by me.

Hood makes a bullet puller as well as rcbs collet puller.
I take down Ammo without hesitation.
J

 

[jackson1]

Dusty Stevens, had to do some serious banging with my hammer type puller. At the time, if I had know better, I would have broke the bond with a seating die. Sometimes you just have live and hopefully learn.

 

[tenring]

Plastic broke on an inertia type puller. Now I use collet puller all the time.

 

[divingin]

The puller is one thing, reusing the powder is another. Personally, I wouldn't. Are the insides of your cases perfectly clean where no other foreign matter is going to wind up mixed in with the new cases which might cause a less than optimal primer ignition?

Seems to me if cases are contaminated, you're going to have contamination problems either way, aren't you?

I use an inertial puller if I have to (lead SWC/WC bullets for pistol) but much prefer a collet puller for rifle. Once you get a feel for using the collet puller, you do no damage to the bullet. And no dumping powder out of the inertial puller with the risk of powders mixing if you pull down multiple calibers and didn't get the entire last charge out.

 

[shoot4fun]

......... Salvaging it many years later with a hammer type puller, the primer went off. You can still see (fixed to read "the poop stain on my reloading room floor".

So, I'm not the only one ever have one go off in the hammer.
When the primer went off all I had left in my hand was the hammer handle.
I mostly use collet puller now and those bullets go to practice ammo.