Best Investment Ever?

[chop house]

i have always pined for a collet type puller... then thought, wait... i am asking for a tool to help me fix my screwups? maybe i should look at the reason for the need. hahaha. i find almost nothing comes apart easily with my inertial hammer.

anyway, if disassembly is all you're after vise grips and a press thread protector work to save brass and primer, or use a coned press insert and regular pliers vertically. i just finished about 100 flea market 6.5x55 rounds, and on the last dozen I slipped some 1/4" rubber gas line over the bullet to protect it.

mainly i wanted to see if my bbl shoots the sierra 100 grn hp well enough to buy some... and now i have samples to do side-by-side accuracy comparison on the pulled bullets.

 

[cw308]

M61
One of my shooting friends had the same thing happen , the only difference he shot his and found the mistake grouped tighter . He is that lucky type of guy though.
Chris

 

[Evlshnngns]

My rcbs works well. I had my new collet before I had the rifle it was intended for. First trip out I needed it. Failed primer, thats my luck.

If I remember correctly, some people on here use them as case neck expanders with the addition of a mandrel or pin.

 

[Rsadams]

Live mine... I had to pull 800-900 .223 once , I wanted to save the Bullets out of some old gun show reloads my dad had and bought a Hornady puller and it made life so easy...I also have the hammer which works fine for doing a few but a large batch the collet puller is great... I have heard they screw up the accuracy of the pulled bullet but with iron sights etc , they are fine to me...

 

[SamGabara]

I have both the Hornady collet puller, and one of the all plastic inertia hammers. The only reason I got the collet puller was for the larger rounds that don’t fit in the inertia hammer.
I was trying to pull bullets from 375 SnipeTac rounds, and found that the collet puller leaves serious marks on my $1.25/each bullets! Tried polishing the collet with no positive results.
Kinda embarrassed to admit, but a good friend of mine has been working with me over the past few years to put together a rifle for him. He has learned a lot about shooting and loading, and just the other day taught me something new! He saw a YouTube video (Eric Cortina I believe) that showed using your shell holder in the inertia hammer, rather than tje collet with rubber o-ring thst is normally supplied. We tried it, and sure as hell it worked! Even better, tje 270 WSM round fits in the inertia hammer now with the shell holder (wouldnt with the o-ring collet holder). Why didn’t I think of that!!??
It’s much easier to load the inertia hammer using the shell holder method too! Just not sure if it will work with all brands of inertia hammers.

Sam

 

[coldboreshot]

NO. Sometimes you decide to stop with a certain cartridge. I spent too much time on a 6.5x.284. Rebarreled to 6.5BR
Pulled all those 6.5 bullets from the cases. BTW using an RCBS collet puller that leaves no marks.

Ditto here...RCBS and no marks on bullets.

 

[coldboreshot]

No idea what the Hornady does or performs. (Don't have one)
My RCBS leaved NO marks and as stated above I also tighten it just enough to grab the bullet.

I Have no clue how I did this but I seated 50 rounds a few thousandths deeper than what it should have been. Seater should not have mover but it did. Totally my error and the length I wanted was a tried and proved length.
The RCBS tool got a different job. Just pulled the bullet UP enough so that I could reseat it to the correct depth.

Agree with opening statement. It's supposed to be a bullet puller not a Garlic press.

 

[jackson1]

Would not call a bullet puller the best investment, but a useful one. Agree with Dusty about the collet type distorting bullets, whether visible or not. Have both the collet and an old hammer type. Both have uses. The hammer type can be used to move the bullet a small amount out or for one or two. Last winter was looking for a project and started de loading ammo. Couple of things: If the round is old more than a few days, I seat the bullet 0.020 to 0.030 deeper to break the possible cold weld. Second a collet type pullers requires a little finesse. Evan with no visible imperfection I use them a sighters. Useful to tool, kind of like an eraser on a pencil.

 

[JimSC]

I like my collet puller but I have to agree about the marks. Not sure about how much they mess up accuracy however. That rifling does a heck of a lot more damage than the puller does. On the other hand it could affect the bullet as it enters the throat. Just to be on the cautious side I only use pulled bullets for foulers

 

[PigButtons]

I only have an inertia puller. I found that that the surface used for impact makes a huge difference in ease of use. I have a sturdy bench, but it's made of wood, and therefore somewhat elastic . The concrete floor is a much more efficient medium for impact. Since I switched, no more difficulty in getting the bullets to separate. To save the end of the hammer though a thin sheet of rigid plastic is recommended, that is if your floor is broom finished like mine.

 

[Webster]

For the longest time, I've been whacking bullets out with the impact hammer. Just thought it was fine and didn't really see the need to invest in the collet puller. Well, after whacking hundreds and hundreds of rounds loose, I got fed up with it and finally decided to invest in a collet puller. Ended up with the Hornady collet puller and #4 (.264) collet. I have to say, all I could think of while pulling some grendel rounds were "why didn't I buy this thing sooner?" Best $50 investment ever that saves a lot of pain and noise. Now I have to get a #6, 7, 9, and 11 collet.

I have the RCBS collet puller. It deforms the bullets a tiny amount. Based on one group the reused bullet was 1.5" outside of a .500" group. I would use them for FF.

 

[silvertriple]

I have both the Hornady collet puller, and one of the all plastic inertia hammers. The only reason I got the collet puller was for the larger rounds that don’t fit in the inertia hammer.
I was trying to pull bullets from 375 SnipeTac rounds, and found that the collet puller leaves serious marks on my $1.25/each bullets! Tried polishing the collet with no positive results.
Kinda embarrassed to admit, but a good friend of mine has been working with me over the past few years to put together a rifle for him. He has learned a lot about shooting and loading, and just the other day taught me something new! He saw a YouTube video (Eric Cortina I believe) that showed using your shell holder in the inertia hammer, rather than tje collet with rubber o-ring thst is normally supplied. We tried it, and sure as hell it worked! Even better, tje 270 WSM round fits in the inertia hammer now with the shell holder (wouldnt with the o-ring collet holder). Why didn’t I think of that!!??
It’s much easier to load the inertia hammer using the shell holder method too! Just not sure if it will work with all brands of inertia hammers.

Sam

Nice tip. Never even thought about using the shell holder. Have to try that next time I have to whack something loose.

 

[silvertriple]

Would not call a bullet puller the best investment, but a useful one. Agree with Dusty about the collet type distorting bullets, whether visible or not. Have both the collet and an old hammer type. Both have uses. The hammer type can be used to move the bullet a small amount out or for one or two. Last winter was looking for a project and started de loading ammo. Couple of things: If the round is old more than a few days, I seat the bullet 0.020 to 0.030 deeper to break the possible cold weld. Second a collet type pullers requires a little finesse. Evan with no visible imperfection I use them a sighters. Useful to tool, kind of like an eraser on a pencil.

Your wording is much better than mine. It's definitely a useful tool when you need it. Also agree on the hammer having its uses such as bringing the bullet back out just a tad.

 

[Richard Coody]

This is a fine little tool. Doesn't require a press and Doesn't seem to hurt the bullets but I chuck them anyway. Don't use it much but it is handy when you need it

Bullet Pullers - PMA Tool

www.pmatool.com