Bullet Pullers

[Joe Wade]

Do yourself a favor and purchase an RCBS collet puller. They are quick, easy, and the components are reusable. Sell the impact puller to a dimocrat.

+1
The RCBS bullet puller that threads into your press and uses collets is one of the best investments a reloader can make.

 

[DRNewcomb]

Is there some special trick to using a bullet puller? Or have I just wasted $12.00 on a piece of plastic that's garbage.

I have both impact and collet bullet pullers. I normally try the impact puller first, then the collet. For sealed military and heavily crimped ammo, it is sometimes necessary to use a seating die to push the bullet in a mm or so to break the seal then resort to the collet puller.

 

[Richard Coody]

I have both impact and collet bullet pullers. I normally try the impact puller first, then the collet. For sealed military and heavily crimped ammo, it is sometimes necessary to use a seating die to push the bullet in a mm or so to break the seal then resort to the collet puller.

Damn there sure are a lot of bullet pullers on this forum. I am surprised!

I bet i haven't pulled 5 in the last 2 or 3 years.

 

[redrockranger]

Give the hammer to kids or grandkids and get a Hornady press mounted puller. You will be glad you did.......

 

[DRNewcomb]

Damn there sure are a lot of bullet pullers on this forum. I am surprised!

I bet i haven't pulled 5 in the last 2 or 3 years.

The bullet puller is the reloaders' analog of an eraser. I generally make a few extra rounds for a match but decide I want to tweak the load for the next match. A puller allows this to happen. With what match components cost.....

 

[MN50Shooter]

Sorry, I was on break @ work when I read your post. Not much time for detailed instructions.

Looks like other forum members stepped up to the challenge though, good bunch here!

You get it to work yet?

I have two, broke one & fixed w/new handle, second is cracked but the Hornady Collet Puller I bought a few weeks ago ought to help both of 'em live longer yet. Not tried the Hornady so far, too much stuff going on.

As one poster above mentioned, use the end grain from a piece of wood and it works great. Won't break the puller as easily either. I use a piece of old 4x4 set it on the floor and hit the hammer against the end. I do put a small piece of foam in the hammer to protect the bullet.

I also use the appropriate shell holder instead of the collets. I always face the opening (where you slide head of case into) of the holder towards the handle to keep it snugly in the shell holder.

 

[onelastshot]

The bullet puller paid for itself today. I'd sold the 308 and had two partial boxes of 308 left over. I've got a 338 Federal so I decided that the brass could be used, all I had to do was pull the bullets. I now have two boxes of 338 brass set and ready to be reloaded. As we all know, 338 brass is not cheap. Pulling the bullets took me less than 5 minutes.

 

[marchboom]

Over the decades, I have read about a few events when the cartridge ignited while in the kinetic puller. I even participated in a thread about such an event, started by the person to whom it happened. In EVERY CASE of such ignition, the user had replaced the supplied collet with a standard shellholder. There is a reason the supplied collet is of that design; the cartridge cannot move side to side and there is nothing above the primer.

I agree 100%. I have read numerous reports/posts about rounds going off when using a shell holder in a puller. It would be cheaper for us to use these but it's just not worth it, safety wise.

 

[T-shooter]

For the money and peace of mind, get a collet puller. I use an RCBS but others may work ok too. Unless the bullets are crimped or glued in, it usually doesn't leave a mark. And you don't lose any powder. Average cost for the body and a caliber specific collet is only about $33. I still have the hammer type but never use it anymore.

 

[hogpatrol]

Damn there sure are a lot of bullet pullers on this forum. I am surprised!

I bet i haven't pulled 5 in the last 2 or 3 years.

One of my ranges is 40 miles each way and it's easier for me to pull bullets than make four trips trying to sneak up on max loads. YMMV.

I have the RCBS and the metal handle Franklin inertia puller. The all plastic RCBS unit's handle will break. I'll use the inertia puller first then the RCBS. I don't trash either the brass or bullet regardless of the pulling method. I use them for foulers.

 

[RCC1]

For the money and peace of mind, get a collet puller. I use an RCBS but others may work ok too. Unless the bullets are crimped or glued in, it usually doesn't leave a mark. And you don't lose any powder. Average cost for the body and a caliber specific collet is only about $33. I still have the hammer type but never use it anymore.
View attachment 1016097

This right here is the answer.

 

[bloc]

I haven't tried the RCBS, but I have used the Franklin "hammer," the Grip-N-Pull, and the Hornady Cam-Lock puller.

1) I no longer use the inertia puller (the Franklin). I found it a pain to set up and I never like delivering traumatic blows to things that go "bang." That's especially true when you have to hit the same "bangy-thing" anywhere from 3 - 15 times!

2) If I have a small number of bullets to pull I try the Grip-N-Pull first: you really need large strong hands to grasp the bullets with that sucker, and that fatigues my tiny hands. But it works pretty well and it's handy in the sense that it requires no set-up or adjustment.

The Grip-N-Pull does mar bullets a bit, but I found no difference in accuracy between those marred bullets and new bullets when I did a limited side-by-side test: both shot under 0.75 inches at 100 yards (5 shots, Stevens .223).

3) For pulling large numbers of bullets, I love the Hornady Cam-Lock. It takes a couple of minutes to set up, but once set up it's as easy as can be to use. It does not mar the bullets much if at all, it's easy to establish a rhythm and you literally raise the bullet into the collet, cam-over, and lower the ram. (It takes longer to read about than to do.)

(Caveat: DON'T try to use a 22 collet to remove a 24 caliber bullet! DOH!)

JFWIW

 

[Toolbreaker]

I built a Grip-N-Pull style puller several years ago after fussing with an inertia puller. I tried to pay close attention when I was sizing it for the diameters I wanted, and so far (knock on wood) I haven't had a marred bullet yet. Used in conjunction with a press, it's about as easy & quick as a fella could ask for.

 

[Nature Boy]

The Hornady cam lock puller worked best for me after I dropped my Hammer type in the trash can when it self destructed. You can easily adjust the collets camming force for just enough squeeze to pull the bullet without damaging it.......................... And it comes with DIRECTIONS

I picked this one up recently and pulled some .223 and .308 mistakes that I had set aside because I really hate the hammer. It works good, but the directions are crap.

 

[Nature Boy]

The bullet puller is the reloaders' analog of an eraser

or the "Undo Button"

 

[spclark]

I picked this one up recently and pulled some .223 and .308 mistakes that I had set aside because I really hate the hammer. It works good, but the directions are crap.

Indeed... I fussed with my new one for 15, 20 minutes then called Hornady for an answer to WTF I was doing wrong.

Once I got past that speed-bump, I'm pullin' with the best.

 

[rogn]

The idea about putting a foam earplug in the enertia puller is a good one, it keeps the bullet nose from being damaged and keeps the bullet from bouncing back up into the case mouth. It helps keep the powderin the puller as well. For the one or two oddballs that come along I frequently use a heavy duty automotive wire stripper, using the right size to grip the ogive. This can be really handy for lightweight 22 bullets or 20 cal bullets. Theyre so light they dont pull easily with enertia pullers. An early poster had an important detail right too. You dont need a full , im afraid Ill loose it grip, but a thumb and maybe 2 fingers works just fine. You want to swing the puller fast. Power has nothing to do with it, speed is the operational word. Perhaps the old wrist snap is it.

 

[onelastshot]

Thanks to all the forum members who've answered my 101 questions I've peppered you with as I made my way back into reloading. My bullet puller has gotten plenty of use but at the end of the day the loads are accurate and I'm ready to make my way to the rifle range. In the past week I've loaded somewhere between 1,800-2,000 rounds and I've got seven rifles that are ready to go through the ladder tests for the new bullets I've chosen. I've got everything from a 22-250AI to a 375H&H ready to go through the routine. Having a forum of members with a tremendous wealth of knowledge has been a huge assistance in getting everything back up to speed for me.

After a lot of research and reading I've found some terrific data for reloading my 7x57 with some modern loads using reloader 17 and 168 AccuBond LR; hopefully I'll be able to get to 2,700fps without having any signs of being over pressure.

 

[joshb]

There's a knack to using a hammer styled puller, I think I've finally got it mastered. 3-4 sharp wacks at a 90 degree angle and they pop right out. The harder the surface the better, I use a tile floor.

Careful! Crack a tile and yer wife'll get after you.

 

[onelastshot]

Careful! Crack a tile and yer wife'll get after you.

I threw her out eight years ago; I know there are merits to having a spouse but at the end of the day, I was always a better cook and realized that I carried 80% of the load. I enjoy my privacy and don't regret sleeping alone.