Opinions on Bullet Puller

[Grey Eaglr]

I have a few bullets to pull and only have an Inertia Hammer. Was considering a Forster, but want to make sure whatever I buy does not leave an impression on the bullets.

Thanks,

Jerry

 

[ReedG]

Jerry, as far as I'm concerned the inertia hammer is the best type of puller.

 

[jonbearman]

If you have seated your bullets awhile ago,I suggest to bump them to break them free and then use a collet puller.It has always worked for me.I have an rcbs but am seriously thinking about the hornady cam lock in the near future.

 

[navyrad8r]

I think inertia is the best but the Hornady is what I use the most. As long as there is something to grab (not a 45acp round). once you get the "feel" for it you can tell how hard to grab your bullets with the Hornady to avoid jacket damage. You can also crank it down and pull military rounds with ease. The down side is that you have to get extra collets (caliber specific) to do different rounds. I don't think the other cam pullers require this. maybe someone else can chime in and speak to this.
cheers,
Doc

 

[krktractor]

I have the hornady one and it works like a champ. I would push them in a bit to break them loose though it will make them pull easier. I have pulled some if mine before and it never leaves a mark in bullet

 

[Grey Eaglr]

Thanks for the replies, I may just keep on using the inertia hammer!

 

[johnmyers]

I think inertia is the best but the Hornady is what I use the most. As long as there is something to grab (not a 45acp round). once you get the "feel" for it you can tell how hard to grab your bullets with the Hornady to avoid jacket damage. You can also crank it down and pull military rounds with ease. The down side is that you have to get extra collets (caliber specific) to do different rounds. I don't think the other cam pullers require this. maybe someone else can chime in and speak to this.
cheers,
Doc

I have both and I think the hammer works best for me. Cam does leave some marks, don't know how much it matters

 

[itchyTF]

Put a piece of foam or something at the bottom of the inertia puller to keep the nose of the bullet from distorting. You'll probably have to take it out after you're done to get all the powder out.

 

[Barlow]

Something I picked up on this forum awhile back. Discard the oring case holder in your inertia puller, and use a shellholder in its place. It works great and much faster. Barlow

 

[skyfire1201]

I second on the Hornady cam-lock bullet puller. I have a Forster Co-ax press, and due to the wishbone lever design, it basically renders the rotation lever design (RCBS, Forster standard) bullet pullers almost impossible to use with it. The Hornady puller can clear as long as the bullet isn't too tall, and I've used it to successfully pull even hard crimped rounds. I adjusted the collet just tight enough such that it doesn't leave any marks on the jacket. It's a lot easier to use than a hammer, and I get to retain all components without any issues.

 

[MGYSGT]

The Hornady is the one I use. Some of the bullets do have a slight scratch or mark on them. I still use them as "new" and have not noticed any loss of accuracy.

 

[LCazador]

I've used a Kentics inertia puller since the early 70's, the plastic finally broke recently and I replaced it with a Lyman inertia puller. I wish that would have happened years ago. Like one of the posts says, I use a shell holder instead of the o-ring holder. I couldn't do that with my old one. If you're doing a lot of military stuff, the o-ring shell holder will work better as it supports the entire case head. I have deformed some rims on crimped in ammo using the shell holder. I use a piece of dense foam(not Styrofoam) at the bottom of the puller to prevent deformation of bullet tips(not completely preventable). Use a pair of tweezers to pick out the foam and clean when you're done.

 

[clatarar]

Anybody have any reviews on the grip n rip bullet puller? A friend of mine has one and loves it. He used a inertia-type before that.

 

[smong2000]

I use an Inertia puller or a homemade clamp type, sometimes both in combination. This way i don't dump the powder in the inertia rig. My clamp type is simply a piece of hardwood approx 3/4" thick and 1 1/4 wide, (length doesn't matter) with holes drilled in it for various bullet sizes and a slot cut through the holes. It's used with your press and a pair of channel locks to clamp the bullet. It's fast if your bullets aren't crimped and no damage at all. Same idea as the commercial stainless steel type but free if you have the maple or oak scrap. A little powdered sugar on the wood sometimes helps the grip and for tough ones I give them a few taps in the inertia to get them started.

 

[Wolfdawg]

Barlow is right!

Hammer puller with shell holder, fast and easy. ;D ;D

 

[Grimstod]

I did some videos on Forester bullet puller here. The Forster bullet puller will pull perfectly unmarred bullets if used correctly. The plastic hammers brake to easy. I have smashed up two now.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/7I_QsSWo3YE[/youtube]

[youtube]http://youtu.be/VxrK2X_orcM[/youtube]

 

[Tozguy]

Got almost 30 years service from a hammer puller but never enjoyed the mess it makes. When the hammer finally broke, a pair of snippers was used temporarily to get the job done. After having a taste of bullet pulling with a press I never looked back. Although the snippers made some slight dents the bullets were still usable as foulers. Eventually the snippers were replaced with a better tool. A pair of wire strippers/crimpers was modified to grip a bullet with damaging it. Now pulling a bullet is a non event.

To my mind, a bullet pulled by any means is a reject. They are OK as foulers or for fireforming but not when accuracy counts. If I keep my head out of my armpit there is not much bullet pulling to do anyway.
If there was a need for considerably more bullet pulling (no thank you) the collet pullers would definitely get a look.

 

[LCazador]

Got almost 30 years service from a hammer puller but never enjoyed the mess it makes. When the hammer finally broke, a pair of snippers was used temporarily to get the job done. After having a taste of bullet pulling with a press I never looked back. Although the snippers made some slight dents the bullets were still usable as foulers. Eventually the snippers were replaced with a better tool. A pair of wire strippers/crimpers was modified to grip a bullet with damaging it. Now pulling a bullet is a non event.

To my mind, a bullet pulled by any means is a reject. They are OK as foulers or for fireforming but not when accuracy counts. If I keep my head out of my armpit there is not much bullet pulling to do anyway.
If there was a need for considerably more bullet pulling (no thank you) the collet pullers would definitely get a look.

I assume you just ruin that good pair of wire strippers when you're done, LOL! And that tool up on top probably won't be any good for dental work when you're done pulling bullets, ;D hee, hee, ho, ho, LOL!! You made your point, pulled bullets are damaged no matter what you use!

 

[Barlow]

I use a inertia tool and also an RCBS collet puller used in a press. If I need to pull a lot of bullets I use the RCBS. Barlow

 

[Tozguy]

Got almost 30 years service from a hammer puller but never enjoyed the mess it makes. When the hammer finally broke, a pair of snippers was used temporarily to get the job done. After having a taste of bullet pulling with a press I never looked back. Although the snippers made some slight dents the bullets were still usable as foulers. Eventually the snippers were replaced with a better tool. A pair of wire strippers/crimpers was modified to grip a bullet with damaging it. Now pulling a bullet is a non event.

To my mind, a bullet pulled by any means is a reject. They are OK as foulers or for fireforming but not when accuracy counts. If I keep my head out of my armpit there is not much bullet pulling to do anyway.
If there was a need for considerably more bullet pulling (no thank you) the collet pullers would definitely get a look.

I assume you just ruin that good pair of wire strippers when you're done, LOL! And that tool up on top probably won't be any good for dental work when you're done pulling bullets, ;D hee, hee, ho, ho, LOL!! You made your point, pulled bullets are damaged no matter what you use!

Those wire strippers are actually a bullet stripper in disquise, they really suck at stripping wires.
Please note that I am ready to put those blue snippers (in the top picture) up against any other puller when it comes to cannelured bullets and heavy crimp.

PS This is what I bought for pulling teeth. It looks like it might be a little hard on gums but it has not been tried yet. In the meantime I discovered that it can strip wires like gangbusters.

Apologies to Grey Eagle for my getting off track. Respectfully