Quality Bullet Puller

[Shovel66]

It seems that all the popular bullet pullers are cheap pieces of plastic and break rather quickly. Are there any QUALITY bullet pullers available that will last a lifetime? I only plan on buying ONCE.
Shovel

[freakshow10mm]

Get a collet type. I use a Hornady and it is great. Press mounted pullers are the shiznit.

[nitesite]

The Hornady collet puller. It works like a die on your press, and you just buy inexpensive inserts to fit your particular calibers. Inserts are about $7 each and they will never break!

You raise the ram, then lever over the collet puller that is on top of the die, and lower the ram. Neat and clean, the bullet is held while your filled case is lowered back down, and you can then remove the filled case from your shellholder.

No powder is spilled, so you can just pour your powder charge into a clean container for future use. If you're planning to pull a lot of bullets you have maybe three minutes of set-up and then you can pull about 4or5/minute. You can't do that with an inertia (hammer) puller.

Using an inertia puller is OK for one, maybe five but you have to be aware that a bullet and a bunch of powder is swimming around in the hollow hammerhead and then you have to deal with that mess. That takes a while, unscrewing and screwing the head on, plus doing something with the mess before you start on the next cartridge.

[thorn]

Use one based on a die instead of a hammer?

Also - this one (http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/Store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=9929) has a metal shaft... so, less plastic...)

thorn

[freakshow10mm]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Pod/01/25/39/p012539sq02.jpg

[nitesite]

When you pull a bullet, you lose the case neck tension you once had, whether it was a straight walled case or a bottleneck.

You should resize your case(s) without the decapping pin in place. Then your newly seated bullet will again be held under the proper tension it was designed for.

If you're doing bottleneck cartridges, that will probably require using case lube again and cleaning it back off.

For bottlenecked cases, you might be able to get away with using a collet-neck sizing die which needs no lube since you are only re-sizing the case neck again. If you don't have a collet neck sizing die your full length sizing die will require lube again, and make sure to re-measure your OAL case length to make sure you didn't lengthen your cases.

[Pitmaster]

After the frigging disaster (which is continuing) with setting up .9mm in my Lee Turret Press I have about 30 bullets that need pulled. I bought a Kinetic Puller of some kind used it a few times and the o-ring around the collet(?) broke. Bought a new o-ring and when I picked up the puller the collets fell out and I lost one of them. Since I have so many bullets I'll have to look into one of those dies. Will that Hornady puller work in a Lee Turret.

[MakeMineaP99]

Should be universally threaded.

[Shovel66]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice and links. I just don't feel right about slamming that plastic hammer on a hard surface at 100 ft-lbs of force.
Looks like it will be the press-mounted and collet.
Shovel

[webyourbusiness]

I was looking at the RCBS collet puller - it raises a couple of questions...

could that collet puller be installed in the empty station I have in my Dillon 650 - station 3 - as what passes through that station NOW is a primed and powder filled casing - if I have to pull bullets I just remove the brass button, then slide the bullet to be pulled, operate the handle once and out it comes... right?


Or - would it be worth my while getting a new toolhead and having the collet puller on that alone...

Also - are the dillon shell plates going to hold up?
and it does say "Not for use with non-jacketed bullets."

[freakshow10mm]

I would get a cheap Lee single stage press that you can clamp to the bench. Or the Lee hand press. Both are around $20.

[Mogollon]

We used to carry the bullet puller with the aluminum shaft. Changed to an all plastic model due to frequency of bent shafts and broken pieces where the metal and plastic attach.
We use the collet bullet pullers to tear down .308 ball to load tracer sometimes. In our experience, the collets are good for about 800 or so pulls before they no longer supply enough pressure to yank the bullet from the case.:blues:

[Tailgunner]

I just don't feel right about slamming that plastic hammer on a hard surface at 100 ft-lbs of force.
Shovel

Umm, With the inertia types, it's about how fast it stops, not how much force your applying. Your trying for a "fast tap" not drive a 30d landscape spike. IOW it's all in the wrist, not in the elbow/shoulder.

[gwalchmai]

One tip - cut a four inch length of 4x6 post and use it to hammer your inertial puller on. Hit the end grain. It's much easier on the puller and seems to transfer the energy better, making the bullets pull faster. I can pull sealed Wolf AK ammo in two or three whacks using this method with my FA inertial puller. I can easily do 5-7 per minute, too, because I just dump the contents into an AKRO bin and separate the bullets out later.

[Steve Koski]

I have an old Midway hammer style puller. It's been going strong for years. I beat the end grain on a length of 2x4.

[Bush Pilot]

I have an old Midway hammer style puller. It's been going strong for years. I beat the end grain on a length of 2x4.

What length of 2x4 works best, 8 ft or a 10ft? I'm heading to Home Depot and don't want to make a second trip.

[Steve Koski]

BP: Hold the hammer to the end grain of a 16' 2x4, and then ram both of them into the wall.

Repeat as necessary.

[BIGGUNGOBOOM]

My ol Dillon one "metal handle" has effectivly disasembled over 3,000 boolits. before the cluster it had only been used about 400 times. then i made a deal with a fella for some reloading stuff. he handed over a 5 gallon bucket full of loaded 45 acp. he called these his "mistake's" half of witch didnt have powder. anyways the old wacker has sucssefully dismantled 2,500 45 ACP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this old dillon whacker has worked great. sadly she is on her last leg. she now has electrical tape wraped around the cylinder, and two foam ear plugs down the tube.

ya think that dillon would replace it for me and put it in their show room????


heres proof, these pics are of 30% of the way threw some of the stash

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh130/biggungoboom/dillonstuff2009Small.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh130/biggungoboom/dillonstuff2008Small.jpg

[gokyo]

I love the end grain idea. I am going to get myself a 10 footer today so I can wack it all night long.

I just worry a little bit about splinters.

[Steve Koski]

SHeriously folks, cut a length of 2x4 about 2' long, so that you can set one end on the ground and whack the other end with the puller at about knee height.

[Bogey]

SHeriously folks, cut a length of 2x4 about 2' long, so that you can set one end on the ground and whack the other end with the puller at about knee height.


I have a piece of Southern Yellow Pine screwed to the side of my bench (as it were) in the verticle position. One rap on top of that sucka and da boolit is out.


NEVER any splinters.

[gwalchmai]

I use a 6" piece of 4x6 on a workmate. I can't aim as accurate as Koski...

The critical part is that end grain stops the forward motion of the puller without damaging the plastic, imparting (that's a big word for me) all the momentum on the bullet.

[Shovel66]

Umm, With the inertia types, it's about how fast it stops, not how much force your applying. Your trying for a "fast tap" not drive a 30d landscape spike. IOW it's all in the wrist, not in the elbow/shoulder.

Sounds as if I were probably using the inertia (hammer) bullet puller wrong. I may have been using too much shoulder and not enough wrist. I also didn't have the end grain of a 4x6. Maybe will give it a try again.
Shovel

[Steve Koski]

Yeah, you have to have a minor ability to aim, or else you'll eventually start to spliter the 2x4. Luckily, they are very cheap. Shoot, a good CRB can harvest a hundred short 2x4 lengths from a construction site.

[kimberguy2004]

I have a 6" piece of a landscape timber. I hold it in my hand.

[Phunahm]

Hey FS what collet do you use on the 10mm I didnt see one available for that? Update Never mind I found the PDF file from Hornady it says use the #11 for the .41

[moonman16]

I like 4x4 idea for something to beat against (OLD EYES) and thanks for the info.

[GLShooter]

It seems that all the popular bullet pullers are cheap pieces of plastic and break rather quickly. Are there any QUALITY bullet pullers available that will last a lifetime? I only plan on buying ONCE.
Shovel

Get the RCBS or Hornady puller for the press and a Quinetics inertial type for the ones that won't pull down in the RCBS. 20 Calibers are a BEAR as are some pistol rounds using the collet press mounted types.

Greg