Pulling bullets.

Impact puller with a foam ear plug in the base to catch the bullet is your best bet, IMO.

GeoDudeFlorida said:

Impact puller with a foam ear plug in the base to catch the bullet is your best bet, IMO.

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That would be quite a bit of hammering to get through 100+ rounds.

ParallelCode said:

That would be quite a bit of hammering to get through 100+ rounds.

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Maybe could be. Or, maybe might not. Considering we don't know the bullet material, caliber, seating method, type of crimp, or even if they are crimped, it could be one whack per cartridge or two + hard smacks per but, the one thing we DO know is the OP wants to be able to retrieve the bullets undamaged and the only way I know of to do that is with an impact puller with a cushion in the base to catch the bullet. I'm sure other ideas are welcome if you have one.

ParallelCode said:

That would be quite a bit of hammering to get through 100+ rounds.

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They can be broken down in small batches. I only use an impact puller because it doesn't damage the bullets.

What type of boolit? Cast/coated or plated/jacketed? Heavy/light?

My experience with a Hornady collet puller is forget it with 45acp 230gr RN cast/coated they’re just too darned hard to grip. So, hammer away (I have a ton of Acme coated just waiting for the hammer.)

Light (115gr) boolits are a pain to hammer in my opinion.

If you use a collet puller you’ll just have to live with scarred bullets.

Also depends on what the final reloads are intended for. Jacketed rifle bullets pulled with a collet will suffer some scarring, but it might not affect accuracy enough to matter if they're going to be used for plinking, as opposed to competitive shooting or long-range hunting.

Kinetic ( impact) puller is best for saving bullets and brass .
It's not hard and not dangerous .
1.) Seat the bullet just a little deeper to break the crimp the case has on it ! very important TIP !

2.) 4 - 5 Medium hits on a solid surface ( 6x6 block of wood on concrete slab) not table or bench top , they flex .

3.) Watch location of bullet as it begins to pull ... on last hit ... be a firm but not excessive so powder isn't thrown out the puller body ... there can be some openings so don't get all Magilla Gorilla on the hammering !

The Inertia is best ... trust me on this , you can even pull cast and plated bullets and reload them . For brass ... remove decapping pin and re-size them ...then carry on !

Gary

The most I have needed to pull, in one batch, was about 250 rounds of HXP 30-06 and used an impact tool. The key is doing a many as I felt like doing at a time, whether it was 10 rounds or 50. I once had 20 rounds of 357 Magnum I wasn't comfortable with the load. A heavy crimp, good neck tension and they took several hard whacks to get the bullets out, enough that I eventually split the handle of my FA pullet (I made a longer wood handle and wrapped the top 3" with copper wire, now I can smack an anvil as hard as I can!). I still use an impact bullet puller as my preferred method and with a foam earplug there isn't a lot of damage to the bullets...

Bfh_auto said:

They can be broken down in small batches. I only use an impact puller because it doesn't damage the bullets.

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A valid point. I certainly wouldn't envy someone taking on the whole pile in a single go.

Just remember it's the speed, not the power. If you use a kinetic hammer.

Bfh_auto said:

Just remember it's the speed, not the power. If you use a kinetic hammer.

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And hold relatively loosely, yes?

CQB45ACP said:

And hold relatively loosely, yes?

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Yes. That helps create speed and doesn't sick your wrist as much.

Frankford arsenal is making a wall mounted auto inertial puller. I've never seen or used one.

AJC1 said:

Frankford arsenal is making a wall mounted auto inertial puller. I've never seen or used one.

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Oooo. Wall mounted reloading stuff.

AJC1 said:

Frankford arsenal is making a wall mounted auto inertial puller. I've never seen or used one.

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Are you referring to the Frankford Arsenal "Pile Driver"?

ParallelCode said:

Are you referring to the Frankford Arsenal "Pile Driver"?

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The video at the page below is interesting.
The attachment method of the component catcher seems a bit wonky, but perhaps there is more to it?

https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Driver-Bullet-Puller/dp/B084HLTTJ7?th=1

ParallelCode said:

Are you referring to the Frankford Arsenal "Pile Driver"?

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That's it...

I just did around 100 9mm with cast bullets with an RCBS Impact Puller. Using the anvil on my vice, took 15-20 minutes tops. Just grab a beer wack away. I wanted the cases and primers. I did not try to salvage the powder even though I positively knew what it was. If I were pulling roll crimped bullets rather than taper crimped, I'd use my Hornady puller.

I have FA and Hornady kinetic pullers plus a Hornady Cam-lock collet puller.
I always reach for the collet puller first because the powder stays in the brass, separate from the bullet.
Quieter, too.

There have been a few occasions when I've had 'hundreds' to pull. Most memorable one was after I loaded ~600~ rounds using a mechanical scale for verification.
Then I noticed the '5 grain' poise on the scale was off 1 notch / 5gr.

I was glad to have a Cam-Lok that day as hammering out 600 would have been an undertaking.

I am a fan of the kinetic hammer and have used it to tear down as many as 150 rounds over a few weeks. I find it therapeutic to wail on the end of a 4x4 after a crappy day at work.

mdi said:

The most I have needed to pull, in one batch, was about 250 rounds of HXP 30-06 and used an impact tool. The key is doing a many as I felt like doing at a time, whether it was 10 rounds or 50. I once had 20 rounds of 357 Magnum I wasn't comfortable with the load. A heavy crimp, good neck tension and they took several hard whacks to get the bullets out, enough that I eventually split the handle of my FA pullet (I made a longer wood handle and wrapped the top 3" with copper wire, now I can smack an anvil as hard as I can!). I still use an impact bullet puller as my preferred method and with a foam earplug there isn't a lot of damage to the bullets...

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Whenever possible , seat the bullet just a little deeper ... this breaks the crimp and loosens the grip the brass case has on the bullet ... makes pulling the bullet way easier .
Gary

You can also use a wire stripper to grab bullet at top of press and holding it while pulling ram down.
It will put small marks on side of bullet but they don't hurt anything.
My RCBS kinectic hammer ruins base of bullet when it flys up and hit bottom of collet hold the case with lead bullets.