2 questions, pulled bullets, brass

[Steven57]

First question is why are there pulled bullets for sale? Are they as good as new to use?


And 9mm brass (or other) I have some SPEER 9mm nickle brass and some +P brass. Is the +P brass stronger or is it just a different stamping?
I'm sorting to reload.

 

[rcmodel]

Pulled bullets come from military ammo that has become too old in storage and may or could have reliability issues.

Others come from lot #'s that have had problems of some sort show up in use.
(Duds, squibs, high or low pressure, failed final acceptance testing for sealing, velocity, etc.)

Still others come from military ammo with cases damaged in machinegun belt loading machines.

Commercial pulled bullets come from lot #'s that later have shown to have issues with pressure, squibs, etc.


Standard & +P cases?

If they are both the same brand, weigh them on your powder scales.
If the +P is heavier, it is heavier.
If they weigh the same, they are the same.

rc

 

[GJSchulze]

Weigh as many at a time as you can and do it several times. Case weight can vary by more than any difference between regular and +P. However, I've read that they are the same.

Besides, you're talking 9mm, so what possible difference can it make?

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Here is what Starline has to say:

9mm + Power, 9mm + Pressure
0.748 - 0.754 O.A.L.
9MM+P has no difference from the standard 9mm Luger other than headstamp designation for load segregation. Due to standard case design, it will handle +P pressures with no problems.

 

[50 Shooter]

Save the nickle and put it off to the side, load it on a rainy day when you have nothing to do. Nickle brass bounces back more then regular brass and can be a PITA in some calibers. YMMV

 

[ironworkerwill]

Are they as good as new to use?

They should work good, long as the based are not banged up.

 

[medalguy]

Actually that depends on the bullets and how they were pulled. Lots of military bullets are pulled by collets and this does leave small marks on the jacket. Does this make a difference? For best accuracy purposes yes it does, but for plinking they seem to work just fine for me.

Also some bullets can be made out-of-round by collet pulling and they might--might--need to be resized to bring them back into round. Most don't require this but sometimes they do.

And yes the +P brass is identical to standard brass after the first firing. Just marked to indicate the factory load has higher pressure.

 

[Laphroaig]

Regarding pulled bullets, here's some encouraging news regarding the 175 SMK pulls that were on the market last year:

http://forum.snipershide.com/snipers-hide-reloading/151610-brand-new-vs-pulled-175-smk-test.html

I don't think that you're giving up much accuracy (assuming you pull the ones that are badly damaged) and the savings is significant.

Laphroaig

 

[rcmodel]

And yes the +P brass is identical to standard brass after the first firing. Just marked to indicate the factory load has higher pressure.

Do Not make an all inconclusive statement like that!

Some, or most modern +P brass my very well be the same?

But I'm here to tell you I have half an ammo can full of +P Rem & Win .38 Spl brass from years ago that is more like .357 brass then .38 Spl brass.

Thicker web, deeper more tapered case head, and it weighs more.
With less case capacity.

Ignoring the +P head stamp will or might bite you on a hind-section if you give it half a chance!
You HAVE to WEIGH it and compare it to standard brass of the same brand to know for sure.

rc

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I separate my .38 Special and .38 Special +P brass only because I load some .38 Special ammo to +P pressures so it's good to have the correct headstamp for those rounds. Most "CURRENT" +P brass is exactly the same as the standard brass but for the headstamp.

 

[WestKentucky]

Even if it is no different it gives you one more easily identifiable difference. That can be how you differentiate between loads during work up or if you have similarly shaped bullets in different weights etc... I load 38spl below min. 38spl+p at max .357 I load RP to max and Federal above max. Even at this there are other factors such as white brass v yellow brass, varying stamps from same manufacturer etc.

 

[lauderdale]

ahh the learning process, and I just did,long read on the lapua 500 range test.

 

[345 DeSoto]

Yes, they are as good as new cases, which they actually are. Although they are new in the sense that they've never been fired, the necks have been "streched" once, as in once fired. I resize ALL the brass I aquire anyway. The pull-dows are just as good as, but much cheaper than new...and if they are Military cases, to me that's a plus...

 

[medalguy]

rc I have checked a lot of +P brass but never found any difference. How old is the brass you are referring to? I might need to watch out for that. I load a lot of that brass.

You're absolutely right, never make all-encompassing statements.