Bullet Pullers 101

[DeadFlies]

Can somebody school me on bullet pullers? I have some 30-30 rounds I am thinking of dismantling but, I have never used a bullet puller and have no idea how they work. I don't want to ruin anything; saving the bullets and powder is paramount. The cases and primers...not so much. I have plenty of those.

So, what is available and what works best for you guys?

These are Sierra 125 grain JHP/FN bullets in 30-30 cases if that makes any difference.

Thanks

 

[rcmodel]

Any of the hammer-bammer inertia bullet pullers will work fine for your need.
You can save & reuse all the components again.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/215517/frankford-arsenal-impact-bullet-puller

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Bullet-Puller/705511.uts

http://quinetics.com/

The only calibers they don't work well for are .223 and smaller bullets without enough weight for inertia to pull them.

Collet pullers are a little less work, but are caliber specific and can get expensive if you want a puller that will pull just about anything without damaging any of the components.

rc

 

[Tolkachi Robotnik]

Two kinds, collet and inertia.

The inertia is essentially a plastic hammer. It holds the cartridge inside and you patiently strike it on a block of wood. You can see the bullet coming out, you should get it to fall out with just a tap at the end. You can reuse about everything if you know what the propellent is.

The collet system is higher investment. It can leave marks on the bullet more than the inertia mallet style, but it depends on settings and how hard the bullets are attached in the 'brass'.

The inertia is probably slower, it can take some time per round. I have never used the other myself, and have not seen anyone else use one. It is more common to pull with collet if you break down say tracers and you have no real plan to reuse the bullets.

Hope this helps.

 

[Woolecox]

Can somebody school me on bullet pullers? I have some 30-30 rounds I am thinking of dismantling but, I have never used a bullet puller and have no idea how they work. I don't want to ruin anything; saving the bullets and powder is paramount. The cases and primers...not so much. I have plenty of those.

So, what is available and what works best for you guys?

These are Sierra 125 grain JHP/FN bullets in 30-30 cases if that makes any difference.

Thanks

Kinetic bullet pullers are the economical way to go and are sometimes a must for short stubby pistol rounds. Here is a good one that I have had for a while.

Bullet Puller

I have had a couple of cheaper Chinese ones that have all broken. This one is nice because you don't have to take the cap off to get the goods out.

All the companies make the press mounted style. They are caliber specific and would work fine for your 30-30's. I have an RCBS brand in .308 and it works great. Much faster than the kinetic. Just do some Google research.

The best practice is to just not screw up a lot of loads Ha Ha! But I have a couple of dozen 40S&W's with Glock bulges that I need to pull.

Cheers,
Wooly

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

I use the Hornady Cam-Lock collet style puller, and it works great for me. It is the easiest, quickest collet puller to use. I've used it on some pretty short, lead bullets (200 gr rnfp .45 colt) without any problems. It is repeatable for the amount of "bite" on the bullet, which helps a lot.

Andy

 

[Muddydogs]

inertia pullers work good. They have no problem pulling 223 or anything else. Don't use wood or anything soft to strike the puller on as it will absorb the energy. I like to use the flat part of my shop vise but any thing hard will do. Put a foam ear plug or wad of paper towel in the end of the puller to soften the impact the bullet takes when it comes out, spire point bullets can get kind of dinged up hitting the plastic at the end. Get a good one, I have an RCBS that has been used for years with no problems. I purchased a Midway brand that saw a quarter of the use the RCBS puller has before the head broke off of the handle.

Collet type pullers are faster and easier to use but the bullet can get damaged depending on how tight its crimped in. With the collet puller the bullet is basically getting clamped down and the case is being forced away. If the bullet is clamped to lose it will slip out of the collet, clamped to tight and it will effect its roundness.

 

[gamestalker]

I use both kinetic and collet pullers, but both have their limitations and exceptions. I've been using the kinetic puller for ever and with great results. But for speed and ease of use, the collet puler is the way to go.

As for limitations, I don't think the collet puller will work on non jacketed bullets. But since your pulling 30-30 I assume your working with something jacketed. And with the collet puller you have to purchase a different collet for each projectile size. Kinetic pullers are pretty much universal, and if you get good with one, you can even pull light bullets with a little bit of practice.

GS

 

[DeadFlies]

Thanks for the replies.

Sounds like the kinetic puller would work best since the whole point is to save the bullets and the powder for my 30-06.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Collet puller does not work with lead. I have found that if you have just a few to dismantle the kinetic puller is better suited. If you are pulling a box or two of jacketed, go with the collet.

That said, I would not rely on just a collet puller. Buy a kinetic first or along with a collet puller.

 

[RainDodger]

I'll be the odd duck here... I have an ancient RCBS collet-type puller, but it works just the same as any new one of the same type. I find that careful use will not mar a bullet at all (in most cases). Yes, it's slower. It is also cleaner and there's obviously no chance of damaging bullet tips which can be a concern with many fragile rifle bullets.

I don't load lead bullets though - everything I load is jacketed.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

All I own is a Hornady Cam Lock collet pullet. It works great on rifle bullets, no damage at all when used properly. It will pull round nose and round nose flat point pistol bullets. Trucated cone, SWC, and HP bullets can cause issues though. It will handle lead and plated bullets just fine as well so long as they aren't crimped too heavily. In my situation I can test my pistol loads fairly easily during work-up and I don't have to worry about pulling too many. The few that I may pull just get pulled with pliers if the collet won't handle them and get thrown in my casting stash. I have a much further drive to test rifle loads but I don't worry about that as the collet puller works great for those.

In other words, I probably won't be wasting time/energy/money on a whack-a-mole puller anytime soon.

 

[DeadFlies]

Update

I bought a cheap Frankford Arsenal kinetic puller. Simple and it works, though it takes about 25 whacks per bullet. Maybe because I put a good crimp on them (Lee FCD).

I did seven rounds so far and I'm not disappointed, realtive to the price. For $16 I feel it was a good buy, depending on how long it lasts.

 

[returningfire]

Ditto Deadflies. Frankford Arsenal kinetic.
I've had mine for four years? Pulled everything from 223-7.62x54R in rifle, and .25-45 in handgun. No problems.

 

[rcmodel]

though it takes about 25 whacks per bullet.

25 whacks just ain't right.

What are you hitting it on?

Whatever it is, it needs to be hard, and immovable.

A block of 4"x4" deck post, or fireplace log on a concrete floor works good.

As does the anvil on my 8" bench vice.

It should not take more then two or three strikes to pull 30-03 bullets.

rc

 

[DeadFlies]

I was hitting it on the end of a piece of 4x4. Some of them only took maybe 6-8 whacks. Most took more. But I suppose I wasn't hitting it as hard as I could have been.

In any case, I dismantled 60 rounds this afternoon. Saved all the bullets and most of the powder. Good times.

Edit to add:

I dismantled some 9mm rounds I had laying around (I no longer own a 9mm) and those were easy. Maybe three whacks and they came apart. Some on the first whack. But I had my 4x4 on the concrete floor instead of my wooden workbench this time. Maybe that made a difference too?

 

[Rule3]

It helps to keep the puller perpendicular to the surface and use several quick wacks. Rather than a real heavy smash.

http://quinetics.com/

Click instructions

 

[bergmen]

I was hitting it on the end of a piece of 4x4. Some of them only took maybe 6-8 whacks. Most took more. But I suppose I wasn't hitting it as hard as I could have been.

In any case, I dismantled 60 rounds this afternoon. Saved all the bullets and most of the powder. Good times.

Put a piece of tape on the backside (over the hole where the rim chucks are) and you won't scatter powder all over the place. You will lose a little bit that sticks to the tape at first but will save most of the rest.

Since I do a fair amount of load development for several 30 caliber rifles I own (.300 WSM, 30-06, .308, 7.62x51, 30-30) I have a collet puller for those. I recently added collets for a few other calibers I will be developing loads for in the future.

The collet puller itself (RCBS) is only $19.95 and collets are around $10 per caliber. Not too expensive and it leaves the shell casing and powder unmolested. Bullets come out looking like new as well.

Dan

 

[aguy]

On a related note, I have a breakdown with a kinetic puller I recently bought. The collar that holds the round in place (they call it a collet, but it's definitely a kinetic puller) was made of flimsy metal that started chipping away when I started dismantling .40 S&W rounds. It didn't last very long before the brass started just slipping right through it on the first hit.

Can anyone recommend either a replacement collet that is made of more durable stuff than the Lyman brand, or an inexpensive DIY trick to make the original collet usable again?

 

[Greg Mercurio]

A collet puller is a lifelong investment. Buy what you need now and add the colets as required. I have both RCBS and Hornady, and an inertia puller. The Hornady is the go to as it's faster. The RCBS is almost as fast, but usually gets used with big bore bullets from .375 and up. Inertia is quick but not particularly robust. I've already broken the lips off the smallest jaws doing .223. Your choice. If you reload you will disassemble.

 

[Hondo 60]

^^^^ yup, what rc said in post #2 ^^^^

 

[astra600]

Both of my Dillon inertia pullers broke, they have plastic between the handle and body. My Lyman inertial has an aluminum between the handle and body.

You can pull lead bullets inertially but you have to break the bond between the bullet and case first by using your press to push the bullet a little further into the case. Then they come out the same as plated or jacketed bullets.

25 whacks to release a bullet? Hint: do not use super glue to seal against water.