Good way to pull down shotshells?

[WestKentucky]

The ponsness warren press is ready to start working on tooling, so I need to free up some components to tinker with. I have some old shells that got wet and I don't trust them because of a hangfire issue...as in trigger pull unlocks action and a half second later BOOM with an unlocked action... so I want to just pull these down and use them as fodder for the press until I get the hang of this new press. I have needlenose and can uncrimp the shells, but was wondering if there might be a better way to tear down 60 or so shells. I'm fully equipped as a metallic reloaded, but I doubt that a kinetic puller is a good idea for shotshells.

 

[Armored farmer]

Be careful depriming hot primers dude.!
Personally, i would cut the rim of the crimp with a utility knife, save the shot......and put the rest in the bottom of a post hole.

 

[WestKentucky]

Be careful depriming hot primers dude.!
Personally, i would cut the rim of the crimp with a utility knife, save the shot......and put the rest in the bottom of a post hole.

The beauty of the PW press is that it is contained very well inside the tooling. Eyes, ears, gloves and long sleeves will be worn though for good measure.

I WAS thinking about going as far as popping the primer in the gun once the rest of the case is empty...probably still will. I can do that at home, I just can't really shoot at home.

 

[Jim Watson]

Cut the crimp to salvage the shot, trash the rest.
Set up the press with good hulls.

 

[Armored farmer]

A guy at the trap club found out that the primers will detonate from either end.
He looked like Yosemite Sam with his hair blown back. He actually had some serious injuries to his fingers.
I wouldnt bother pushing them out, especially if theyve been wet.
@Jim Watson is right. Good quality hulls is key to good reloads, imho.

 

[Axis II]

I had a bunch I recently trashed and took a razor and cut the hull, dumped the shot/slugs and had the bon fire going real good so just threw the brass with primer into the fire from a distance. 3 seconds later pop!

 

[rg1]

I've tried prying open the crimp and it doesn't work well at all. One, you can't get the wad out past the crimped mouth and you can't iron out the old crimp to reload them. Just cut off the hull and scrap it.

 

[someguy2800]

No shotgun unlocks the bolt when the hammer drops. Most pumps unlock the slide when the hammer drops but the carrier still locks the bolt.

 

[FROGO207]

I generally cut the hull 1/2 inch up from the base metal with a razor knife. Then pull apart the round, save the wad and shot. Reload this into a different primed hull of the same type with correct amount of new propellant already installed. Crimp and go shooting. Trying to save a crimped hull is a fools errand IMHO.

FWIW I have saved the waterlogged primers (after they are dry) without popping them and reused them for practice ammo as well.

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

I agree with Frogo that the shot and wad are the only two components that might be salvaged.
Lucky for you, they are the two of the most expensive components as well.

As to saving the wads. You do not mention if these are factory shells, shells from the '50's,
or re-loads using self cushioning plastic wads.
If they are modern wads, I would inspect the bases for damage that might have occurred when they were loaded.
It can affect performance and patterns.

I would not personally save any wads other than the modern variety, unless you have a black powder 12 gauge.
Earlier plastic shot cups that used a fiber wad as a cushion will greatly shrink patterns with the muzzle loader,
but the experience of re-loading them (including powder charges) for practice would not translate over to modern wad
reloading.

JT

 

[rsrocket1]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/BrassCraft-1-1-4-in-PVC-Cutter/999903141

Or something similar. It's worth its weight in gold if you load a lot of shells. You open the cutter, put the shell so that the cut will be at the wad leg area so you don't cut anything else, squeeze down and roll the shell with the side sitting in the "U" towards you until you see the surface start to cut then keep rolling. The blade will slice into the hull wall without the need to squeeze the handle any more. Then you can salvage the wad, powder, shot and primer. A shotshell primer has an internal anvil so the only way to set it off is by hitting the outside with a firing pin. Unlike a metallic primer, it doesn't need to be seated to "set" the anvil. Consequently, you cannot set it off by depriming an empty hull with a depriming pin from the inside. I get all my hulls for free at the range so it is the one component that is completely expendable.

 

[JimKirk]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/712998/precision-reloading-d-loader-shotshell-dismantler

https://www.precisionreloading.com/cart.php#!l=DD&i=DL111

 

[WestKentucky]

I probably should have said that the shells to rip apart were almost all obviously reloaded 12 ga ammo found laying loose in a complete bench buy a few years back. I got the MEC presses but didn’t really want to get into shotshell loading in an apartment with a press that large. I got my money back when I sold that press, and had plenty metallic stuff left over.
While doing this my wife reminded me of more ammo that had been submerged so I have some new, steel-shot shells to tear down next. At least the steel is 20ga so I might be able to salvage a few wads. They will likely be junk though due to the source and age...Activ, from a warehouse with a roof that leaked right onto the pallet. I paid $1 a box a few years ago.