pullin bullets

[saltyphotog]

I have a 7.62x39 round that FTF. How do I pull the bullet. I am not a reloader and just wanna see what my round looks like unfired. When the bullet comes out of the brass will GP come out? Is there any risk of the round going off in my hands? Pardon the newbie questions, but I wanna be safe and not blow a finger off.

 

[Mt Shooter]

I use a impact bullet puller, hammer looking thing bullet is held in with a collet. hit it on something hard (cement) and the bullet comes out. But you would have to buy one or know a reloader to use one. Two pairs of pliers wrapped with tape or a couple of pieces of rag so you dont gall and scratch things up may work. Just pull, shouldnt be crimped in.

 

[ColinthePilot]

pliers always worked for me. I do the same thing with my FTF's.

 

[NavyLCDR]

It's relatively safe to pull the bullet. Yes, the gun powder will come out, there is nothing under the bullet to keep it in.

If you decide to pull the bullet and then empty the powder out, take a flashlight and look down into the empty case. If you see one hole in the center of the case in the bottom, it is Boxer primed and that brass can be reloaded. If you see two holes, or maybe what looks like three, that brass is Berdan primed and cannot be reloaded economically.

When I pull bullets, I take the die out of my reloading press. Put the round in the press, run it all the way up and most rifle rounds will go up through the hole where the die is mounted. I grab the bullet with pliers and then pull the ram back down. I end up with just a minor dimple on the bullet and reuse most of them.

If you find that your brass is reloadable, I would start picking it up and saving it, you can always sell it in the newspaper, here on the High Road or ebay. Or start reloading yourself.

 

[PMATULEW]

Pulling

On the flip side, if they're steel cases instead of brass, and if there is a red or purple "sealant" around the bullet and the primer, then the bullet will be glued in there pretty solid.

You'll have to whack an impact puller quite hard to get it to come loose.

Scoring the sealant arund the joint may help. A little.

 

[rcmodel]

If you don't want to reload it, and just want to look at it:

Use a pair of pliers and squeeze the case neck several times while rotating it, until the bullet loosens up.

You won't be able to pull sealed, crimped, steel-case 7.62x39 by just wiggling it out.

rcmodel

 

[Superlite27]

Don't whack.

You'll have to whack an impact puller quite hard to get it to come loose.

WARNING: I personally do not advise any form of "whacking" in any form to persons unfamiliar with bullet construction. Even though the probability is low, WHACKING IS NOT ADVISED.

Saltyphotog doesn't sound like he's going to be operating a rotary press, or reading a powder scale quite yet. To reccommend the WHACKING of something when a person is most likely unfamiliar with an impact puller isn't really looking out for the guy's best interest.

I commend him for having the intelligence to ask before trying stuff. Many people assume things and end up with missing fingers or worse.

 

[Sheldon]

I remember seeing a pic of a kinetic/hammer type bullet puller that someone tried to use to take apart a round which hadn't fired. The bullet was blown to pieces. I'm sure it won't happen to every round that has failed to fire, but it might happen. I'de handle a FTF round gingerly and would use a collet style puller and remove the shock factor. Just a thought.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Interesting conversation.... Just how is one supposed to use a kinetic bullet puller then? I went and looked up the instructions for Quinetics. Ok, so it is Rap it against a hard surface. And also, for clarification, since it is a kinetic bullet puller, it is the acceleration of the unit bouncing off the hard surface that causes the bullet to be pulled, not the sudden stop of the impact. So "impact" bullet puller is a bit of improper term as well as Whack.

The best results are obtained when you get a good bounce, not when you get a good solid impact.

 

[WayneConrad]

From a physics point of view, it's the stop that does it.

A kinetic bullet puller holds the cartridge solidly in place, holding the case. One raps the puller against a hard surface. When the cartridge comes to a stop, the bullet wishes to continue moving (Newton's law of inertia). If you have given the bullet sufficient momentum, it overcomes the friction holding it in the cartridge and comes lose.

When used properly, a kinetic bullet puller is safe because nothing impacts the primer.

 

[rcmodel]

When it comes to using a kinetic bullet puller, Whacking is a much more apt term them Rapping.

If you don't agree, try to pull a .223 bullet with one some time!

I guarantee you will be Whacking before you get one out!

rcmodel

 

[TexasRifleman]

When it comes to using a kinetic bullet puller, Whacking is a much more apt term them Rapping.

I agree, you're gonna be whacking the hell out of a kinetic puller to unseat a military round with bullet sealant.

One raps the puller against a hard surface.

Rapping never worked for me, I always had to "Whack the S**T out of it"

 

[Sheldon]

You don't really use it with a hammering motion. You actually need to flick your wrist at the end of the hammer motion to generate that extra speed you need to make it work. Think of a fly swatter motion or a badmitten smash.