Is there an easier way?

[FLINT]

To pull light weight bullets out of brass? I'm currently using a frankford arsenal bullet puller.

Up to this point the only bullets I've ever pulled were 150gr+ and 30+ caliber. I didn't think anything of it. One time my friend asked me if I ever had a hard time pulling bullets with a bullet puller and I said, no, not at all. its super easy. (thinking back I think he was pulling smaller bullets as well).

Then I got a 250 savage. doing some load testing I loaded a bunch and settled on a load but had loaded a bunch with heavier powder loads that I don't want to shoot. I tried to pull one of them and holy stuff. I had to pound and pound and pound. It finally occured to me that the crimped 87 grain bullet doesn't have enough mass to get much inertia on the swing of the bullet puller. Plus it seems to me that a crimped .257 bullet has more crimp surface to area than a larger diameter bullet. So anyways, I'm not sure I'm up for the amount of pounding required to pull a dozen of my 250 sav reloads.

I guess if anyone had a bolt action .250 sav I could have them shoot the rounds and give me the brass back . I don't think I want to shoot these heavier loads in my vintage 99.

[AJMD429]

There are bullet pulling setups that grab the bullet, although of course they do some damage to the bullet in the process.
I've often wondered if you could put cartridges in a vacuum set up and drop the external pressure fairly rapidly whether or not the bullet would pull out. I'm not sure it would work with the average garden produce vacuum packer though...

[1894cfan]

A collet type bullet puller would likely work better (mine's an RCBS puller with 22, 30 and 35 collets). There's times when even they didn't work so ended up sticking the cartridges in the press and removed the bullets with plyers and melted the boolets in the casting furnace and made something else with the lead. HTH YMMV

[earlmck]

For us fellers who do occasionally make a mistake -- pliers are our friend. You want some nice sharp serrations on the jaws. I've often done so little damage to the bullet I went ahead and shot it (if jacketed -- cast usually get messed up more and are so easily recycled I don't usually try to use them).

[Rockrat]

For crimped bullets you might try and seat just a fraction deeper to break the crimp. I often use a pair of plier type wire strippers to grab the bullet. Just put the round in the press, lower the handle, grab pullet and raise handle to pull bullet.

[FLINT]

Thanks! Some good ideas to try! I'll keep you posted.

I'd definitely prefer to not damage the bullets if possible as .257 speer hot cors have been super hard to come by the last few years. I know, I don't get it both ways.