Pulling bullets

[GunnyMack]

Is a real chore with these OLD Remington 218s! These are old green cardboard boxes from the 50 or 60s I'm guessing. I was able to pull a couple with the collet puller but the necks split.
So back to the 40 yr old RCBS kinetic puller. 30 wacks per is just not feasible. I swing a hammer a lot but this is ridiculous! Then my puller decides it has had enough and exploded into pieces.
I tried to seat the bullet deeper then pulling but no go.
These bullets are jacketed hps with a cannelure and I'm guessing that's the problem!
I'm trying to save this brass by pulling and annealing.
Ideas?

[Rockrat]

I use some wire strippers and just put the round in the shellholder and raise the ram to where I can grip the bullet just above the case mouth and lower the ram. Bullet gets marks on it, but I use them for fireforming.

[JimT]

I use some wire strippers and just put the round in the shellholder and raise the ram to where I can grip the bullet just above the case mouth and lower the ram. Bullet gets marks on it, but I use them for fireforming.

I did the same with a large nipper. I ground a half round in each jaw so the bite on the bullet is more blunt. The pulled bullets I reused and had good success with them.

[marlinman93]

I ended up with a full set of RCBS collet pullers and hated them. They still do some damage to bullets, and a number of spire points wont grip well and the collet pulls off those bullets. I sold the set and use my kinetic pullers.
Sometimes it takes 6-10 strikes, but most the time about 4 does it. I still hate pulling bullets, but you can't avoid it at times.

[GunnyMack]

That's the problem I'm having, not enough bullet to grab with the collet.

[Ysabel Kid]

I got a bunch of .45-120 Sharps rounds once, which I wanted for the brass. No way I was going to risk shooting a case with that much volume and unknown powder and charge in them! Problem was that my kinetic puller wasn't long enough for these 3.25" cases. So I made one out of pipe. This worked like a charm - a couple/few whacks and the bullets came free. The heavier steel piping helped a lot, and you won't break it.

[elmo123]

Try seating the bullet a little deeper in the case to break the the crimp before you use the kinetic puller.

[AJMD429]

I got a bunch of .45-120 Sharps rounds once, which I wanted for the brass. No way I was going to risk shooting a case with that much volume and unknown powder and charge in them! Problem was that my kinetic puller wasn't long enough for these 3.25" cases. So I made one out of pipe. This worked like a charm - a couple/few whacks and the bullets came free. The heavier steel piping helped a lot, and you won't break it.

Just be sure to cut a good-sized 'vent' facing away from you in case the round detonates.

[LeverGunner]

I've used the side cutters and the press technique a lot.

I do have a hammer that I use some. I've found that it works better if I use the shell holder instead of the collet that comes with it. The shell holder allows the cartridge to flop some and that causes a more sudden jolt at the end of the swing.

[GunnyMack]

Elmo, I've done that, even worse.
LG, I've been using shell holder too.

[GunnyMack]

So new kinetic puller showed up. Still no joy.
Screwed my Lee C press down, seat the bullets 10 thou deeper on RCBS press, swap to LEE with wire strippers and BINGO they slide right out !
When setting the bullets deeper a loud CRACK as the bullets move. I can't believe how much neck tension there is on these.
So far only 1 more has split...

20240326_165105.mp4

[Ysabel Kid]

Just be sure to cut a good-sized 'vent' facing away from you in case the round detonates.

VERY true!

[Walt]

I never even thought of using a shellholder in a kinetic bullet puller rather than the collet. What a pain to insert a large caliber cartridge loaded with a semi wadcutter into a collet!

Thanks for the tip, guys!

[LeverGunner]

So new kinetic puller showed up. Still no joy.
Screwed my Lee C press down, seat the bullets 10 thou deeper on RCBS press, swap to LEE with wire strippers and BINGO they slide right out !
When setting the bullets deeper a loud CRACK as the bullets move. I can't believe how much neck tension there is on these.
So far only 1 more has split...
20240326_165105.mp4

Glad to hear you got a good system figured out and are saving your brass Gunny.

[LeverGunner]

I never even thought of using a shellholder in a kinetic bullet puller rather than the collet. What a pain to insert a large caliber cartridge loaded with a semi wadcutter into a collet!

Thanks for the tip, guys!

I broke down a couple boxes of 44 Magnum loaded with the RCBS 44-250-K and it was sure a pain using the collet. I tried a little bit of everything when disassembling them, just experimenting with different methods.

In case anyone is wondering, I had sold my 44 Magnum, and bought a 44 Special, so I wanted to disassemble the ammo and convert the brass to special. It was all Hornady "short" brass.

[Bill in Oregon]

I'm in the club. Gave up on the collets. Use my Midway kinetic most of the time with the shellholder method, but have used the nippers in the press technique as well -- especially with the bigger stuff. With the kinetic, I find a snap of the wrist and impacting on the concrete floor gets it done with the least drama. Will, please re-shoot that with Sage in the picture.

[GunnyMack]

She was there helping me!

20240326_174030.jpg

[Bill in Oregon]

Excellent! The face of an angel! Makes my day!

[LeverGunner]

Aw, that's a cute one. I have a boxer that's my baby.

[GunnyMack]

Sage is 1 of 3 Labs I have LG. She is 10mo old now. Her momma ,Parker grew up here on this forum.,as has Sage. Claro is my right hand and Sage is becoming my left.

They are my best hunting buddies !

[LeverGunner]

Here's my Annie. She'll set with a treat on her head, and I've gotten her to where she'll set with crackers placed under her lip.

She's not particularly amused by performing these tasks.

[GunnyMack]

Oh my! A Cheezit vampire!! That's hilarious!
No, a Labrador would never do that, food is priority 1.
Boxers are cool dogs, always like them...well there are very few breeds I don't like!

[Sixgun]

Using a kinetic bullets puller, 55 gr. 22 bullets are just as easy as a 300 gr 45 bullets. It’s HOW you swing the puller if one decides to stay with the way it says in the instructions…..with light bullets you need to make a wooden mallet with the head about 3” wide and 6” long or so……..drill a hole and insert a handle. I just use a piece of wood cut off from a 4 x 4 fence post which measures 3.5” wide and use a piece of broom handle…….

Instead of rapping the kinetic puller on a hard surface you have the wood mallet in your left hand and the kinetic puller in your right hand and smack them together below your waist closer to the floor…….The technique is to let them bounce off of each other. Simple physics, you will get twice the energy doing it this way using the same swinging force…….let both hitting surfaces bounce off of each other.

But because it’s coming from me, no one will try it……006

[LeverGunner]

Thanks sixgun, I had never though of using a mallet like that. Makes since. I'll have to give it a try next time I have a mess to take down. Thankfully I don't have much normally.

[Walt]

Hey, thanks, Dr Six! Good tip. I use a rawhide mallet to open my bullet molds and I suspect it'll work just fine for what you suggest.

[GunnyMack]

Finally a chance to get back to case prepping, even though I annealed the necks, it appears maybe these bullets had some kind of sealant on them, lacquer? Some crud still inside the cases. Ill have to shove a brush into the necks and try to remove the ring. Kind of explains the burning stuff that came out while under the torch!

[LeverGunner]

Glad to hear the progress. Nothing like saving some hard to come by brass.

[Walt]

Thanks again, Dr Six. It's kinda like the physics involved in a car crash. If a car hits an immovable obstacle at 60 mph, it's only half the impact of two cars in a head-on collision at 60 mph. Oughtta work great!

[Sixgun]

Thanks again, Dr Six. It's kinda like the physics involved in a car crash. If a car hits an immovable obstacle at 60 mph, it's only half the impact of two cars in a head-on collision at 60 mph. Oughtta work great!

Sure thing Master Walt! Sometime around 30 years ago I have a kinetic puller blow up….not like an explosion but it went to pieces……so I order 3 more and destroyed one of them the same way…..I tried hitting pine, oak, cement floor……..tried different ways of follow through and then I started thinking about my physics days in H.S……(I think I flunked it or something with a D-. I had a meat tenderizer and tried that and out she came easily……in those days you had to think, unlike these punks today typing in You Tube…….

Gotta go………..and check out these Y.T videos on how to sharpen scissors……

That’s enough kindness for one day from me…..headed over to the real thread……Rednecks Anonymous..—-00

[AJMD429]

.
Good ol' PHYSICS comes in handy sometimes...!