Bullet Puller

[Lenny Foffa]

I have never had an issue with the. RCBS collet bullet puller! 6mmBR ; 270 win ; 270 Weatherby Mag 30-06or300 Weatherby Mag! Very slight scratches on bullet . Nothing I can say that harmed accuracy! I would not reuse them for BR competition. But anything else is fine ,for me !

 

[436]

Okay, I understand that they are not yours... so try using some washers between the " bullet puller die body" and the tightening lever/handle. It won't take many, that should lift the shaft of the lever/handle far enough up for you.
If you want you could call RCBS and tell them what the problem is and see if they could provide you another lever/handle so you could cut/gride it, but... I think the washer hack will work out. Good luck Cheers

Not sure why this was posted like this... ?????

 

[436]

You are correct with the handle pushing on everything. I have thought about cutting it down but it's my dads, so I probably need to get a different one to cut on. I tried a 30 cal collet, but couldn't get it on the bullet far enough to do any good.

Someone suggested tape, so that might be my next try before I throw more money at this.
I took a little video of what's happening, but it looks like I can't load it.

Okay, I understand that they are not yours... so try using some washers between the " bullet puller die body" and the tightening lever/handle. It won't take many, that should lift the shaft of the lever/handle far enough up for you.
If you want you could call RCBS and tell them what the problem is and see if they could provide you another lever/handle so you could cut/gride it, but... I think the washer hack will work out. Good luck Cheers

 

[BrentM]

Got to pull the bullets on some 33XC loads and realized that it won't work with kinetic puller. What is a good choice for a cartridge this big? I've looked at the collect style, but worried it'll damage the bullets.

I use a collet and never have an issue unless running crimps or high neck tension for semi's. I really like my collet and cannot see any damage or performance issues

 

[crkckr]

Inertia bullet pullers are NOT hammers and the word hammer should be totally removed from your vocabulary when talking about pulling bullets!

I have had the same RCBS inertia puller for well over 30 years, plus another relatively new one that someone gave me when they broke it. So take note of this: if you manage to break your RCBS inertia puller, RCBS will replace it for free! That's right up there with Dillon's customer service, which is unmatched in the industry. If you send them your old, case scratching size dies, they will refurbish them for free as well!

The keys to using an inertia bullet puller are your wrist and patience, especially with lighter bullets (.22's are the worst to pull, although I suppose any caliber smaller would make one scream eventually!).

Again, these tools are not hammers and if you use them like a hamner, they are going to break quickly! When using an inertia bullet puller you use your wrist, not your arm, to drop the tool. Technically, you could drill a hole in the handle and hang it from a wire and just drop the head on a hard surface and it would work, although it would take longer. You should rest your arm on said hard surface and just use your wrist to raise and drop tge tool head onto your hard surface. I usually just smack mine onto concrete, which works just fine. Keeping the tool head at 90 degrees to the surface akso helps, as hitting the surface at any other angle will damage the tool head and not impart as much inertia on the bullet.

Keeping the lock ring tight will also extend the life of the aluminum collet that holds the shell head in place. If the locking ring/cap gets loose it will quickly batter the soft aluminum collet into uselessness!

Keep in mind you are dropping the tool head onto a hard surface, not driving it down as if to drive a nail into wood. Of course, you can put more speed than just dropping the tool head when using your wrist, but not nearly as much as when using your entire arm to beat the thing out quickly. This is where patience, and sometime loud, fast paced music, can help! I have had .22 bullets tgat took over a hundred strikes to get the bullet to fall out and if you have more that a few rounds to take apart, it can be a chore! Seating the bullets in a bit deeper always helps if pulling bullets that have been seated for a while or crimped bullets. You tap the tool head on your hard surface, not mash it on there with all your strength. However, that would work if you could keep the tool at a perfect 90 degrees to the surface, which of course, you cannot... which is also why you bend so many nails!

Remember, Grasshopper, tap, not smash! And patience is a virtue! Just kniw you'll be tapping for a while, it's just part of the process. If you have zero patience, use a collet puller on your press, it will save you a lot of aggravation!
Cheers,
crkckr

P.S. i just put some tissue or paper towel in the bottom of my puller to save soft point bullet noses. Ear plugs work just as well but I use them in my ears, with muffs, as I have already lost enough of my hearing!

 

[Gregg C]

I stopped using the kinetic pullers when I had a .300 RUM primer detonate in one a handful of years back.

Bet THAT got your blood running!

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

Oops's I missed that one I got ahead of the comments. I have an RCBS puller for 18 different calibers I've owned and pulled bullets on including .33 caliber over the years, your post has me scratching my head, so from the bearing surface junction to the meplat / point is larger or longer than the open hole to the top of the collet, is that right? If that's the case, could it possibly be that the collet tightening handle is pushing the bullet back as you tighten it? Perhaps grinding/cutting down the threads a little on the collet tightening lever/ handle might give you the room you need for the meplat to go up into the collet, you could probably take a 1/4 inch off the threads and it shouldn't affect it. Okay just my stab at it Good luck Cheers


View attachment 490769

Or maybe try to make a bushing to slide over the threads & into the puller on top of the collect. Would this not do the same thing ? No need to mess up the threads. Possibly cut a piece off of a extra collect,

 

[Mike D Texas]

I may have missed it but did the OP post a picture of the cartridge he was trying to disassemble?

It sounds like the bullet is seated so far into the cas Ethan the collet can get a good grip on the bearing surface of the bullet.

I've pulled thousands of bullets with mine and have never had the issue described.

 

[436]

Or maybe try to make a bushing to slide over the threads & into the puller on top of the collect. Would this not do the same thing ? No need to mess up the threads. Possibly cut a piece off of a extra collect,

I was thinking that the cutting/grinding part would be off the tightening lever/handle that screws into the collet and tightens the collet as it pulls it up into the die body, that's the part that I believe is contacting the meplet/point of the bullet and pushing it down on the bullet as he tightens it. That's why I thought that washer(s) acting as placers on the lever/handle might do the trick and hold it back a few inches/cm. A couple of washers I'm thinking would be a pretty fast and cheap fix, just a short run down to the hardware store and he's golden.
Cheers

 

[Dean2]

So just out of curiosity I ran the handle of the RCBS puller into a 338 collet absolutely as far as it will go. It still leaves 1.043 inches from the Collett face till it touches the threaded shaft. From the canallure to tip on 338 bullets is a max of .8 on anything I have on the bench. With a few washers I can increase that clearance in the collet distance to at least 1.5 inches. All collets from 22 to 50 caliber are the same length. I cannot conceive of a bullet under 50 cal long enough for 1.5" to not be adequate. No need to grind or trim any thing.

 

[Grey Goast]

I use the rcbs bullet puller had a Hornady but i broke the handle on it after the 20th bullet using the handle to tighten up un the bullet. the handle was a thin folded piece of metal. The rcbs puller works like a champion no marks on any bullet yet. I ordered a collet from rcbs for each caliber I reload and would recommend this to anyone. 1000 bullets reloaded with no marks so far.

 

[Riceguy]

RCBS collet puller, have used one for years, pulled many hundreds of rounds of military ammo to salvage brass and bullets. No scaring of bullets, once in a while have had to Push the seated bullet down a little to release it. If you have any problems with collets, contact the Guys at RCBS they will replace or repair just about anything they make at no charge. I'm lucky enough to live about 30 minutes from the factory in Oroville, Ca. They go out of their way to please customers.
Question about reseating bullets after pulling them. I thought you had to resize the neck before reseating it in the same case. Won't the bullet be too loose? Especially if you're shooting it in a semi-Auto.

 

[crkckr]

Riceguy,
Sorry but I wouldn't consider living in CA anywhere to be lucky! And I was born in LA. I was just smart enough to get out! I now live in MO, out in the woods with my own 100 yard range in my back yard. At least you live in the better half of CA, even if you do have to put up with newsom & his ilk!

You're right about RCBS, they're customer service is right up there with Dillon and Leupold!

If you are seating bullets back into a case where a bullet has been pulled you should at least neck size it or yes, the bullet will be loose. It doesn't have to be fully neck sized, just down to where the base of the bullet will seat if it isn't below the neck.

On ammo that will be fired from a semi auto and should have a crimp, I use an old size die that has been cut down so it doesn't contact anything but the neck and then use it to taper crimp the round about a 1/8th inch down the case mouth. I've never had problems using this method when shooting .223 (AR's) or 308 Win (HK91). If it's a heavy recoiling round I crimp in the cannelure but unless your brass is trimmed carefully, this can be a real pain! I take care to trim my .338 brass to very close tolerances!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[Jasbo]

I need to try the Lyman.I have broken several RCBS as they last a while and blow up all of a sudden.

Rooster, problem with RCBS hammer (inertia) or collet?