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Pulled bullets?

When you pull bullets do you reuse?


  • Total voters
    129
  • Poll closed .
I'm not quite familiar with the term "barrel fouling", so not sure on that comment??? I recently pulled about 50 rounds that I reloaded due to not liking the way the load was working in the rifle, as the pressure seemed a bit too high. I used an RCBS collet puller and saved the bullets for shooting at the range as practice ammunition. The bullets were .30 caliber, monolithic bullets and not a cheap date, wasn't going to throw them away just because they were pulled. There were some minor scratches at the base of the bullets from where they were seated in the necks, but nothing else.
 
First shot from a squeaky clean barrel likely won't have same POI as shots from a barrel that is "fouled." Fouling shots dirty the barrel for subsequent consistency.
 
I pulled a whole heap of 35 Whelan reloads from a deceased estate a while back. Inspected the cases and projectiles and sorted them like for like.
Cleaned full length resized all of the best cases and recycled the rest.
Worked up a reliable load for the 250gn RN projectiles tested the 250 gnSpire points and they went to same POI at 100yds. I have used them in my clubs field simulation comps (100y, 75y, 50y, 25y) to good effect without wasting good (read - expensive) hunting projectiles.

I say check them out, test the results and use them accordingly, or use them as practice rounds, they are usually too good to waste - so long as you have a use for them! If you are too rich to use "used" projectiles like this, then find someone who will be only too glad to have the opportunity to utilize this resource. It may be good karma for you.
 
I give the bullets a slight nudge with a seater to break up and any existing bond then extract the bullets using either a Hornady cam type bullet puller or a RCBS threaded puller. I then inspect, looking for bashed up points or any other gross deformities. If it sort of looks like a Coke bottle, I toss it - ultra thin jacket & tight neck tension.

I notice that the hammer type pullers use aluminum shell holders, probably to reduce impact forces that could set off primers.
 
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