Better to buy an inertia or collet type - is the inertia universal for all calibers or do you need collets for them - Thanks

Collet type is best. It may cost more for the individual collets and all, but the benefits are: increased safety (cartridges have been known to fire in inertia types,) ease of saving powder without re-weighing, and greatly reduced possibility of damage to bullets. Bullets pulled with collet type pullers are seldom, if ever, damaged. Not necessarily so with the inertia types, even when using foam ear plugs as a buffer.

Ditto's to what Bob said, collet pullers are the way to go. One other item to mention, you can pull bullets much faster with a collet puller.

I'll hang on to the others here. Go for the collet type.

Collet it is - thanks

Check the collets before buying, some of the RCBS are not perfectly round when unstressed and consequently damage bullets badly.

I was wondering which brand to get - Forrester, Hornady or RCBS. Thanks

I've found that the most enjoyable "bullet puller" to use is actually a "bullet thrower"!

Generally it has a steel tube at the end, some sort of cartridge holding mechanism in the middle, and a hunk of something to hang onto.

In order to utilize this tool all you do is toggle a little lever...

While I agree totally with Ricciardelli method - I have 900 Jugoslav rounds of 8x57 that won't do their part of the deal - so I'm going to vote for an evening with my collet bullet puller since it is very much quicker than the inertia type. (Used both - have the T-shirt)

Later (after I've built it) a pretty wet session with a hydraulic de-primer and then a mighty session of reloading.

I'll wait for summer though.

cheers edi

Any collet... but NO hammer "pullers".

I definately prefer Steve's method. But, when you screw up, and have a bunch of too hot loads, you're stuck. I have an inertia it works, I have done a couple of hundered rounds over the years. It's also slow, messy, noisy, and a general pain in the but to use. Crimped in bullets may take twenty swats to come free. Not gentle raps either! I don't use it often, and I'm too cheap to switch, or I'd have a collet.
One nice thing is that the inertia will unload most standard cartridges, and needs no extras to do so.

Steve? Who's Steve? ;-)

I have a hammer inertia and it's slow and noisy, but I never new it was dangerous can someone please exapnd on this. The other day I mucked up some .585 rounds and the inertia hammer would not fit them, so my mate and I put them in the loading press raised the ram and grabbed the bullet head with some multi grips resting against the die hole and lowered the ram handle, It worked, but messed the projectiles up.

I have and use both. Sometimes it's not handy to set up the collets for one or two rounds.

I use both. Some bullets are near immposible to pull with collets. The swiiss GP-11 ammo comes directly to mind. For starting reloading, saving a few $'s, or just pulling a few bullets use a impact tool. If you're pulling quite a few, a collet is faster and easier.

PC,
I used an aluminum plate 1/2"x12" (12.7mm x 304.8mm), drilled a 12mm hole about 125mm from one end then used a holesaw and a jigsaw to make a large hole leaving about 25mm aluminum all around just past that hole on the same end. I then cut this 4" (100mm) wide plate right down the middle with a circular saw, no special blade, cuts aluminum just fine.
I raise the cartridge up in the press, slip the bullet into the 12mm hole, squeeze the "handles" I cut into this and draw the ram back down, works excellent. I should have taken a pic to post. Won't harm you bullets at all.

Get the Collet puller from MidwayUSA.com. It works , it's fast, and it's inexpensive. Don't worry that it's plastic believe it or not it takes quite a whack to shatter one, and i never have. Price with collets about $15+shipping.

The potential danger of an impact puller, rare though documented, is that the impact will cause the primer to detonate, thus setting off the round. Some theorize that it may be from primers that were not fully seated, and had enough room to move forward to the bottom of the pocket at impact, and enough speed at the arrival to go off.

I wouldn't say that a collet is the solution for all pulling opperations, nor that an impact puller may not earn it's keep on occasion, but for me, the collet is the first choice.

As far as brands, I have an RCBS, simply because I traded into it, and started getting collets for it. Haven't tried the others, so can't say which is best. You might want to see what brands are stocked locally, just in case you start loading a new caliber, and happen to need a new collet, and don't want to wait a few days for a mail order delivery (got that t-shirt)

Where can I get collets at a reasonable price for a forster puller? Seems like the last ones I saw were $12-$15 each!! Ouch!!

Rodger,

will this work for all calibres??. I would be interested in seeing a pic of this. The multi grips ruined the bullets when we were using them to hold the projectile.

Rodger,
Send pics buddy....You have others interested in this little gadget.

Hi All, The gadget that Rodger described is a pair of smooth jawed pliers without a hinge!

Nice thinking Rodger.

cheers edi

I am no machinist.....But it seems to me that a hinge on one side and a strong spring on the other that holds it closed.....Then, you squeeze the handles to open it, slide the bullet in from raising the press, let go of the handle and lower the press arm....Bingo.
Now somebody design this, send it to me for testing, we'll patent it....Get rich....buy large share of Sinclair Int'l....screw it up....and start over!!...hmmm, sounds kinda familiar.

I have often resorted to the pliers/empty die hole in the press method. Yup, it bites into the bullet.

Some years ago I reloaded some of the pulled ones (168 Sierras) as a test. They shot groups about twice as large as the control group, for what it's worth.

Unless they're loaded too hot, Steve's method is my favorite.

Redial

I've used a plate of aluminum, with a caliber sized hole drilled through, and then split with a hacksaw, and clamped with a bolt. It will work for bullets that aren't gripped that tightly, but doesn't always have enough grip. I was ok with the .308 and .35 whelen, but a wildcat 6.5mm with long neck and deep seated bullets just kept slipping out of the homemade gripper.

I don't think the commercial collets go larger then 45 caliber, so for a 585, you're looking at some sort of custom setup.

I've used both. I use both. I use the collet puller more often than not.

I just saw a new puller at this site: http://www.imt.net/~royalarms/Tools.html

You folks might be interested. I am.

Paul

Paul I can imagine problems with crimped bullets arising to, hence the use of multi grips to pull my .585 f#$%k ups. This ruined the projectiles, but hey the cases were worth more than the projectiles and powder, not to mention the rifle

Do rcbs make a collet puller ?? how does it work ??

Gitano that puller looks good, I wonder if it's available in Australia.

PC - RCBS does make a collet bullet puller. It's the one I use. I have no idea about getting the Royal Arms one to Australia. Send 'em an e-mail and see what happens.

Paul

Thanks Gitano.