pulling bullets ?

rebs · October 25, 2012, 07:41 PM

I have about 200 rounds of 223 that has the bullets seated too deep. If I pull them with a bullet puller will I have to resize then before reseating the bullets at the right depth ? They are loaded to coal of 2.200 and I want them at 2.250.

Wahoo95 · October 25, 2012, 07:56 PM

Are they crimped? You don't need to fully pull them. Using an inertial puller you should be able to get them to lengthen before coming all the way out. A good wack or two should be enough to get them out longer than desired so you can re seat at the desired depth

iraiam · October 25, 2012, 08:00 PM

A properly fitting collet puller will also work, I pulled a couple hundred bullets with one, not one mark on the bullets. it's an RCBS collet die.

Misssissippi Dave · October 25, 2012, 08:03 PM

If you do pull them all the way out, you don't have to re-size. You can skip that step. Do remember to add the powder back in the case etc.

Edward429451 · October 25, 2012, 08:17 PM

Ditto on the RCBS press mount puller. It works so smooth and easy and does not mark the bullets. It's only drawback is that it wont pull lead boolits, but that's not your question.

I've always been of the mind that if you pull the bullet that you should resize the case (or neck) again. This may or may not be mainly a confidence thing. I like being meticulous with my hand loads, and especially Rifle cartridges.

You could pull the de-capping stem out of your sizer and do them one at a time pretty quickly, dump the powder in the pan and refill when you're ready to seat again. That's the other good thing about the RCBS Collet puller, your powder doesn't get dumped like in a hammer puller. It pulls the bullet nice and easy, and preserves the integrity of the powder charge in the case.

snuffy · October 25, 2012, 08:19 PM

If you pull the bullets all the way out, you will end up with a LOT less case-neck-tension than you started with. The neck expands when a bullet is seated, but does NOT spring all the way back, resulting in less case neck tension. It should still be enough to hold the bullet, BUT it won't be the same.

Just dump the powder, then remove the de-prime pin. OR adjust the decapper pin and stem up to where the pin no longer un-seats the primer.

Sport45 · October 25, 2012, 11:22 PM

Quote:

I have about 200 rounds of 223 that has the bullets seated too deep.

Too deep for what?

rebs · October 25, 2012, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Too deep for what?

I had loaded them to try different coal to find what was the most accurate. I found out that 2.250 was the best, I have about 200 rounds loaded with a coal of 2.200nd instead of just blasting them off and wasting the powder, primer and bullet I would like to adjust the coal.
Don't ask how I ended up with so many, its a long story, lol.

Sport45 · October 26, 2012, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Don't ask how I ended up with so many, its a long story, lol.

Okay, I won't ask. But that won't keep me from wondering..

Unless this was for competition or the accuracy difference is more than an inch at 100 yards, I'd probably just shoot them.

If they are for competition I'd pull them and start over.

rebs · October 26, 2012, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Unless this was for competition or the accuracy difference is more than an inch at 100 yards, I'd probably just shoot them.

If they are for competition I'd pull them and start over.

With the coal of 2.250 they shoot 1/2 inch and less at 100 yards. With the coal of 2.200 they shoot 1 to 1 1/4 inch at 100 yds. They are not for competition, just range shooting. But it just aggravates me that I could have made such a big mistake and loaded this many with the wrong coal. They are Hornady soft points and Hornady Vmax bullets, seems to me to be a waste shooting them knowing they are not as accurate as they would be with the right coal. Maybe I am being too picky.

straight-shooter · October 26, 2012, 08:41 AM

I second the previous comment and think you should just use a inertia bullet puller from RCBS. Just give the bullet a couple wacks and the bullet will move enough over 2.250 oal and you could then reseat it.

hooligan1 · October 26, 2012, 08:47 AM

Post #2 and post # 6, Rebs don't pull the bullets completely just use that kinetic hammer and adjust them with a couple whacks to the concrete, then reseat at your new COAL.

don't you have any reloading manuals?

Sport45 · October 26, 2012, 09:54 AM

Yeah, try the kinetic puller. But keep in mind if they are light bullets it may take a lot of whacking to get them to move.

The reseated bullets my shoot no better than the shorter seated bullets. Try a few and check your results before you pull all of them.

But I suppose you've figured that part out now.

rebs · October 26, 2012, 10:59 AM

I partially pulled the bullets on a few using a CH bullet puller. When I went to adjust the coal I measured a few and they were slightly over 2.255 so I tried to move them a few thousands with squeezing the caliber and I was able to move the bullet, just by hand. Now I am concerned that they maybe too loose and get bullet set back if I load a magazine and fire them in my AR. At this point I am thinking I should just pull the bullets, dump the powder in a scale pan, resize the cases and then put the powder back in and reseat the bullets. Its more work but bullet set back could raise pressures enough to ruin my day and my gun.
Thank you for all the replies but I am going to play it safe.

hooligan1 · October 26, 2012, 11:11 AM

Rebs if you can move the bullets by hand then don't shoot them, the neck tension is not right. I would use those suckers for practice plinking or what not, but I wouldn't put a loosley tensioned bullet in my rifle.

Sevens · October 26, 2012, 01:48 PM

Quote:

With the coal of 2.250 they shoot 1/2 inch and less at 100 yards. With the coal of 2.200 they shoot 1 to 1 1/4 inch at 100 yds. They are not for competition, just range shooting. But it just aggravates me that I could have made such a big mistake and loaded this many with the wrong coal. They are Hornady soft points and Hornady Vmax bullets, seems to me to be a waste shooting them knowing they are not as accurate as they would be with the right coal. Maybe I am being too picky.

You are not being too picky, you are doing the right thing.

There is a lesson here and it's being dealt to you in exactly the same manner it's been dealt to all handloaders over time.

When you go great gonzo with production and you haven't done your due diligence to ensure that you have exactly the product you want/need, you screwed up. You made a large pile of something that isn't what you truly want because you either skipped a step (development & testing) or you got too excited and you loaded a large mass of something when you shouldn't have, because you didn't test it enough.

Boy, I've sure done it. Taking them apart sucks out loud. Very labor intensive and this is labor that's not all too enjoyable.

It's a helluva lesson and should keep you from repeating your mistake. It certainly worked on me. My great failure? I thought it would be fun to load cast lead full double ended wadcutters in .357 Magnum to high velocity. I kept upping the powder charge to ensure it was safe and it was indeed safe. So I made 200 of them!

Only took about 10 of them to lead the hell out of my barrel. Of course, they were hard roll-crimped and even pounding the crap out of a kinetic puller wouldn't pull those slugs and break them down.

How did I get out of that jam? I paid the price for the lesson. I cut the rounds in HALF, losing the brass, dumping the powder, recycling the bullet, still lodged in the mouth of the case. The whole thing was pure rookie foolishness.

October 25, 2012, 07:41 PM	#1
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 1,641	pulling bullets ? I have about 200 rounds of 223 that has the bullets seated too deep. If I pull them with a bullet puller will I have to resize then before reseating the bullets at the right depth ? They are loaded to coal of 2.200 and I want them at 2.250.

October 25, 2012, 08:00 PM	#3
iraiam Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2012 Location: Lakewood, CO Posts: 401	A properly fitting collet puller will also work, I pulled a couple hundred bullets with one, not one mark on the bullets. it's an RCBS collet die. __________________ NRA Lifetime Member Since 1999 "I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people except for a few public officials." George Mason

October 25, 2012, 08:19 PM	#6
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 21, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 2,544	If you pull the bullets all the way out, you will end up with a LOT less case-neck-tension than you started with. The neck expands when a bullet is seated, but does NOT spring all the way back, resulting in less case neck tension. It should still be enough to hold the bullet, BUT it won't be the same. Just dump the powder, then remove the de-prime pin. OR adjust the decapper pin and stem up to where the pin no longer un-seats the primer. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

October 26, 2012, 08:47 AM	#12
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 2,859	Post #2 and post # 6, Rebs don't pull the bullets completely just use that kinetic hammer and adjust them with a couple whacks to the concrete, then reseat at your new COAL. don't you have any reloading manuals? __________________ Thanks for coming!

October 26, 2012, 09:54 AM	#13
Sport45 Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 1999 Location: Too close to Houston Posts: 3,987	Yeah, try the kinetic puller. But keep in mind if they are light bullets it may take a lot of whacking to get them to move. The reseated bullets my shoot no better than the shorter seated bullets. Try a few and check your results before you pull all of them. But I suppose you've figured that part out now. __________________ Proud member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association. Registered and active voter.

October 25, 2012, 07:56 PM	#2
Wahoo95 Member Join Date: February 19, 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 58	Are they crimped? You don't need to fully pull them. Using an inertial puller you should be able to get them to lengthen before coming all the way out. A good wack or two should be enough to get them out longer than desired so you can re seat at the desired depth

October 25, 2012, 08:03 PM	#4
Misssissippi Dave Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Posts: 1,173	If you do pull them all the way out, you don't have to re-size. You can skip that step. Do remember to add the powder back in the case etc.

October 25, 2012, 08:17 PM	#5
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,496	Ditto on the RCBS press mount puller. It works so smooth and easy and does not mark the bullets. It's only drawback is that it wont pull lead boolits, but that's not your question. I've always been of the mind that if you pull the bullet that you should resize the case (or neck) again. This may or may not be mainly a confidence thing. I like being meticulous with my hand loads, and especially Rifle cartridges. You could pull the de-capping stem out of your sizer and do them one at a time pretty quickly, dump the powder in the pan and refill when you're ready to seat again. That's the other good thing about the RCBS Collet puller, your powder doesn't get dumped like in a hammer puller. It pulls the bullet nice and easy, and preserves the integrity of the powder charge in the case.

October 26, 2012, 08:41 AM	#11
straight-shooter Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2007 Location: South Bend, Indiana Posts: 232	I second the previous comment and think you should just use a inertia bullet puller from RCBS. Just give the bullet a couple wacks and the bullet will move enough over 2.250 oal and you could then reseat it.

October 26, 2012, 10:59 AM	#14
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 1,641	I partially pulled the bullets on a few using a CH bullet puller. When I went to adjust the coal I measured a few and they were slightly over 2.255 so I tried to move them a few thousands with squeezing the caliber and I was able to move the bullet, just by hand. Now I am concerned that they maybe too loose and get bullet set back if I load a magazine and fire them in my AR. At this point I am thinking I should just pull the bullets, dump the powder in a scale pan, resize the cases and then put the powder back in and reseat the bullets. Its more work but bullet set back could raise pressures enough to ruin my day and my gun. Thank you for all the replies but I am going to play it safe.

October 26, 2012, 11:11 AM	#15
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 2,859	Rebs if you can move the bullets by hand then don't shoot them, the neck tension is not right. I would use those suckers for practice plinking or what not, but I wouldn't put a loosley tensioned bullet in my rifle. __________________ Thanks for coming!