Can you pull crimped bullets with inertial puller?

black_hog_down · May 13, 2016, 05:40 PM

Trying to pull 357 mag with inertial puller. This is my first time using one. Fairly heavy crimp.
Should this work?
Any tips/tricks?

mehavey · May 13, 2016, 05:58 PM

No problem.
A few hard[er] whacks & done.

oldpapps · May 13, 2016, 06:25 PM

I put down a small chunk of plywood on concrete. Ponding on tile will do a job on it quickly.

Several rapps over massively hard ones work better for me.

Good pounding

Enjoy,

condor bravo · May 13, 2016, 07:21 PM

The only trick is not to use it like you were pounding nails. Instead, after a hard whack, let it rebound on its own (while still hanging on of course) which adds to the inertia effect. The biggest problem with inertia pullers is usually with the lightest of bullets. A recommended pounding surface is a 4x4 block and pound in-line with the grain of the wood.

sawdustdad · May 13, 2016, 08:50 PM

I use a concrete floor in the shop. A few sharp raps and it's out.

FITASC · May 13, 2016, 08:54 PM

Quote:

The only trick is not to use it like you were pounding nails. Instead, after a hard whack, let it rebound on its own (while still hanging on of course) which adds to the inertia effect. The biggest problem with inertia pullers is usually with the lightest of bullets. A recommended pounding surface is a 4x4 block and pound in-line with the grain of the wood.

+1, do not pound on concrete or you will shatter the puller

Nick_C_S · May 13, 2016, 09:12 PM

Yes, you can pull heavy roll-crimped bullets.

And, it is no fun. You gotta give 'em a pretty good whack (especially with light bullets - as already mentioned). Hope you don't have too many to pull.

Quote:

do not pound on concrete or you will shatter the puller

Never heard that one before. Neither has my 32 year-old RCBS puller. I always slam it into concrete. In fact, it's been my experience that a wood 4X4 softens the blow and renders the pulling action less effective.

Tip: Put a foam earplug in the bottom of it - to soften the bullet's landing.

condor bravo · May 13, 2016, 09:12 PM

Roger on the above. I shattered three inertia pullers by pounding them against too hard of a surface. Until finally I was instructed on how to use the thing. But the good news is that I ended up with a good supply of the three piece collet type case holders that never seem to break or get lost.

Nick_C_S · May 13, 2016, 09:25 PM

Quote:

I ended up with a good supply of the three piece collet type case holders

. . . the hard way.

Reloader270 · May 13, 2016, 11:48 PM

When the crimp is heavy you would struggle to get the bullet pulled with the Hammer type. The Die type bullet pullers are a little better for this, but then there are the occasional bullet that resist pulling with them die also. I broke my hammer after 10 years due to heavy crimps.

**44 AMP** · May 14, 2016, 05:54 AM

After years of frustrating results using collet type (RCBS) press mounted die pullers, I finally got a Lyman "hammer" type inertia puller.

I broke down 400 rounds of bad 7.62mm NATO using it, (foreign milsurp, definitely crimped bullets) with very little trouble. Impact surface for the puller was the top of my wood stove (no fire, middle of summer

).

I think the most any round took was six raps. 3 or 4 was the usual. You don't have to swing it like you are chopping down trees, a few sharp snapping swings worked well for me.

.223 rounds were much tougher, because the light bullets have less inertia.

Wood, even hard wood is softer than steel/iron, and does have an effect on the efficiency of the puller (softens the impact, slightly). SOFT wood definitely softens the impact, noticeably, don't use pine,

It should work fine to pull your .357 loads, if you use the puller correctly.

black_hog_down · May 14, 2016, 08:00 AM

I think I have the hang of it. There is definitely a technique. You gotta let it bounce a little when you wack the ground.
Still not fun.

I think I may just shoot these. I accidentally loaded 180gr XTP (357 mag) on 14 grains H110. I thought I had 158gr (noob error). Max is 13.8
I will be shooting in Ruger 77/357.
That seems fine right? Try one and if it looks ok keep going?

g.willikers · May 14, 2016, 08:31 AM

I wack away on my big iron vise.
One or two hefty ones usually does a handgun round.
Never broke a puller yet.
Ear protection is a good idea.

mikld · May 14, 2016, 11:35 AM

I use an ingot of lead as an anvil for my inertia puller. The lead is soft enough to quieten the whack, but not so soft as to deaden the blow. Works better, for me than the bench top (loud and stuff falls on the floor), the floor (loud and don't want to risk concrete vs plastic), or wood (some absorbs too much of the blow)...

condor bravo · May 14, 2016, 11:50 AM

In place of the three piece type collet case holder that comes with the inertia pullers, the RCBS type standard reloading press shell holder for the caliber can be used instead and works as well or better. The fit is perfect and you are not bothered by the three piece collet holder occasionally coming apart and requiring reassembling. With shell in the holder, insert upside down of course into the body of the puller and screw down the cap.

Nick_C_S · May 14, 2016, 12:07 PM

Quote:

I accidentally loaded 180gr XTP (357 mag) on 14 grains H110.

I recently did a workup with that very bullet (Horn 180 XTP) with that very propellant (Well, it was W296 - same stuff, different label). I worked up to max 13.8 grains, shooting through a Smith 686 4" with no problems at all.

W296/H110 is very forgiving on the high side (it's a different story when downloading, but that's not my context when I say "forgiving."). It's so slow, that I think the bullet jumps crimp before the power is really burning at full song anyway. I'm not suggesting any such action, but I've often speculated that it may not even be possible to damage a gun with it.

At any rate, another suggestion - if you have more 180's on hand (or you could pull a few and re-use them) - is to do a mini-workup to the 14.0 grains. At which point, you'd know it's safe to fire off the remaining rounds.

Nick_C_S · May 14, 2016, 12:08 PM

Quote:

I use an ingot of lead as an anvil for my inertia puller.

. . . ^^ Clever ^^

g.willikers · May 14, 2016, 12:19 PM

Yeah.
Don't have any lead ingots.
But maybe some scuba weights on top of the big, old vise would do as well.
Thanks for the idea.

mavracer · May 14, 2016, 12:29 PM

I whack mine on my '60s era Rock Chucker I can't even knock the paint off it lol.
And velocity is the key you don't swing hard you swing fast

T. O'Heir · May 14, 2016, 12:40 PM

"...do not pound on concrete or you will shatter the puller..." Only a cheap poorly made one. Been using a rock for eons with no fuss.
Inertia pullers need a hard surface. Stuff like plywood is too soft for the physics magic to work well. It's the sudden stop that makes the magic happen. However, if you put a death grip on the handle, it's going to break. Changes how the inertia forces get applied.
Anyway, 14.0 of H110 is only a half grain over max for a 180. Probably see that much difference between manuals. Steve's Reloading pages for example, gives 16.1 as max for a 180. His data comes from himself, not a ballistics lab.

May 13, 2016, 05:40 PM	#1
black_hog_down Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2016 Posts: 111	Can you pull crimped bullets with inertial puller? Trying to pull 357 mag with inertial puller. This is my first time using one. Fairly heavy crimp. Should this work? Any tips/tricks?

May 13, 2016, 07:21 PM	#4
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	The only trick is not to use it like you were pounding nails. Instead, after a hard whack, let it rebound on its own (while still hanging on of course) which adds to the inertia effect. The biggest problem with inertia pullers is usually with the lightest of bullets. A recommended pounding surface is a 4x4 block and pound in-line with the grain of the wood. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with?? Last edited by condor bravo; May 13, 2016 at 07:29 PM.

May 13, 2016, 09:12 PM	#8
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	Roger on the above. I shattered three inertia pullers by pounding them against too hard of a surface. Until finally I was instructed on how to use the thing. But the good news is that I ended up with a good supply of the three piece collet type case holders that never seem to break or get lost. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with??

May 14, 2016, 05:54 AM	#11
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,846	After years of frustrating results using collet type (RCBS) press mounted die pullers, I finally got a Lyman "hammer" type inertia puller. I broke down 400 rounds of bad 7.62mm NATO using it, (foreign milsurp, definitely crimped bullets) with very little trouble. Impact surface for the puller was the top of my wood stove (no fire, middle of summer). I think the most any round took was six raps. 3 or 4 was the usual. You don't have to swing it like you are chopping down trees, a few sharp snapping swings worked well for me. .223 rounds were much tougher, because the light bullets have less inertia. Wood, even hard wood is softer than steel/iron, and does have an effect on the efficiency of the puller (softens the impact, slightly). SOFT wood definitely softens the impact, noticeably, don't use pine, It should work fine to pull your .357 loads, if you use the puller correctly. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

May 14, 2016, 08:31 AM	#13
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	I wack away on my big iron vise. One or two hefty ones usually does a handgun round. Never broke a puller yet. Ear protection is a good idea. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

May 13, 2016, 05:58 PM	#2
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,896	No problem. A few hard[er] whacks & done.

May 13, 2016, 06:25 PM	#3
oldpapps Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2011 Location: Middle America Posts: 518	I put down a small chunk of plywood on concrete. Ponding on tile will do a job on it quickly. Several rapps over massively hard ones work better for me. Good pounding Enjoy,

May 13, 2016, 08:50 PM	#5
sawdustdad Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2014 Location: Virginia Posts: 484	I use a concrete floor in the shop. A few sharp raps and it's out.

May 13, 2016, 11:48 PM	#10
Reloader270 Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2015 Location: South Africa Posts: 138	When the crimp is heavy you would struggle to get the bullet pulled with the Hammer type. The Die type bullet pullers are a little better for this, but then there are the occasional bullet that resist pulling with them die also. I broke my hammer after 10 years due to heavy crimps.

May 14, 2016, 08:00 AM	#12
black_hog_down Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2016 Posts: 111	I think I have the hang of it. There is definitely a technique. You gotta let it bounce a little when you wack the ground. Still not fun. I think I may just shoot these. I accidentally loaded 180gr XTP (357 mag) on 14 grains H110. I thought I had 158gr (noob error). Max is 13.8 I will be shooting in Ruger 77/357. That seems fine right? Try one and if it looks ok keep going?

May 14, 2016, 11:35 AM	#14
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	I use an ingot of lead as an anvil for my inertia puller. The lead is soft enough to quieten the whack, but not so soft as to deaden the blow. Works better, for me than the bench top (loud and stuff falls on the floor), the floor (loud and don't want to risk concrete vs plastic), or wood (some absorbs too much of the blow)... __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

May 14, 2016, 11:50 AM	#15
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	In place of the three piece type collet case holder that comes with the inertia pullers, the RCBS type standard reloading press shell holder for the caliber can be used instead and works as well or better. The fit is perfect and you are not bothered by the three piece collet holder occasionally coming apart and requiring reassembling. With shell in the holder, insert upside down of course into the body of the puller and screw down the cap. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with?? Last edited by condor bravo; May 14, 2016 at 12:15 PM.

May 14, 2016, 12:19 PM	#18
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Yeah. Don't have any lead ingots. But maybe some scuba weights on top of the big, old vise would do as well. Thanks for the idea. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

May 14, 2016, 12:40 PM	#20
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...do not pound on concrete or you will shatter the puller..." Only a cheap poorly made one. Been using a rock for eons with no fuss. Inertia pullers need a hard surface. Stuff like plywood is too soft for the physics magic to work well. It's the sudden stop that makes the magic happen. However, if you put a death grip on the handle, it's going to break. Changes how the inertia forces get applied. Anyway, 14.0 of H110 is only a half grain over max for a 180. Probably see that much difference between manuals. Steve's Reloading pages for example, gives 16.1 as max for a 180. His data comes from himself, not a ballistics lab. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!