Cabelas bullet puller issue

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d2AZ

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This morning, while using a cabelas inertia bullet puller, i had a primer go off in a fully loaded(74.8gns of powder) round. The neck tension required substantial impact force. Mercifully, the round did not explode. i will be using a collet bullet puller from here on out.
 
I use my Inertia puller for 2 things:

Pulling apart stuff that my Hornady Cam Loc can't address, (Certain bullet profiles, soft lead, etc.)
Disassembly of small amounts of 'duds/mistakes' of different calibers.

(The cracked 45ACP case that you didn't catch until you seated it, the 9MM that was missing a primer, etc,)

My El-Cheapo FA puller seems to work well on 9, 38/357, and 45 ACP using the same set of jaws.

Takes too long to 'set up' the Cam Loc for just a couple rounds in one caliber, switch collets, 3 more in another caliber, switch again

For 'Quantity' and profiles that the Cam Loc works on, no contest. Cam Loc* wins.

(*Or your favorite collet-style puller)
 
Takes too long to 'set up' the Cam Loc for just a couple rounds in one caliber, switch collets, 3 more in another caliber, switch again

If you have a Lee Breechlock or similar press, setup time is shortened by keeping the Hornady Cam Loc in a bushing. It's easy-in easy-out of the press then and you just need to switch collets between each caliber.
 
This morning, while using a cabelas inertia bullet puller, i had a primer go off in a fully loaded(74.8gns of powder) round. The neck tension required substantial impact force. Mercifully, the round did not explode. i will be using a collet bullet puller from here on out.
Yikes! That's a boatload of powder. How on earth did the primer go off? I've never heard of such a thing happening and wouldn't think it would even be possible. I'm definitely not doubting what you say is true. I'm just stunned. I'm also shocked that the powder didn't ignite. Did the primer shoot out of the primer pocket? That's the only thing I could think of is that the tension on the primer in the pocket is relatively light and that as soon as the primer ignited, it shot out of there and didn't give the [presumable] slow burning powder enough time to ignite. However, even if it did ignite, it probably wouldn't ignite. It would just burn out of the primer pocket. Did you end up pulling the bullet and having a look at the powder to see if any burned/singed?

I just pulled 50 .500 S&W bullets that I used the incorrect powder charge on last weekend. I crimp them very heavily due to the large recoil, and they took a ton of really hard smacks to get the bullets out. This is making me want to buy a collet puller.
 
Were you using the supplied collets or a shell holder? The case moves around in a shell holder, and a proud primer can detonate.

Good point. The only ones I ever heard of going off was using a shell holder and not the supplied collet. I've heard of high primers setting them off too. On impact the primer shifted forward. But it's hard to believe since nothing impacted the center, just moving the anvil to/past preload.
 
How did you possibly hit the primer with an inertia puller? I have pulled bullets from 32ACP to 7mm mag with never an issue over almost 40 years
 
If you have a Lee Breechlock or similar press, setup time is shortened by keeping the Hornady Cam Loc in a bushing. It's easy-in easy-out of the press then and you just need to switch collets between each caliber.
FWIW, I'm already using Hornady bushings.
 
for some reason, to me, the whole concept of an impact puller for live rounds is dangerous.... collet / press mounted pullers make so much more sense.... I purchased the RCBS collet puller and use it more frequently than I care to admit, but it does work well... YMMV.... glad to hear the incident wasn't more explosive....
 
Yikes! That's a boatload of powder. How on earth did the primer go off? I've never heard of such a thing happening and wouldn't think it would even be possible. I'm definitely not doubting what you say is true. I'm just stunned.

Same reaction here, not doubting - just stunned! :eek:

Is it possible that the primer wasn't seated correctly?
 
Youi are lucky. Listen to the guys that tell you about using shell holders in inertia pullers. There is no way you can hit a primer with the suppplied collets.
 
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