Collet Bullet Puller for Pistol

[Bill_in_TR]

I've done a search and read a number of the resulting threads. Then I did some research on various collet bullet pullers. The problem I am trying to solve is I want to use one for pistol calibers but none of them seem to offer collet for certain pistol calibers. In particular 9mm or .355 caliber. They offer .357 which is close but I don't know if it will clamp down enough. I also want to do .45 ACP and .40 S&W.

The threads I pulled up have a wide range of opinions about bullet pullers. And many say that you need an inertia puller for pistol. But there are a number of people who say they use collet for pistol including 9mm. An inertia puller is fine if you're just doing a couple at a time. But they would be a pain if you had to do 50-100 or more.

What puller and collet do those of you who use them use for 9mm?

 

[AJC1]

I've done a search and read a number of the resulting threads. Then I did some research on various collet bullet pullers. The problem I am trying to solve is I want to use one for pistol calibers but none of them seem to offer collet for certain pistol calibers. In particular 9mm or .355 caliber. They offer .357 which is close but I don't know if it will clamp down enough. I also want to do .45 ACP and .40 S&W.

The threads I pulled up have a wide range of opinions about bullet pullers. And many say that you need an inertia puller for pistol. But there are a number of people who say they use collet for pistol including 9mm. An inertia puller is fine if you're just doing a couple at a time. But they would be a pain if you had to do 50-100 or more.

What puller and collet do those of you who use them use for 9mm?

The issue with pulling pistol is having the ability to get ahold of the bearing surface. Most pistol bullets put the entirety of the bearing surface in the case, making a collet unusable or unrealistic

 

[nettlle]

I am not a fan of collet type pullers. The bullets I tried to pull with them kept slipping out of the collet. I use an inertia puller and I am not particularly fond of it either. If I were to try something new it would be this:

GRIP-N-PULL - The Best Bullet Puller in the World

If you pull your own bullets, the GRIP-N-PULL is the #1 piece of reloading equipment you need. The patented GRIP-N-PULL makes collets and inertia pullers history! Tired of impact pullers? Gripnpull is cleaner, faster, quieter, and easier.

grip-n-pull.com

 

[length_of_pull_1]

I have an rcbs collet puller and I love it. I have the 355 collet and have used it on 9mm and 38/ 357 a whole bunch. It works on coated lead bullets and fmj alike. Sometimes I've felt like I have to tighten the bejesus out of it to defeat the crimp on h110 laden 357 magnum rounds, but then I've also noticed that it didn't beat up the bullet too much either.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

As @AJC1 stated, the problem is in the bullet profile. I recently pulled some 9mm with a Hornady collet puller, which I like very much.

The 9mm rounds I disassembled used a flat point bullet that had some of the bearing surface exposed above the neck of the brass. That gave the collet something on which to grip., and it worked easily.

If you have a round nose 9mm, the slick tapered sides will give a collet puller fits. It may not work at all.

 

[nettlle]

I really don't pull enough bullets to be an expert on bullet pullers. Mainly because I hate bullet pullers.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I have both the RCBS collet puller and the full range of collets and a couple of the cheap Midway inertia pullers. I use the collet for jacketed and thick plated. The inertial works well for thin plated, coated, and lead. I’ve pulled thousands with each and it’s not fun either way but if you do it in batches, neither is awful.

 

[higgite]

I have a Hornady collet bullet puller. It can be a little finicky, but once you get the hang of it, it works quite well. The trick is to get it adjusted such that it will grab the bullet when you pull on the lever and still drop the bullet in your hand when you release the lever. I have collets for 9mm and 45ACP and have pulled jacketed and plated RNs and HPs in both calibers. The collets will usually leave a slightly indented ring on plated bullets, but it doesn't really deform them. No worries for my purposes.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I use my Hornady Cam Loc Bullet Puller with the .358" collet for all my 9mm bullet pulling. Mostly RMR jacketed 124gr (1.114" OAL) and 147gr (1.08" OAL) Match Winners, but also Xtreme 124gr plated FN (1.114" OAL); plenty of the shank available. I use the same collet to pull my .38Spl bullets.

No damage to the bullets. Easy to adjust the jaws to just above the case mouth. The lever applies pressure to close the jaws to pull and releases them to drop the bullet in your hand. Very fast without a need to adjust pressure on each bullet

 

[Soonerpesek]

Mainly because I hate bullet pullers.

The tool, or the people.................?...............................

 

[Bill_in_TR]

OK. But those of you using them which collet are you using? I don't see a .355 collet listed for Hornady or Forster.

 

[higgite]

For Hornady Cam-lock bullet puller:
#9 collet for 9mm
#13 collet for 45ACP

 

[9mmepiphany]

OK. But those of you using them which collet are you using?

I'm going to guess that you didn't follow the link I provided in Post #9...two above yours. It is a direct link to the collet you need to use for 9mm

The Hornady Number 9

 

[Otto]

I've done a search and read a number of the resulting threads. Then I did some research on various inertia puller is fine if you're just doing a couple at a time. But they would be a pain if you had to do 50-100 or more.

What puller and collet do those of you who use them use for 9mm?

I pulled 400 nines in July in one sitting. Was it fun? Not really.
Took 2 hrs. using a Quinetics hammer. (I think they invented the impact puller.)
Fortunately, breaking down ammo is something I do very infrequently.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I pulled 400 nines in July in one sitting...
Took 2 hrs. using a Quinetics hammer

If you had a Hornady Cam-Loc, you could have done in in 1.5 hours less.

A buddy cane over with 430 9mm "problem" loadings. I already had my Cam-Loc set up for 9mm on my single stage. I less than 30 mins we had all the bullets in one bin, all the cases in another bin, and all the powder in a separate container. The only part we didn't break down was to deprime the cases

 

[CQB45ACP]

I have both the RCBS collet puller and the full range of collets and a couple of the cheap Midway inertia pullers. I use the collet for jacketed and thick plated. The inertial works well for thin plated, coated, and lead. I’ve pulled thousands with each and it’s not fun either way but if you do it in batches, neither is awful.

This is the key…batches. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Just do some here and some there with a hammer and it’ll do a fine job w/out damaging the bullet. Maybe the collet will too but likely you’ll have a deformity.

But overall the best thing about having hundreds of rounds to disassemble? It teaches you to be more careful in the future.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

This is the key…batches. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Just do some here and some there with a hammer and it’ll do a fine job w/out damaging the bullet. Maybe the collet will too but likely you’ll have a deformity.

But overall the best thing about having hundreds of rounds to disassemble? It teaches you to be more careful in the future.

It’s also good for bargains. There are a few smaller manufacturers who sell their setups and off-runs online for cheap. Usually they have some common unfixable flaw - wrong powder, no neck tension, I bought a run of 250 .40’s once with the bullets in upside down. Evidently, once you throw the switch on one of those big automatic presses they really go to town.
Pre-pandemic I was typically buying 9/.40/.45 for two-to-three cents each and the sellers were happy enough to get that they would tell me what powder and primer they used; but, I haven’t seen many of those deals lately.

 

[Bill_in_TR]

I'm going to guess that you didn't follow the link I provided in Post #9...two above yours. It is a direct link to the collet you need to use for 9mm

The Hornady Number 9

My apologies. When I checked the thread just before going to bed I somehow missed that post.

 

[Jim Watson]

After The Incident, I pulled a lot of bullets to salvage bullet and brass from soaked ammo.
I used the Hornady Cam Lock on most of it, the inertia only where the collet wouldn't get a grip.

 

[FROGO207]

The key is to make no mistakes LOL.
Seriously though I use the Hornaday Cam Lok puller when I can and a hammer type when the other does not work. I get all the ammo turn in's from the local PD and take them apart for components/scrap. I had the RCBS one and it worked but was quite time consuming compared to the Cam Loc once set up for a run of same ammo.

 

[Bill_in_TR]

I am not a fan of collet type pullers. The bullets I tried to pull with them kept slipping out of the collet. I use an inertia puller and I am not particularly fond of it either. If I were to try something new it would be this:

GRIP-N-PULL - The Best Bullet Puller in the World

If you pull your own bullets, the GRIP-N-PULL is the #1 piece of reloading equipment you need. The patented GRIP-N-PULL makes collets and inertia pullers history! Tired of impact pullers? Gripnpull is cleaner, faster, quieter, and easier.

grip-n-pull.com

I took a look at that. The problem for me is that no pistol bullet rises above the top of the press with the ram all the way up.

And also the price for the pistol caliber version in particular is too high. There are crimping pliers out there for much less that will do the same job.