Pullin bullets to be safe - better safe than scar-eee

[Bullseye]

Last night I was loading up 50 rounds of 25-06 with IMR 4350 and 87 gr Nosler Varmint Ballistic Tips.
My accurate load so far is 49.1 gr of the stuff so I set up the RCBS 5-0-5 and get going. I use a Lee Perfect Powder dispenser and a trickler.

First clue should have been I was turning my flow a few times to do less trickling. Not much, just here and there a little more. The trickling caught up.

So at round #34 I take a closer look at my beam on the scale and it bumped out of the 40 notch midway to the 50 notch but lay there midway. This is me

Well, I corrected things and finished up the last 16 rounds as they should be (for me) at 49.1 gr IMR 4350. Double checking the beam for each one as I went along.

When I got done, I pulled the last "overload" and weighed it. 55.3 grains.
I checked my first load of the batch and it was 51.5 gr.

So I marked my "good" 16 rounds with magic marker and for a moment, I was tempted to leave the rest as is after seeing max was 55 grains in my Lyman book.

My guts telling me, get them empty and do it right. So tonight, I played wack-a-mole with this blue hammer bullet puller. Weighing each powder charge from the emptied case.

Sure enough, the last ones I loaded last night were very close to 55.3 grains and they reduced in weight just a tiny bit for each one as I reversed my way back in the order I loaded them to the first round.

Lesson here is NEVER take chances with a powder charge, check your beam and scale settings often, and be more careful. Complacency does set in after loading thousands of rounds. I am glad I caught myself and did the right thing.

Now I have safe rounds and they chamber and eject just fine in my Ruger 1. Although this was a pain, I feel much better now that I took care of it right.

 

[rcmodel]

You absolutely did the Right Thing!!!

Good on you!

rc

 

[Bullseye]

Thanks RC .... I'm breaking my arm, patting myself on the back as I type.
Actually, I share my mistake so that others might benefit. There's no cutting corners in rocket science.

 

[witchhunter]

No question, good job. Why take chances, this ain't brain surgery, it's rocket science!

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Now, take the money you saved by avoiding the destruction of your rifle, and buy yourself a collet style bullet puller.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

You may also consider getting a second scale. For all my rifle loads I weigh first on an Ohaus beam scale and then double check the weight on one of the Dillon digital scales. Just bumping the scale on my bench can make it off. After I'm sure everything is correct than I use only one scale. If loading .223 plinking ammo I weigh every 10th load to make sure there are no problems with the powder dispenser. I agree with RC, you made the right call in pulling those bullets. I know this is probably a dumb question, but you did resize the brass again after you pulled the bullets?

 

[Shaq]

I predict that (in the future) you'll be the proud owner of a digital scale like the RCBS. Much faster to weight display & no little things to slide around.

 

[GBExpat]

Well done, sigsmoker! ... well, not during the loading, but on "the catch" and the rest "ya done good".

... So tonight, I played wack-a-mole with this blue hammer bullet puller. ...

Reading this caused a raised eyebrow until I thought it thru.

I have probably done more bullet pulling than most (mostly pulling good bullets from dying/dead-primer, ancient and/or beat-up, cheap milsurp ammo) and, therefore, have a collet-style puller.

O'course, the collet-style pullers are not too expensive.

 

[JimKirk]

I don't fully trust digital scales ...I guess that comes from trying several different brands over the years ... and the fact that they have too many things that can effect the way they work ... the old beam scale depends on gravity and so far that has never failed me in 50 yrs of load ....

I have just got one of the new digital scale and have been "trying" it out ... so far it seems much better than the old ones I had ... key word had ... I know that digital scales have improved greatly over the last few years ... that is why I am trial driving one ...

My beam scale checks out every time with check weights ... so if I do "checking" it will be me checking the digital with the beam ...not the other way around ...

Good job on finding your mistake before it could have really been a problem ... never get in a hurry reloading ...

 

[Dudedog]

I saw something the other day
How to make friends with your bullet puller
"Don't use it"

I don't get along well with mine.

Say sanity check....did I or didn't I oh pull it.

Good choice to pull them.
Probably let you sleep well that night, otherwise you would have been wondering.....

 

[Bullseye]

Dudedog ... I don't use it very often that's for sure. All those 25-06 got loaded up, then 100 .270's and then 70 405 Win and I had to pull a 405. I forgot to or didn't flare the case enough and got a small wrinkle on the edge.
I was a bit nervous whacking a large case like that but I lived. The best prevention is good preparation and concentration.
I had to trim that 405 case a little but it is plainly marked to discard after I fire it since it is going to be a little too short to mess with again. The OAL is fine just as the others, but the case is a half to 3/4 millimeter shorter than the rest. I'll use it to warm up the barrel and throw it out. Hate to lose a 405 case.
I just don't like that hammer either, but I am too frugal to discard reloading components.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

I had a brain fart awhile back with 40 S&W loads. I finished up doing some 155 grain Berry's RN with 8.2 grains Longshot, grabbed a handful of 180 grain Berry's that I had nearby and started loading those. Problem was, I didn't adjust the scale back to 7.2 grains for the 180's.....so I had to pull 50 rounds apart and start over.

That was alot better than a potentially damaged pistol....glad I caught it before I tried to fire them.

 

[GBExpat]

... I just don't like that hammer either, but I am too frugal to discard reloading components.

I started out with "the hammer", as did we all, probably. I keep mine, primarily, for disassembling pistol rounds.

My collet-type puller I use, almost exclusively, for rifle rounds with their longer bullets.

One exception: pulling FMJ bullets from S&B 7.62x25 pistol rounds and replacing them with SPs or HPs ... result, less expensive SD/HD ammo. The FMJs offer enough surface to be gripped by the collet.

 

[fotheringill]

Call me a sissy. I bring rounds like that to the range and put them in a special bucket for proper disposal. It ain't brain surgery, nor do I EVER want brain surgery.

 

[Bullseye]

Jesse:

Now, take the money you saved by avoiding the destruction of your rifle, and buy yourself a collet style bullet puller.

I have to pull 148 .357 that are entirely too hot that I got in a deal with a revolver, so I went and bought an RCBS puller and collet to do this from Midway and they happened to be on sale anyway.

 

[rcmodel]

A collet puller won't work on 148 grain lead wad cutters, if that's what you have.

There isn't anything for a collet to get a grip on.

rc

 

[joem1945]

I've pulled thousands of bullets for components or mistakes using a Hornady Cam Loc pullet. If i have only a very few to pull I use the hammer or toss them in the woods behind my house.

 

[Bullseye]

A collet puller won't work on 148 grain lead wad cutters, if that's what you have.

There isn't anything for a collet to get a grip on.

RC, the 148 I have to pull are semi jacketed hollow points.
The image attached shows that these have flattened and protruding primers. I shot 2. Both looked identical. They didn't feel as if they were all that "hot" but has trouble extracting them from the cylinder.
I do not want to take the chance of one of these going off in a "blue impact hammer" although they probably wouldn't.
I especially don't want to end up with one of my arms looking like Popeye's from swinging it all afternoon and have my other arm all puny from lack of use.

I also don't want to waste 148 good bullets, cases and even primers maybe. so the RCBS collet puller will be great. I am going to be able to weigh these powder loads too using the puller. I am curious what is in there. I may be able to identify it but the powder is not really worth re-using.
I did NOT load these and a lesson is reinforced here to NOT SHOOT OTHER PEOPLES RELOADS!
I got these many years ago at a gun shop. Imagine that. I gave them to a guy that never shot them and 15 years later, I get them back in a revolver deal. Glad he didn't shoot them.
Buying reloads is not safe, even if it is from a gun dealers gun shop.
I guess I'll be on the lookout for other collets as I need them.
Great to know that the SWC won't pull but these should come out shouldn't they?

 

[papaairbear]

I had to pull a couple hundred rounds using the hammer-all overloaded, and it gave me a dedicated appreciation for my collet puller that came shortly thereafter. It did improve my carpenter skills, I believe.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I hate pulling bullets so I "try" my best not to make mistakes BUT, no matter how hard we try there are always those times we must pull-um. I doubt anyone here will disagree with your decision to pull anything you are not sure of. I would and I'm glad you did too.

 

[Patocazador]

When I load rifle bullets for hunting, I weigh every charge on my PACT scale. My most accurate powder for .25-06 for 100-115 gr. bullets is IMR 4831. I found that IMR4350 seemed to give variable results with accuracy in my rifle.

I don't load 87 gr. anymore but when I did, I used 4064.

Just saying.

 

[spitballer]

Indeed you did the right thing, and personally I'm glad there are reloaders out there who seem to be as demanding of themselves as I am. Makes us all safer.

 

[styles]

I'm paranoid and I use the Hornady cam-lock puller quite a bit. I am paranoid enough that the hammers bother me. As soon as that little voice starts I am "tuned in."

One of my work pursuits is teaching Quality. We say, "Quality begins with picturing the end user of our product." My Wife shoots my reloads with me. So, I'm not making a silly mistake. Safety is #1.

 

[Bullseye]

Got my puller and collet today! First one looked like an accordian but I have the swing of it now. The RCBS puller 9440 is the way to go. Still working on these but beats the heck out using the hammer.

The powder that is coming out weighs between 11.4 and 11.7 so far. Some of the primers were squashed into place and the crimp is over done which is making this slightly tedious.
The guy who made these had no skills and the gun shop owner had no business putting these up for sale.

SO ... the attached image shows the powder I am getting out.
Can anyone identfy this powder?
It doesn't matter ... Don't go looking for what it might be. I put it in my bulk mixed powder container that is clearly marked DO NOT USE to use for fertilizer.
(above I posted that they were 148 gr bullets. I know they are 158 gr. I just hit the wrong key.)