pulling a most uncooperative bullet

[Halo]

Have you ever had a bullet that just refuses to come out with an inertial puller? Curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to pull a bullet from a round of Federal "NPA 06" 9mm ammo. That thing simply will not budge. No sealant around the case mouth is apparent, but I still followed a suggestion in the RCBS instructions to use my seater die and push the bullet in a bit further in order to break any seal that might exist. It still wouldn't pull, and now I have a round with bullet setback. I have clearly marked it so that it won't be fired inadvertently.

What's the best way to dispose of this round?

 

[rcmodel]

Well, it should come out.
Supposed to be a 124 grain bullet, and that's heavy enough for a hammer puller to take it out.

But, if you want it out and don't care about salvaging the bullet & case:

Just squeeze around the bullet with a pair of pliers until it loosens up and falls out.

rcmodel

 

[Halo]

Yeah, I've never had this sort of problem before. Usually just a few raps of the hammer and it's out.

 

[ATAShooter]

Cuss at it. It won't help, but you'll feel better......

 

[Halo]

Actually, that was pretty therapeutic indeed

 

[The Bushmaster]

Put the cartridge in the seating die and push the bullet in just a few thousands to loosen the bullet. Then reinsert it in the error eraser (inertia hammer) and try again...

 

[ReloaderFred]

Make sure you're hitting on concrete and use lots of "wrist action" when using the inertia bullet puller. I've had some difficult ones, but never one I couldn't get out.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Halo]

I'll give it another try when I get home. One other suggestion I heard was to try using a shell holder in place of the universal collet.

On a side note, has anyone ever broken the plastic nose of the hammer? I always feel a bit nervous whacking it on concrete too hard, but honestly I've never heard about anyone cracking their hammer. Maybe I'm being too gingerly with this one.

 

[fireflyfather]

Shell holder is a bad idea. If for some godawful reason the round goes off (unlikely, but hey...), the collet is designed to blow OUT. The shellholder will hold the round in place, and then blow UP.

 

[langenc]

When using the inertia puller make sure the handle is parallel to the floor when the head hits the floor. Swing it up/down keeping the handle parallel to the floor. Seems stupid but I have tried it kinda bending over and not had the bullet pull. get down low and a couple wacks and out it pops.

 

[rg1]

Broke my RCBS inertia puller hitting it on concrete. It's advised to use a block of wood to reduce stress on the hammer but I didn't have luck with that and now still use the concrete with my new Frankford Arsenal tool. Don't know why mine broke. It didn't break at the handle or the end that impacts the floor but broke just under the threads of the collet nut and above the midpoint of the handle attachment. I think they're all made by Quinetics Corp. and renamed and distributed by other companies and in their preferred colors.
Langenc's directions above about keeping the handle parallel to the floor when the head hits the floor is great advice and does make the bullet come out much easier.

 

[Wildfire]

Yep !

Hey There:
Yes , I broke my RCBS by hitting cemment. I now use a board. You can not fix them either.

 

[WayneConrad]

I use my inertial puller for lead and for very thinly plated bullets.

For everything else, a collet style puller. It doesn't take too many busted hammers to pay for one, and they're sure easier to use.

 

[sargenv]

I use the end of a good 4 x 6 post. So it's pretty solid but the post gives just a little bit so I hopefully don't ruin the puller. I tried doing this across the grain on wood but it deformed the wood too much.. ON the grain however works just fine.

 

[TexasSkyhawk]

Broke my first one on concrete.

Jeff

 

[freakshow10mm]

Buy a press mounted bullet puller. I use the Hornady Collet puller. Works like a charm.

 

[Halo]

Would the press mounted puller work with 9mm though? I've read that they're useful mainly for rifle ammo, and range from marginal to useless with pistol ammo.

 

[WayneConrad]

Would the press mounted puller work with 9mm though? I've read that they're useful mainly for rifle ammo, and range from marginal to useless with pistol ammo.

Who told you that? I use my press mounted puller on 9mm pistol ammo all the time.

"All the time" tells you something about the frequency with which I make reloading mistakes that I'd rather not admit in public.

With round-nose, it can take a small bit of finess to figure out how far to feed the round into the collet and how hard to pull the handle so that you grip the bullet firmly without marring it, especially if it is plated and not jacketed. But it's really not difficult.

So, don't try to use one if you're an ape. If you just like smashing things until they work, stick with the hammer style. But apes should probably stay away from reloading altogether.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Strike the inertia hammer on the END of a 1 foot 4 X 4...

 

[freakshow10mm]

The press mounted puller will work on most any caliber with the correct collet size. I use a Hornady puller and have collets from 22cal to 458 cal.

 

[Halo]

Who told you that? I use my press mounted puller on 9mm pistol ammo all the time.

I read it on some other forums. People were saying something about the ogive being too close to the case mouth for the collet to get a good grip. It seems to be commonly repeated as factual, so that's why I asked about it.