Pulling bullets with loaded and primed rounds

[.308winguy]

I made a mistake on my last batch of 50 rounds and need to discard.
Is it safe to pull the bullets on loaded / primed rounds?
Also, I assume I will have to resize the cartridge, since the crimp will be no good. If so, just resize, leaving the primer in, by removing the punch pin?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Wisconsinner]

You will be just fine pulling the bullets with a primed and charged case. Make sure you are wearing eye protection. As far as resizing you could try to remove the decapping assembly and back the die out so you are only resizing the neck still using a little lube that can be wiped off easily.

 

[Tokay444]

Yes.

 

[.308winguy]

You will be just fine pulling the bullets with a primed and charged case. Make sure you are wearing eye protection. As far as resizing you could try to remove the decapping assembly and back the die out so you are only resizing the neck still using a little lube that can be wiped off easily.

Whew! Not sure what you mean by "removing the decapping assembly". I am using a RCBS die, which seems to be one piece (excluding the pin). Thanks for the response.

 

[Tokay444]

I need to change my answer to no.

 

[JM4590]

 

[DstRflMn645]

I use an inertia puller and the remove the decapping pin to resize brass, may not be needed but I do this to be certain of neck tension.

 

[Old Corps 8541]

When you go to resize and I'm guessing you have only a FL sizing die ? Just back the decapping/expander ball stem out till the de priming pin is just inside the die that way you have the same neck tension as before. Same if you have a neck sizing die.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Whew! Not sure what you mean by "removing the decapping assembly". I am using a RCBS die, which seems to be one piece (excluding the pin). Thanks for the response.

I buy extra decapping stems and cut the pin off just below the expander ball just for this purpose. Some rounds just don’t offer neck sizing options, so adapt and overcome.

 

[FuhQ]

I made a mistake on my last batch of 50 rounds and need to discard.
Is it safe to pull the bullets on loaded / primed rounds?
Also, I assume I will have to resize the cartridge, since the crimp will be no good. If so, just resize, leaving the primer in, by removing the punch pin?

Thanks in advance!

As long as you use a collet puller, you can safely pull the bullets, and even reload them when you fix the mistake. This is the setup I've used for 15 years, and it's been great.

RCBS Collet Bullet Puller

The RCBS Collet Bullet Puller is designed so the reloader can easily pull jacketed bullets from brass cases without damaging either. The puller utilizes...

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RCBS Collet Bullet Puller Collet 30 Cal (308 Diameter)

The RCBS Collet Bullet Puller is an excellent tool designed to help reloaders dismantle loaded ammunition to save valuable components. These collets are...

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Yes, you can resize the necks only if you have a neck-sizing die. Just remove the primer punch pin from the stem, dump the powder from that one case into a spare aluminum powder pan, keep the primer seated, resize the neck, dump the same powder back into that case, and then reseat the bullet. I do it all the time. I buy 3-die sets (FL, neck, Seater) for just about every bolt-action I load for, partly for this reason.

Also, you don't always have to resize, most of the time you can get away with 1 pull and reseat, only if the brass still has good elasticity, and still be ok. But, if the brass is old or has been shot a lot, or you have to pull the bullet a 2nd time, you will need to resize the case for sure.

 

[FLIGHT762]

If you're looking to buy a collet puller, I much prefer the Hornady Cam Lock puller over the RCBS / Forester style collet pullers. Much easier to use. I have used both.

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[Haney]

If you're looking to buy a collet puller, I much prefer the Hornady Cam Lock puller over the RCBS / Forester style collet pullers. Much easier to use. I have used both.

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Another vote for the Hornady , I have both and the RCBS never gets used .

 

[.308winguy]

not to beat this to death (I appreciate the responses).
I have unscrewed the pin unit. Looking up from the bottom of the die, I can see where the neck would start.
I understand rubbing a little lube on the cartridge neck, but wouldn't the rest of the casing need lube also to avoid getting stuck in the die?

 

[supercorndogs]

When you go to resize and I'm guessing you have only a FL sizing die ? Just back the decapping/expander ball stem out till the de priming pin is just inside the die that way you have the same neck tension as before. Same if you have a neck sizing die.

That is a good way to get the expander ball high enough to impede the neck sizing area of the FL die.

With most RCBS dies you can loosen the expander ball, and remove the de-capping pin.

 

[oldnewguy]

Another vote for the Hornady , I have both and the RCBS never gets used .

What do you guys like about the Hornady over the RCBS?

 

[FLIGHT762]

You don't have to spin the collet screw clockwise with a long pin lever to lock onto the bullet and then unscrew it. With the Hornady Cam lock, you pull down a lever to lock onto a bullet and lift the lever to unlock the collet. Just ergonomically better / quicker.

 

[straightshooter1]

You don't have to spin the collet screw clockwise with a long pin lever to lock onto the bullet and then unscrew it. With the Hornady Cam lock, you pull down a lever to lock onto a bullet and lift the lever to unlock the collet. Just ergonomically better / quicker.

I agree with this.

I have both and so I might add that the RCBS tends to over torque the grip on the bullet causing some deformation, where the Hornady's cam lock makes it a little easier to control the amount of grip. I use the Hornady in my Forster Co-Ax, and though it's a little awkward with the way the cam lock handle not quite fit in it's fully vertical position, it does make quick work of pulling a bunch of bullets when needs be.

 

[supercorndogs]

You don't have to spin the collet screw clockwise with a long pin lever to lock onto the bullet and then unscrew it. With the Hornady Cam lock, you pull down a lever to lock onto a bullet and lift the lever to unlock the collet. Just ergonomically better / quicker.

That does sound nice as opposed to the RCBS which is the only one I have used. How is the condition of the bullets after pulling? Have you ever ran into one it wouldn't pull?

 

[kriller134]

I like to use a hammer and punch. Lightly tap on the primer and it pops right out.

Jk I use the Hornady cam lock with good success. No damage to the bullet.

 

[FLIGHT762]

The Hornady pull collets are similar (But not interchangeable) to the RCBS collets. From the various bullets I've pulled, I haven't noticed any nasty pull marks.

Most of the bullets I pull are reloads with reasonable neck tension and no crimp. I did pull about 150 bullets from some WW1 M-1906 ball ammo to salvage the bullets & powder since the primers were hang fires. No marks on them.

Pull marks will come from ammo that has very heavy crimps.

 

[jakelly]

Get a grip-n-pull.

You can run the expander ball extra long without the decapping pin to remove the crimps.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Fwiw, my experience with pulled bullets is accuracy was significantly degraded. I pulled about 20 77gr SMKs from not-crimped .223 brass (inertia puller)... no marks on bullets... loaded them again... 100+ yard accuracy was gone. Again, no noticeable marks on bullets which were caught in a foam pad in the puller.

Hopefully others have had better success with pulled bullets.

 

[Wildfire1550]

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This is the answer

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Get a grip-n-pull.

You can run the expander ball extra long without the decapping pin to remove the crimps.

That's what I use. The cam lock is probably better for doing a lot of rounds but I normally don't have to pull more than 50 at most so the grip n pull is super fast. I had a guy here 3d print me a block that also had a recess for me to install some magnets so the block locks right onto my press and I don't have to remove the dies from my turret press. As long as I have an open spot, I can always pull bullets, then take the block off and go back to whatever without any changing of anything. It's a nice set up I must say. Wouldn't want to do more than 50 or so that way though.

 

[Haney]

Fwiw, my experience with pulled bullets is accuracy was significantly degraded. I pulled about 20 77gr SMKs from not-crimped .223 brass (inertia puller)... no marks on bullets... loaded them again... 100+ yard accuracy was gone. Again, no noticeable marks on bullets which were caught in a foam pad in the puller.

Hopefully others have had better success with pulled bullets.

Maybe your 20 round experience had Zero to do with the bullet ? My experience with pulled bullets of all kinds does not go along with your pulled bullet theory . Hell ,My Son won a benchrest comp with pulled 77 MKs (Inertia and Collet) , and he never knew they were pulled until after the match when I told him what I used for those loads .