or will just any one do?

I realized I have several hundred sketchy 9mm 115 jacketed RN reloads that I can pull down, resize (to be safe) and load with a known good powder load. I got them from a friend, and had a squib load, and a likely near double charge. Those Ruger KP-95s are REALLY tough. My foot hurt the magazine exited the grip so fast and hit the top of my foot. No meat or padding there!

I got so excited when I ran across the box and remembered what was in it.

Frankford Arsenal works well.

I just recently broke my original Kenetic Hammer Puller after having it for 40 years! I bought a cheap one from Midway back long ago (think I paid $7.99 for it) and after it gave up the ghost I bought the same one again. Cost me $10 bucks this time - LOL We'll see if this one lasts as long.

BTW the part that actually broke was the screw on cap - not the main part of the hammer.

Breaking down several hundred rounds will be a pain by any means. I have a FA puller, but five is the most I've had to do at any one time. Putting a foam ear plug or other piece of foam in the head will prevent damaged bullet tips.

I have had three different ones over the years. Most recently Frankford Arsenal. I have come to prefer the ones that use a rubber O ring rather than a steel split ring to secure the "fingers", other than that I can not offer much of an opinion.

Better yet use a shell holder from your press. I just open the box take out the proper sized shell holder and put it in the puller. Threw those split rings that come with the puller in the trash.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

All reloaders make mistakes and should own a kinetic puller, but if you have hundreds of bullets to pull and don't have the patience of an oyster, look into a collet style tool. There are several designs out there.

AJ Has It Right ... Shell Holders Work Best .

I like the Lyman Magnum Inertia Puller ($25.85) or the Quinetics Kinetic Puller ($26.99) they are both well made .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Pulling pistol bullets is no sweat.

When you move up to revolver loads that have a lead bullet with a HEAVY crimp on it......
now you will know what work , really is.

Have fun.

Many years ago when my son was about 8 or 9, I was given a case of imported 5.56mm cartridges. They had been recalled by the importer due to excessively high pressures. I took them with the idea of breaking them down for the components. I don't recall how long it took, but my son and I had a great time with a kinetic bullet puller banging away on 1000 cartridges. Work goes easy with a father and son working together.

I had an RCBS that lasted for maybe 12 years, and then a Midway one that is still going after 25+ years. Just be sure to smack it against something "HARD". I use the anvil part of my bench vice. Hitting it against a wooden bench to isn't hard enough.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I'll second the "smack it against something "HARD"". I too use the anvil portion of my bench vice or a 15 pound lead plate that I have.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I've had a Quinetics puller for 30 yrs. and it's still doing the job. During that period I've tried several cheapys and they all broke. The trick is to strike a hard surface like an anvil in a relaxed stroke several times in quick succession. Don't smash really hard because that's what kills the puller.

I had to pull 500 45ACP 200gr SWCs one winter because at least a third of them had no powder.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

There is a reason you DON"T use shell holders in a bullet puller. The shell holder WILL NOT keep the round centered. There was a case where some one had a round blow up in the puller using a shell holder. The round got off center of the shell holder and blew up. Much plastic scrapnel had to be removed from the guy's face and arms............Don't believe me? contact the puller manufacturers and ask them.

I for one will never use a shell holder in a bullet puller. you have given advice that can get someone hurt.....bad.

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S&W Accumulator

I don't understand the issue with the three-piece collet. Push the round in bullet first, push it out base first. Worked fine for three years now.

Mike,

I know quite a few folks that do the same as I do. I did not learn this on my own, I learned it from a friend who had been doing it for years.

How is the round getting off center going to cause it to go off? Are you using the puller upside down?

Have been reloading for over 40 years and have not blown myself up yet. But I guess there is a first time for everything.............

AJ

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Trick ... seat the bullet just a little deeper , just enough to break the crimps "death grip" on the bullet ... A must when pulling military ammo down ...where the bullet is sealed and crimped !
Things is easier if get tricky !
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

The round can move so edge of the primer is against the shell holder(it' s a non captive open slot) instead of the hole. I've been reloading/casting since 1972. Haven't blown myself or a gun up yet either. You may do it your way for many years. Then one day BOOM. i won't chance it.

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S&W Accumulator

To each their own.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Being a mechanical engineer I always ponder the mechanics, physics and chemistry of internet lore. This one has me stumped. A loaded cartridge riding in a shell holder, or the collets of a kinetic bullet puller, does not put its primer in contact with either. Quite the opposite the primer is forcibly accelerated away from contact with shell holder. The trough cut into most shell holders to allow a high primer to slide out further precludes contact. Every shell holder I have used in 50 years of diddling with this stuff had an enlarged primer hole for clearance of the primer collar holding fixture. It would require gross misalignment of the shell holder for the primer to not be centered over the hole. If this ever happened (a primer going off) you can be sure that the bullet puller manufacturers would hush it up big time in any settlement.

If this was really a problem (percussion impact from anything other than a firing pin setting off a primer) our beloved S&W wheelguns would often chain fire from the recoil shield setting off high seated primers.

I call Internet myth on the exploding primer from a kinetic bullet puller. If it did happen it was not due to shell holder use in lieu of segmented collets. I've used these things off and on for a lot of years and don't worry about it.

I would think, if you used the correct size case holder, there would
NOT be a problem of the promer going off?

I use both but with the 3 peace, I set it on top of a folded face cloth
that lets me insert the revolver/pistol bullet much easier, without it
coming apart !!

I also put a foam ear plug inside the unit to protect the tip of my
spitzer bullets , that may be pulled.

In nearly 40 years of reloading I've only owned 2 impact bullet pullets. The first lasted to about 12 years ago and the cap broke (I think I may have gotten some chlorinated brake clean overspray on it). The present one is a Frankfort Arsenal one and I also use shell holders and a foam earplug. An impact bullet puller is such a simple tool (and inexpensive) that "high quality" seems to be universal among the manufacturers (how many vendors/reloading equipment manufacturers really make their own? Probably very few and some plastic tool/toy manufacturer produced a bunch with different colors of plastic and maybe a slightly different mold, and sold to different vendors to be rebranded). IIRC the first one I had was identical to my FA but a different blue and a different design on the handle...

Great explanation, much better than this old Jarhead could have done!

AJ

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Thanks Gentlemen, for the info about the ear plug. Learn something new every day!

AJ

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Be Sure to plug your ears too. That’s a lot of loud hammering.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Old Quinetics San Antonio, distr. by Hornady, it says. Rubber O ring type. Has never failed me but I have never taken ammo apart on a large scale where other more expensive tools might pay for themselves.

I was VERY interested in that but I read several reviews that scared me off of it. People were complaining that it was made of flimsy parts that broke in a dangerous, spring loaded way. How many here have these?

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I had my 3-way come apart but it was because of my big fingers and clutzy ways...............

Anything will break if you don't follow the directons................ !!

Call the puller manufacturer's and see what they say. If you blow up one with a shell holder. You're on your own.......NOT their fault.

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S&W Accumulator

Several years ago (15-16) there was a discussion on a forum about using a shell standard holder in a impact bullet pulling tool. The thread stated out with a question "I heard... using a shell holder was dangerous and a round will go off". Several pages and maybe 40 posts later, no on had experienced around discharge in in an impact puller using a shell holder, or anything else for that matter, nor could anyone confirm the possibility. Yep "Internet wisdom". I think I used the aluminum collet once or twice then put it in a drawer, somewhere...

It seems that the body of the puller overlaps the shell plate in order to hold it in place and that would prevent the cartridge from moving very far off center. HOW far is questionable.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"