Pulling wadcutters

muddocktor said:
Pull the primer punch out of your sizing die and give resizing them a try. Do 1 or 2 and then put them in your whack-a-mole and see if they pull easier. I bet they will pull pretty easy once you've run them in the sizing die, which will squish down the lead more than the case, which should spring back some.
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I’ll do a few tonight and see how they go. Can’t hurt to a try least try a few! If it is a pain I’ll just trash them.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
If it were dangerous would the postal service deliver it without a hazmat warning like with powder or primers?
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Ammunition is not mailable. People do mail it, but it is against postal regs. That's why there is no haz-mat label. ;)



From the USPS website at: Appendix D | Postal Explorer

Ammunition includes all kinds of bombs, grenades, rockets, mines, projectiles, and other similar devices or contrivances. Ammunition is a Class 1 explosive and is nonmailable.
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I recently got a couple hundred 45ar that I have no idea what's in them. They are Semi WCs as in 45acp. I won't fire anything that I didn't load.
They have enough surface to grab with dikes and pull on down stoke of press when gripped with dikes.
 
For a reloader that is $8 to $10. Used 38 brass at a gun show is $5 and primers are $3. To get rid of them put them an a burn barrel at night and watch the show. All they do is pop like a firecracker. Sometimes the lube dries our and it takes 15-25 whacks to remove instead of 3 to 5.:D
 
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With "Unknown Ammo" I sit down and take my time with "the Hammer" and pull the bullet from the case.

I NEVER save any powders............... for my peace of mind and safety.

Reshape the case w/o de-primer pin in the die and it is ready, to be used again, soon.
I don't like primers to sit around long without being "Sealed" from the elements.

Breaking the crimp/seal a little might help in extraction........... ?
Good luck.
 
1. Set the case in a lee case trimming base, tighten and drill out a hole in the wadcutter. Put it in your press, screw in a easy out and pull the bullets. You can remelt them.
2. Fire in a 357 preferable a rifle or contender.
 
Sounds like some posters would rather throw the unknown rounds away. I don't "need" to salvage components as I can afford to purchase new or once fired brass, new bullets or new casting alloy. But I like all aspects of reloading so salvaging 100, 38 Special wadcutter rounds is just added time at the bench.

I have pulled a few wad cutters, not because I needed to save a few cents, but because for some reason didn't like something about the load. I just pounded away with my inertia puller using a lead ingot for an anvil and just disassembled as may as I felt OK doing at a time. I didn't try resizing them to swage the bullet (I would think a Lee FCD for handguns would swage the bullet inside the case), but I can see how it would work, most of the wadcutters I reloaded were deeply seated inside a tapered ID case and some produced bulges. I have "re-seated" some military bullets in their cases to make them easier to pull with an inertial puller.
 
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I’ve had to pull some wadcutters that I loaded on the hot side and realized I made the mistake of using a magnum primer. They were plated HBWC and tried shooting a few. They were coming apart when shooting so just sat down with a RCBS impact puller and it didn’t take that long to do 200 of them.
 
I would just pull the bullets with my hammer puller and then be good to go. I have pulled some .I would not shoot them.
 
DONE!

Let me tell you whoever came up with running them through a sizing die before the inertia puller was a GENIUS!

I pulled 3 without sizing and they took a good 4-5 solid hits. After running the rest through my progressive press, which took 5 minutes including putting an extra lee sizing die with no pin into an extra tool head, they came out with the inertia puller with 1-2 medium hits. What a difference! I didn’t check for doubles or anything because the inertia puller makes a mess of things but it went quick and painless.
 
DON'T SHOOT UNKNOWN POWDER

Several replies have suggested shooting those 38s in a 357. PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!! I saw a 44 mag case accidentally filled with Unique fired in a Ruger SBH. It was so over pressure, it ignited the cartridge in the next chamber, blew the right part of the cylinder off the gun, & tear thru the cheek/nose of the guy next to him. Really bad news!

What if those 38 cases are filled up with Bullseye or something just as fast?

Hank M.
 
Boogsawaste said:
DONE!

Let me tell you whoever came up with running them through a sizing die before the inertia puller was a GENIUS!

I pulled 3 without sizing and they took a good 4-5 solid hits. After running the rest through my progressive press, which took 5 minutes including putting an extra lee sizing die with no pin into an extra tool head, they came out with the inertia puller with 1-2 medium hits. What a difference! I didn’t check for doubles or anything because the inertia puller makes a mess of things but it went quick and painless.
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Tah-Dah...wasn't that hard was it ???

Well done Boogsawaste , the sizing broke the cases grip and it was downhill from there on .

I've been reading all the ...no way a hammer puller will work and knew all you have to do is loosen the crimp or the cases grip on the bullet...a couple whacks and done . I've done 30-06 machine gun ammo like that.
Good Job ,
Gary
 
Running the loaded wadcutter rounds through the sizing die without the decapping assembly Will make them easier to pull. You only have to whack them twice, instead of 3-5 times. Had to disassemble a few some time ago and it make it much easier.
 
Drill a hole into the bullet about 1/2" deep. Run a wood screw into that hole. Place the cartridge in the reloading press shell holder. Run it up above top of the press. Grip the screw with pliers. Lower the ram to pull the bullet.

Time consuming. A little tedious. But it will work.
 
typetwelve said:
Man...I'd love to know how to pull some.

I have a good 175 rounds loaded with some Oregon double end WC's that are so hard, they lead my barrel to extreme amounts.

Long story short it was a beginner's mistake, and I'd like to have that brass back. The problem is, a hammer puller will not extract them, I'll break the thing before I get one bullet out.

I'm about to just chuck them in the trash or something, I have no clue what to do with them.
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Get some Lee Liquid Alox and run it around the edges of the wadcutter. They will have to stand upright until dry. It may provide enough lube to let them be shot with out leading. If you loaded them try them in as short a bbl as you own.
 
Guys, according to post #30, Boogsawaste got them done by running them through the resizing die and then putting them in the whack-a-mole. He said it helped a lot, running them in the resizing die.
 
There are two things that I fear with this hobby.

#1 is a stuck case in a die.........

#2 having to pull out "Mr. Green".

I have been lucky but feel sorry for anyone that needs to pull over 100 items.

If I have to pull bullets, I just hope they are not lead with a heavy crimp and instead, a
smooth wall copper, non-crimped pistol bullet !!

Have a good day.
 
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In my youth I would’ve done it.

Nowadays I’d shoot it or toss it.

Pulling WCs sucks. Lots of friction with the case walls to overcome there.
 
LoboGunLeather said:
Drill a hole into the bullet about 1/2" deep. Run a wood screw into that hole. Place the cartridge in the reloading press shell holder. Run it up above top of the press. Grip the screw with pliers. Lower the ram to pull the bullet.

Time consuming. A little tedious. But it will work.
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I think if I had to go to these lengths to pull a bullet I would use a self drilling, self tapping screw...
McMaster-Carr
 
I’m telling you guys that running them through a sizing die absolutely positively works and works great. I thought it was a wives tale at first. I did a handful without sizing them and it took 4-5 hard whacks while following through on my swing. Especially Winchester. After sizing them it took 1-2 medium whacks! Wadcutters came out like 110 grains bullets.

Not sure how it works with jacketed but for lead I am a believer.
 
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