Bullet puller collet question.

muddocktor · Apr 21, 2020

Hey all, I have a question on a collet to fit my bullet puller.

I have a CH brand #402 collet style bullet puller. And I am looking to find out if a Forster collet will work in it. The reason I ask is that I need to get a .357 collet for it and I called CH/4D to order one and they don't have any in stock and the guy couldn't give me an estimate as to when they will be manufacturing more of them. He says they are backed up like crazy and didn't have a clue when they would make another collet run.

Looking around, it looks to me like the Forster collet style bullet puller is made very similarly to the CH puller and the collets look much the same also. So I was wondering if any of you know if the Forster collets will work in a CH puller body, as I can find them in stock online. I inherited the CH puller when my Dad passed away in the mid 90's and it's a darned good puller, but finding collets for it is hard if CH/4D doesn't have them in stock.

I have around 600 9MM rounds I want to pull down because I found that Accurate #2 changed enough in burn rate from the 80's to the 2010's that what was a hot SMG load turned into a very high pressure overload and want to salvage the powder, since I was the one that loaded them in the first place. Shame on me for not double checking by loading up some and testing the new lots of powder before doing some bulk reloading.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Jim

Ivan the Butcher · Apr 21, 2020

I use a Forrester collet puller. At the top of the collet is a small band, that is the largest diameter of .621" and the length is 1.004". I only measured one but they are all within a few 1/1000ths.

38's and 9'mm are some of the most difficult bullets to pull, because you have to grab onto the flat sides that are the bearing surface. Then; lead and coated bullets gum up the teeth in the collet.

So I keep a hammer style around also.

I've had my Forrester for 35+ years. A friend had one and made one modification that I copied. I drilled a 1/4" hole through the center of the nut you tighten the collet with. I let a large headed brass toilet bolt float in that hole. You can see when the bullet is the correct depth for pulling, and the weight of the brass bolt helps the pulled bullet fall out into my waiting hand. (and if it is stuck, a small tap with my hand and it is free!) Sorry, I don't do pictures.

Ivan

muddocktor · Apr 21, 2020

Thanks for the collet measurements, Ivan. Looks like the Forster collets won't work, unfortunately. The collets for the CH puller are .562" diameter and are 1.380" long. I could deal with a shorter collet, but the diameter is a killer, as the Forster won't fit inside the body of the CH puller.

EDIT: Yeah, I know that a pistol bullet will be harder to pull, but I think that the Win 115 JHP bullets I used on those rounds will be able to be pulled as I seated them long and have a decent amount of side exposed. I'm trying to stay away from the whack-a-mole so that I don't have powder slinging everywhere. I guess I will just wait on CH/4D to make up some new collets and give it a try when I do get one from them. It's not like I am in a bind for loaded 9MM ammo anyways, as I have over 2K loaded besides those 600 I want to pull down.

Ivan the Butcher · Apr 21, 2020

I don't shoot much 9mm (the wife and I each have one for CCW, but I buy a case of fmj when we get low. Last time I loaded 9mm was about 30 years ago, around 10,000 126 gr RN for a full auto and 1000 130 grain FMJ Tournament Master at sub sonic for the silencer (147 wasn't on the market yet.) I also used 158 gr/ .357 SHP loaded sub sonic (Accurate has data).Those bullets leave a big splat on steel plates!

Don't discount the hammer style, it only slings powder after the bullet is loose. I save bullet pulling for once a year if possible, and use the collet puller first. Then all that remain get hammered!

I have around 4000 357 Sig brass, I have to come up with a bullet with flat sides. I'm thinking maybe Berry's double plated.

News Flash: My wife just ask when I was going to load her a few thousand 9mm's, Looks like I'm calling Berry's tomorrow!

Ivan

Just another 22 shooter · Apr 21, 2020

muddocktor,
I inherited a ch4d bullet puller, also. I tried getting other collets for it too; had the same outcome as you. The bright spot for me is that mine came with a 35 caliber collet. It works great for pulling 9mm bullets. Hope you can find a collet.

Bullet puller collet question.

muddocktor

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Ivan the Butcher

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muddocktor

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Ivan the Butcher

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Just another 22 shooter

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