Inertia puller, it finally happened.

I think it's pretty well known that Federal primers are pretty "soft" in that they don't take much of a strike to set them off compared to other primers. It's also one of the aspects that makes Federal primers pretty desirable in some cases. And less desirable in other applications like some semi autos that have a floating firing pin. I also know LEE recommends against Federals in their hand primer but from "gun talk" back before the internet days I also heard there was some dispute between Federal and LEE and that recommendation may have arose from that. I've loaded thousands of Federal primers with a LEE hand primer.

Dogleg has clearly been handloading a long time and I'm not going to tell him he's wrong as I'm pretty damn sure he knows what he's doing but I somewhat think this is "operator error." The reason I say this is because when I started loading (almost as long ago as Dogleg) and I first needed to pull some bullets using an inertia puller I did some hard whack whack whack and then stopped myself. These pullers didn't really come with detailed instructions so thought about what I was doing and what I wanted to accomplish - which wasn't anything like driving a nail with a hammer. I put on some ear muffs because it was loud and annoying and then some safety glasses because I was a new handloader and was a bit scared. Then I modified my hammer hits to be sort of a lazy arm stroke without gripping the puller too tight. It is swing, bounce swing bounce etc, never being too rigid. I used to use a metal part of my bench and now I just use the flat spot on a bench vice. Anvil would do too.

Ultimately, it's about INERTIA and not about force.

That said, I've broken a couple of these pullers using this technique so maybe my method is wrong?

I'm sure Dogleg will fill us in with his method, maybe we can all learn something.
 
Glad to hear no injury Dogleg.
I recall another post in here within the last few years that described near catastrophic results from using an inertial. Tried a search, couldn't find it.

I chuckle thinking about the first time i started using an inertial puller thinking I should maybe put on muffs and glasses. Something counter intuitive about banging something designed to explode on impact, with a hammer . Almost Darwinian.
 
I had to give some thought to my hammer technique; because frankly it’s just its just something I do without thinking about it. Finally just ended up wandering into the shop and let muscle memory take over.

What I do is hold the handle with just 2 fingers and my thumb. The thumb and index finger forms a loop, and I use the tiniest flick of my wrist, and pull with my middle finger at the same time. When the hammer hits it bounces back in the loose grip, I give another middle finger pull and send it back down again in a
short arc. My knuckle barely moves 1/2” and my arm barely moves at all, at least after the first hit. Sort of like milking a cow with 2 fingers if you’ve ever milked a cow. I don’t swing it like I’m pounding nails, just flick and bounce. Hope that makes some sense.

I use my safety glasses now. :)
 
I use the inertia puller on my mech room floor as its concrete but I put the wall between myself and the puller. I always felt a little over cautious doing this but not after reading these stories. Ive pulled hundreds of bullets, shattered one puller but never a bang! Its interesting that the powder normally doesn't ignite when the primer goes off.
 
odsixer said:
I use the inertia puller on my mech room floor as its concrete but I put the wall between myself and the puller. I always felt a little over cautious doing this but not after reading these stories. Ive pulled hundreds of bullets, shattered one puller but never a bang! Its interesting that the powder normally doesn't ignite when the primer goes off.
Click to expand...

In a previous thread, the gentleman was pullin 22 k hornet ammo apart , in dog legs and my scenarios, heavy coated stick powders is our saving grace.
H110 wasn't so kind. Being a easier to ignite.

I've also stated using eyes and ears when tapping ammo apart, aswell as a blast shield.
Aka 3/4plywood as a barrier between body and puller. Thick glove on 1 hanf and a cold Canada dry in the other.
 
I like showing my wife these threads so she can stop giggling at me when she comes down into the basement to see me wearing safely glasses and muffs when I'm priming cases or the occasional time I use an inertia puller (I have a collet puller I use 95% of the time, but I lack a couple collets for some rounds)
 
Never had a primer go off when using an inertia pulled, but have had some of the spilled powder on the floor from pulling thousands of rounds in one setting, light up from the puller compressing some on the concrete floor and igniting it. That is a good way to get rid of the thin layer of powder on your gunroom floor, just saying.

Also, if you use an interia pulled, spend the 20 bucks and get the collet from https://w w w.quineticscorp.com/products/uni-chuck-shim-fit-combo no more having to remove the cap to get the case and bullet out of the puller. Just a half turn of the cap, and dump.
 
If I'm not mistaken I remember reading a long while ago (early 80's) where Federal advised , for what ever reason, not to use the Lee hand primer with their primers. I believe this is where the feud started.
 
Federal primers do not have "much softer primer cups", they have a more sensitive, more explosive primer compound in those cups compared to most other primer manufacturers. That's why they're more sensitive to impact, whether a firing pin ( usually a good thing) or inertia puller hammer (always a bad thing)
 
I would say Federal primers are more malleable across the board. Moderate pressure loads iron the primers flatter than piss in a platter. Long before even soft Federal begins to show traditional pressure signs. Guns with weak or reduced power striker springs will fire reliably with Federal primers where as other brands produce FTF’s
 
I just use the pliers on my press method. If you want to salvage the bullets, you can save scrap cartridge cases of same caliber and put it over top of the loaded bullet, then work it back and forth by hand until it loosens up the bullet and you can pull it out with some pliers with the jaws covered with tape. I stopped using my interia puller. It creeps me out!
 
Been using an inertia puller since sometime in the early 1970's. Thus far without issue. However, I have a 3/4" plate bolted to my reloading bench to strike, and any bang would be aimed at the ceiling not me. Every time I have to do a batch of hard crimped levergun rounds, I think about getting a collet puller.

Not only is the inertia somewhat questionable, it's a PIA.
 
After decades of inertia puller, I bought RCBS brand collet puller body and most sizes of collet that they make - illustrative of issues - have to have the correct collet for that size bullet! And then, as mentioned above, not always able to grab a particular bullet to pull it - hence why I still have the inertial thing - it works! I got brainwave to clean up some pulled bullets - .284" (7mm) - first short tumble in stainless pins did not show nose disappear like I thought they might - so made stupid decision to toss in a bunch of 308 Win or 30-06 cases - I would guesstimate 50% of those bullets found their way into the brass, and then brought along a few of those pins - pins were enough to prevent the bullets from coming out - nothing to grab to use collet puller - so did that with the inertial puller - got them all out.

Is a time and place for either type - like most tools. You can hit stuff with a strong arm. Or with a hammer. You can undo an odd size nut with a water-pump pliers or go get the correct metric size wrench. Up to you. Depends what is important to you and what you have on hand, at the time.

Several batches of bullets that I bought on CGN had some that were obviously "pulls" in the container - very obvious to see where they had formerly been seated in a case neck - scratch marks or different "finish" on the bullets - that worried me a bit - but was pointed out I would be re-seating them anyways - would likely be creating same - then sending bullet up the barrel to be engraved on rifling - was not external appearance that would matter so much, once the thing emerged at the muzzle - but likely "balance" was still important - a bullet with dimples from various types of pullers can still spin very balanced - some can not, though. Is still my preference to take the "money shot" with a new bullet, but I am no longer too worried about firing away with "pulls" - so long as the purchase price reflected what it was.

Others may have different experience, but I do not think any puller can get a bullet out, that had a couple thousandths neck tension, with the bullet still looking "new".
 
Thanks for this thread, I just started reloading and thought I was being quite safe, I seated one 7mm bullet too deep and used my inertia puller and never really questioned the process, everything went fine, but I appreciate being able to learn from the experience of others. I think I will use the press and plier method until I get a collet puller. I saw one Youtube video where instead of the supplied collett in the hammer He used a shell holder, this did not seem wise to me and I am wondering what the result would be if things went bad, with the primer covered by a shell holder you might see the powder ignite.
 
Milt Dale said:
Thanks for this thread, I just started reloading and thought I was being quite safe, I seated one 7mm bullet too deep and used my inertia puller and never really questioned the process, everything went fine, but I appreciate being able to learn from the experience of others. I think I will use the press and plier method until I get a collet puller. I saw one Youtube video where instead of the supplied collett in the hammer He used a shell holder, this did not seem wise to me and I am wondering what the result would be if things went bad, with the primer covered by a shell holder you might see the powder ignite.
Click to expand...

I have done as you mention - sometimes I use a shell holder from the press instead of the case holder supplied with the inertia hammer thing. But, at least on this RCBS tool, the shell holder does NOT cover the primer - is usually a hole through it for pushing out the fired primers. On this tool, the plastic end cap snugs around a universal shell holder - the case rim is only being held by the "U" shape of the shell holder, not the full circumference of the original case holder thing - about 99% of time, it works fine, for me - several hundred tapped out that way, by me, over the years.

Perhaps read the RCBS Instruction sheet that came with the tool - you can get the bullet out with 10 little taps on hard surface, or with one BIG whack - RCBS happened to have designed the tool for the first way - most "he-man" types will not read the sheet, and will simply pound harder to prove something.
 
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I started with one of these pullers but really found it to be next to useless. I have since bought a collet puller and the collects I need for the calibers I reload and it is so much better than the hammer. It ain't expensive in my books either.
 
I have reloaded for 45 years and still have my original RCBS kinetic bullet puller. I cut and installed a 1/2 inch plug of high density foam like that used in hockey pads in the bottom so the bullets dont get deformed! Ive pulled many bullets over the years but have a 3x3 block of ash end grain up and thats what I use to strike. Like mentioned, your not swinging a framing hammer. Hence the name Inertia Bullet Puller. Not Bullet Removing Hammer!! All reloaders should wear eye protection when working on firearms,shooting or reloading!!
 
Somebody at RCBS might have been listening - I have had this one for a long time - more than 15 years? - just says "RCBS" on the handle - no Model or Series number - and it had a dark grey foamy thing to catch the bullet - so either came from RCBS that way, or former owner did that? I do not recall if I got it new from a store, or from someone getting out of hand loading.
 
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