At a Glance: Best Bullet Puller
- OUR TOP PICK: RCBS Collet Bullet Puller
- RUNNER UP: Hornady Bullet Puller Collet
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: Hornady Cam-Lock Bullet Puller
Comparison of the Best Bullet Puller
| PRODUCT | DETAILS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Our Top Pick
|
RCBS Collet Bullet Puller |
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View Latest Price |
Our Top Pick
|
Hornady Bullet Puller Collet |
|
View Latest Price |
Our Top Pick
|
Hornady Cam-Lock Bullet Puller |
|
View Latest Price |
Anyone who wants to load their own ammo needs a bullet puller. Having one of the best bullet pullers will allow you to disassemble your rounds to collect parts – such as powder – and correct any reloading mistakes. It’s just essential for ensuring quality and safety while reloading.
Best Bullet Pullers
With so many options on the market, it can be difficult to determine what the best bullet puller on the market today is. We’ve used and reviewed some of the bullet pullers most commonly preferred by shooters today and listed them below to help you make the right choice when it comes to buying.
RCBS Collet Bullet Puller
RCBS has one of the best reputations when it comes to reloading equipment and the RCBS Bullet Puller Collet is a fine example of American manufacturing at its best. The first thing you’ll notice about the RCBS Bullet Puller Collet is the thickness of the collet structure, which will never chip or break from overuse.
The RCBS Bullet Puller Collet can be used on a wide variety of different calibers, from .17 all the way through to 50 caliber rounds. You’ll have to buy them separately, of course, but given its the reasonable pricing, this is perfectly acceptable.
You can use the RCBS Bullet Puller Collet collection on any industry-standard 7/8-14 reloading press. The benefit of this is that your press will do all of the heavy work, saving you effort. All you need to do is install the bullet puller die with the appropriate RCSB collet and then tighten it and pull the lever to disassemble your round. This is much more convenient than using a kinetic bullet puller.
One more thing to consider with the RCBS Bullet Puller Collet is that the design means it won’t damage your bullets or cases. This is important when disassembling bullets. After all, you don’t want to have to waste anything!
Pros
- Excellent construction
- Top-of-the-range brand
- Affordable
- Can be used for a wide range of calibers
- Easy to set up and use
- Won’t damage your bullet or case
Cons
- Different caliber collets must be purchased separately
- Will likely damage lead bullets
- Not to be used with rimfire ammunition
Hornady Bullet Puller Collet
Another top name in reloading equipment, the Hornady bullet puller collet is one of the best on the market today. Hornady uses high-quality materials in the construction of their collets to ensure that bullets and cases aren’t damaged during the disassembling process.
One thing that you’ll notice about the Hornady collets is that they have thinner pedals, which means that they won’t weather as well if you overuse them or go rough on them. Still, if you pull your bullets properly and aren’t reckless, then you should be able to get years of usage out of the Hornady Bullet Puller Collet.
A wide range of collets are available from Hornady, each one sold separately and coming in at an affordable price (there isn’t much difference in price between Hornady and RCBS bullet puller collets).
The cam lock feature locks the collet around the bullet to secure it in place and then uses the leverage from your press to disassemble it in a smooth and effortless motion. In fact, Hornady bullet puller collets are generally considered to be some of the nicest to use on the market today.
A wide range of calibers can be purchased, ranging from .17 caliber all the way to 45 caliber rounds, meaning you can use Hornady for your whole collection.
Pros
- Reliable construction
- Smooth and easy to use
- Wide range of calibers available
- Affordable pierce
- Great brand
- Ideal for rifle ammo
- Cam lock system is very effective
Cons
- Different calibers must be purchased separately
- Not meant for pistol ammo
- Will likely damage lead bullets
- More prone to breakage than RCBS collets
Hornady Cam-Lock Bullet Puller
When it comes to ease-of-use and sheer convenience, there are few who can stand beside the Hornady Cam-Lock Bullet Puller. Hornady is no stranger to excellent reloading equipment and their Cam-Lock Bullet Puller is a fine example of American craftsmanship that will help you to disassemble rounds without any hassle.
The Hornady bullet puller consists of three separate parts – the main cam-lock die body, the lever, and the stem. It’s easy to assemble the bullet puller with the collets, so you’ll be up and running in no time.
The cam feature is unique to Hornady and it has proven to be a great way of locking the bullet in place while the leverage from your press takes it apart. One thing worth mentioning about the Hornady Cam-Lock bullet puller is that it is only intended for rifle ammo. You’ll have to buy the different Hornady collets separately to fit your caliber when using it. You’ll also need to have a single-stage reloading press to use it.
Once you’ve set up your Cam-Lock bullet puller, it’s as simple as placing a round into the shell plate on your press and jacking it up into the collet, tightening the collet to lock the bullet in place, and then pulling the lever on your press down to release the bullet from the cartridge. You then simply raise the cam-lock handle to release the bullet. Simple!
Pros
- Cam-lock feature is great for locking bullet without scratching it
- High-quality construction
- Great brand
- Easy to set up and use
- Smooth operation
- Affordable
- Ideal for disassembling large quantities of ammunition
Cons
- Must purchase collets separately
- Packing is sub-par
- Not meant for pistol ammo
RCBS Bullet Puller w/o Collet
The RCBS Bullet Puller is essentially the same as the Hornady Cam-Lock Bullet Puller, only instead of the cam-lock feature, the RCBS model uses a threaded rod inside the tool that pulls up on the collet causing it to tighten. Both work well and it’s unlikely you’ll notice much of a difference between the two operations.
Something that you will instantly notice about the RCBS Bullet Puller is that it comes in a durable plastic box that can be used to store the bullet puller as well as your collets. This means you can keep all your bullet pulling gear in one box and not have to spend time looking for the various components later on.
The RCBS Bullet Puller is made up of just one single piece. All you have to do is place the collet inside the main piece and then turn the handle to push the threaded rod down into the collet and lock it in place. Then you just screw it into your single-stage press and insert your round into the shell plate and ramp it up into the collet, then just turn the handle and pull the round away from the bullet.
The ease of use and high-quality RCBS collets ensure that you won’t damage your bullets so long as you perform the action correctly.
Pros
- Simple one-piece construction
- Comes in a useful storage box
- Affordable
- Very easy to use
- High-quality RCBS collets to go with it
Cons
- Collets must be purchased separately
- Not meant for pistol ammo
Quinetics Kinetic Bullet Puller
The ‘hammer-style’ Quinetics Kinetic Bullet Puller is ideal for pulling pistol and rifle ammo without much complication. The ease of use of the kinetic bullet puller and the fact that it lends itself far better to pulling pistol ammo (collets tend to be difficult to use when pulling pistol ammo due to the low surface area on the bullet to grip), makes it popular with all types of shooters.
The Quinetics Kinetic Bullet Puller is universal and will work its charms on any round from .22 caliber all the way to .45 caliber rounds – the only exception being .25 ACP rounds. The construction is also solid using space age plastic to ensure that the tool doesn’t break from overuse.
Simply place your round inside the hammer and twist a quarter turn to lock in place, then whack it on a solid surface once or a few times (depending on how stubborn your bullet is) and watch as it’s released from the cartridge and falls with the powder into the bottom of the hammer.
The Quinetics Kinetic Bullet Puller is ideal for beginner reloaders or anyone who doesn’t want to have to mess around with a collet-style bullet puller.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Very easy to use
- Guaranteed that you won’t damage your bullets
- Supports most calibers
- Perfect for pulling pistol and rifle ammo
- Solid construction materials
- Comfortable handle
Cons
- Less ‘graceful’ than a collet-style bullet puller
- Not ideal for large batches
Forster Bullet Puller Collet
Finally, we have the Forster Bullet Puller Collet, which is another fantastic example of collet construction made of solid steel with a heat-treated finish. The Forster bullet puller collets fit .17 caliber all the way through to .45 caliber rounds, with a .458 caliber collet also available – although you’ll have to wait several weeks for this special item.
The Forster Bullet Puller Collet will work in any standard 7/8-14 reloading press with the exception of the Forster Co-Ax Press. It has a solid construction with a threaded rod-style similar to the RCBS Bullet Puller. This allows for a simple changeover of calibers and a smooth and effortless operation that won’t scratch or damage your bullets so long as you perform the operation correctly.
Forster is one of the top reloading equipment brands in America today, meaning you have their reputation to rely on when purchasing their products. If you’re determined not to purchase a kinetic bullet puller, then certainly do consider the Forster bullet puller and collets for all your bullet disassembly needs.
Pros
- Great construction
- Easy to use
- Great brand
- Large range of calibers available
- Affordable
Cons
- Different caliber collets must be purchased separately
- Not ideal for pistol ammo
What To Look For When Choosing A Bullet Puller
What to look for when you’re choosing a bullet puller will depend on the type of bullet puller you’re buying. That being said, there is a lot of crossover between the two categories.
Kinetic Bullet Pullers
- Brand: Would you buy a fake Chinese brand of sneakers? Probably not because they’ll only last a couple of months before you need to replace them. The same applies here. Always make sure you’re using a reputable brand like RCBS, Hornady, or Forster.
- Build: Kinetic bullet pullers are quite prone to breaking – the clue is in the name. It should go without saying that any product whose main purpose is to be smacked against a hard surface with a bullet inside it should probably be made of the best materials possible.
- Support for different calibers: Kinetic bullet pullers have the advantage of supporting more calibers than collet-based ones. Make sure yours is universal or you’ll quickly find yourself needing to buy a second one.
- The handle: If you’ve got a lot of rounds to pull, then you’ll definitely come to appreciate a comfortable handle.
- Availability of MC Hammer records when using the hammer: It’s hammer time.
Collet Bullet Pullers
Collet bullet pullers are more complex than the ‘hammer-style’ bullet pullers. Still, most of the above points still relate to collet-style bullet pullers.
- Extras: Does the bullet puller come with any additional things (storage case, free collets)?
- Mechanism: The mechanism inside the bullet puller can determine how easy it is to use and how smooth its operation is.
- Ammo: Most reloaders point out that collet-style bullet pullers are less effective with pistol ammo thanks to the smaller surface area of the collet to grip. Consider which type of ammo you’ll be disassembling most.
How To Use A Bullet Puller
Using a kinetic bullet puller is simple, you just unscrew it, put your round inside, screw it back up and give it a couple of whacks. Here is a video showing exactly how to use them.
- Insert the collet into the main body of the puller
- Lock it in place by winding up the handle
- Screw it on to your press
- Place the round in the shell plate and ramp it up into the collet
- Turn the handle to tighten the collet and then lock it in place
- Pull down the handle on the press to remove the case from the bullet
- Pull the bullet puller die handle up to release the bullet
Why you need a bullet puller
Having a bullet puller can help you to check your loading batches for imperfections, which ensures you’re not unknowingly filling your cartridges up with too much or too little powder. On top of this, being able to pull your bullets allows you to salvage materials when you’ve made a mistake reloading. You might put the wrong powder in the wrong cartridge, and rather than simply throw the rounds away, you can pull them apart and remake them.
In short, reloading is a delicate process and it does occasionally go wrong. Anyone who’s done their fair share of reloading will also have done their fair share of pulling bullets.
Types of bullet pullers
There are two main types of bullet pullers. The inertia (kinetic) bullet puller and the collet bullet puller, but you’ll also find cam-lock bullet pullers out there. Within the latter could also be the cam-lock bullet puller, which still uses a collet but uses a different mechanism to lock the bullet in place.
Inertia bullet puller
- Shaped like a hammer
- Uses kinetic force to remove the bullet
- Cheap and simple
- Easy for beginners to use
- Universal
Collet bullet puller
- Installs into a single-stage reloading press
- Fairly simple to use
- More expensive than the inertia puller
- Collets must be bought separately to fit different calibers
Cam-lock bullet puller
- Same as collet bullet puller but with different lock mechanism
- Provides smoother action
- More components than a regular collet bullet puller
Inertia vs collet vs cam-lock bullet pullers
All three variations of the bullet puller work well, but some are better suited for different types of bullets and some are smoother to use than others.
The inertia bullet puller is the easiest to use and the cheapest. This means that the inertia bullet puller is the best bullet puller for beginners. The simple hammer action can be figured out by anyone and it generally fits all bullet calibers comfortably.
The collet bullet puller is best for pulling large quantities of bullets. It’s a smoother operation that people who are more mechanically inclined will prefer over the messy hammer-style bullet inertia puller.
The Cam-lock bullet puller – primarily made by Hornady – gives the smoothest action of any bullet puller. The downside is that it is made up of more components, but this isn’t really much of an issue.
Conclusion
Which bullet puller you prefer will ultimately come down to your own preference. If you’re just starting out, then we recommend that you go for the inertia bullet puller as this is the cheapest option while still getting the job done smoothly. Beyond that, feel free to upgrade to a cam-lock or collet bullet puller.
Your reloading bench isn’t even going to get off the ground if you don’t have a bullet puller. It’s an essential tool even for the beginner reloader. With plenty of reputable American brands to choose from, buying the right bullet puller can be tricky, but rest assured that anything you buy from the list above will get the job done.
