Thread: Read if you have Hornady Camlock Bullet Puller

I've had one of these for a few years. Not done a huge amount of work by me but did buy it used. Lent it to a club member recently. Came back with the plunger firmly jammed in the tool body. Tried lube and eventually freed it to about a third out by holding the end in vice and twisting turning..Took it in that state into Reloaders for advice, which was "foreign material jamming it..can get gunsmith to look at and free up. Otherwise buy a new one". Fair enough. The $89 cost of the new tool, no collets, I figured would not pay for much gunsmith time so took it home for more effort.

The plunger is obviously hardened steel. As is the Cam and the Cam Pivot Pin which is riveted. Which means you can't just line up a brass rod and drift the plunger out. Which leaves holding the plunger end in a vice, lubing and turning while pulling the tool body along with using a brass rod to tappity-tap on the end of the tool body. Fun.

I suggested to the Reloaders team that problem was possibly caused by wear from cam action on top of the plunger head. "Nope, not likely..some sort of dirt jamming it"

Well today persistence paid off and I finally got it out without having to drill/grind the end of the hardened pivot pin to remove the cam handle and drift the plunger out.

When I could see the plunger end, sure enough it has a dish worn in it and a miniscule lip has formed that jams it solid.

I borrowed a new one for comparison. The new plunger works perfectly. The old plunger starts to jam about halfway up in either the old tool body or the new one.

Photo attached shows the old and new plunger ends side by side.

So some things come out of this. These things have not likely been on the market long enough to get a lot of them used enough to be this worn. So its a good bet others are going to start having the same issue.

Hornady needs to consider first making the plunger available as a consumable replacement item at appropriate cost. Secondly they might consider making the Cam Handle Pivot Pin easily removable so as a stuck plunger can be readily drifted out.

Finally, having a significant investment in the now $35 per each calibre collets to go with the tool, when I either fork out for a new tool or can get a replacement plunger, I will be adding a dab of grease to the top of the plunger effort each use. In the meantime I'm glad I still have my old RCBS unit on the shelf.

You might want to take a look at yours. Here's the photo of new and old side by side.

I have written to Hornady.

Unless you do a lot of bullet pulling, you will get away with one of these.

Thanks for the heads up mate.

Originally Posted by Oldbloke

Unless you do a lot of bullet pulling, you will get away with one of these.

Yeah but look what they do to your $2-3 bullets

If you crimp (like for powdercoated rollies) then just use the weird looking inertia hammer. Takes a bit of effort and it's occationally messy but at least the bullets are unharmed

used to pull 1000s of milspec with my new now 40yr old forster puller , just turn bar on top but trick was first reseat bullet 30thou deeper to crack tar or crimp etc then pull in a second stage easy as just 2 stages instead of 1

Got one. An excellent piece of kit . Like the Lee Universal decapper. Never had any problems. Bit of fine wet n dry to polish up and feather?

Originally Posted by TeRei

Got one. An excellent piece of kit . Like the Lee Universal decapper. Never had any problems. Bit of fine wet n dry to polish up and feather?

The top is too dished. Needs a weld fill. The dishing reduces the travel available from the plunger hence the amount of closure on the cam.

I have had and use a kinetic hammer puller from.when I first started reloading.. they have their uses especially for cast and short Pistol bullets that a collet can't grip. Or FMJ. But a jacketed soft point or polymer tip bullet hell no. Just another great way to ruin the pointy end. And if you put padding inside to protect the bullet tip its a PITA to remove it between rounds if there's any chance the powder may vary load to load and you want to recover the powder.. if you don't remove the padding it will hold powder from the previous round.

Originally Posted by Jhon

Yeah but look what they do to your $2-3 bullets

Done properly it leaves 4 minute knicks in the bullet. To date it hasnt affected accuracy and no animals have complained

Originally Posted by blip

Done properly it leaves 4 minute knicks in the bullet. To date it hasnt affected accuracy and no animals have complained

Spot on

So a big shout out to Hornady and Reloaders.

I sent a brief note to Hornady Customer Service with a photo and the issue asking if the plunger was available as a spare part. Also updated Reloaders as this was a first for them. While it may be a freak happening with an inadequately hardened plunger stem, its still two metal surfaces rubbing against each other under pressure. Anyway, had responses from both Hornady and Reloaders within 24 hrs. RL had called the NZ disti to find they actually had a spare in stock, on its way free of charge. Hornady offered to check with same and if none were in NZ would send one out and what address would I like it sent to.

So excellent service and I'm back in biz. I did suggest to Hornady that instead of riveting the end of the pivot pin they might consider using a circlip.

Originally Posted by blip

Done properly it leaves 4 minute knicks in the bullet. To date it hasnt affected accuracy and no animals have complained

Sounds like a workable solution if you're loading with light neck tension, no final crimp. If the latter, which I tried before getting a kinetic hammer, distorting the neck with the necessary twisting to release the bullet is not something I cared for. Further, I have had over the years a bunch of old 303 rounds to deconstruct in order to re use the bullet and brass. If you risk distorting good young brass you risk splitting old brittle brass with any kind of pliers action. Once its annealed of course and reloaded with mild neck tension, no crimp, then perhaps a diff story. I also load a lot for lever guns that require a decent crimp. Would personally not use pliers to release those either.

I am of course referring to using pliers free hand..it occurs to me that perhaps you are instead clamping the bullet above the press head and then using the down stroke to pull the bullet. That would of course remove any neck damage issue. And if the deer don't mind the marks on the projectile then why not.

I guess the point is that in the wide world of reloading there are many different strokes that suit many different folks. I find a use if not a need for a decent collet bullet puller. Others may never need more than a kinetic or indeed be happy with the crimping pliers (correct?), that you like. Horses for courses and all that.

Being a bit of a gear hound having started with the RCBS, which sounds similar to the Forster tool, I read all the excited reviews and plugs for the Hornady Cam action tool when it first appeared, and eventually got one. They both do the job well but I find the Hornady is that little bit faster and easier to use. I never got around to quitting the RCBS and likely never will. How it goes...

Dont know how you distort the neck as you grip the bullet not the neck and use a press

My one only had a little pitting on it & its done heaps

The problem is the cam is punched & is as rough as with a step in it so that is not so helpful & would be causing the pitting

Originally Posted by blip

Dont know how you distort the neck as you grip the bullet not the neck and use a press

Read what I said maybe