All these years of reloading, and still stuff I don’t know. I mentioned my neighbor and his 45 Colt. He has 20 rounds of +P ammo, but he doesn’t want his wife to try to shoot it, due to recoil and fear. So, it occurs to me that maybe I can use my inertia bullet puller, dump bullet and powder, take the Lee Die expander, open the mouth back up and reseat the bullet with a light load. That should work, seems to me, if I can get the bullet out. But, if it’s crimped in too tight to use the inertia puller. Maybe I can grab the bullet with pliers and use my press to pull them.

Whaddaya say? Will this work. I think it might. And it would save my cash strapped buddy from having to buy anything but the Lee 4 die set.

If you have to grab them with pliers, which will be Vise Grips, you're going to severely damage the bullets.

Got that t-shirt.

The inertial puller will pull a very firm crimp from a Lee Factory Crimp Die on a 45 Colt. You just have to have something hard to hit it on. Concrete, marble, or slate. I use a piece of slate from a broken pool table top. Two whacks max but you can’t hold back.

You’re better off trading those 20 +p rounds for 50 cowboy action loads.

By golly, I do have an anvil. I’ll see if the inertia puller will work on rounds. I have an RCBS collet puller, but don’t think I have the necessary collet. If I can’t pull them, maybe a swap is in order, if I can find someone to swap with.

Shoe horn a piece of styrofoam in the bottom of the inertia puller to avoid damage to the bullet before you start.

I wadded up a Kleenex in the bottom. Works fine.

I’d be careful reducing a powder charge you can’t identify or know what it is.
H110 for example is a powder that will detonate with a low charge density and is very dangerous for anyone near the firearm.

It’s best to start from scratch with the powder so you know what the charge is.

I’ve personally seen revolvers that were topless from shooting a lite load of h110.

I’m very glad you mentioned that. It slipped right by me and I know better.

10 lb dumbbell to hit with the inertia puller and a foam earplug inside to protect the bullet

I was gonna use a known powder. Relax. I’m no newbie.

Seems like the plan won’t work anyway. Lee 4 die sets for the 45 Colt are sold out everywhere I looked. But that’s meaningless if the Inertia puller doesn’t work on his loads. At this moment there isn’t much of a workable plan. Maybe somebody on the forum has some 45 Colt (Long Colt) dies they don’t need any more. Maybe early next week I’ll be sniffing around a bit harder for dies.

Well if you sniff around down here in Austin I have a set of Lee 45 Colt dies and nothing to use them for.

Seacam, I will keep that in mind. Thanks.

Your plan is fine if you had the dies. Two solid whacks on concrete should do it. I once pulled 500 rounds of .38 special that way. Had blisters bad enough I finished the job wearing batting gloves.

*NOTE* OP has a WTB for the die set (moved to the proper classifieds section).

Not necessarily an actual WTB yet. So just trying to establish that I can do what I need to reload existing ammo. And the neighbor would have to buy the dies anyway.

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