Shell holders

[nastynatesfish]

Does anyone make a better she'll holder? Rcbs, hornady, doesn't matter they all seem loose around the shell. I've had more issue with 223 brass than any. I'm to the point I'm thinking Monday about taking the shell holder and a case to a local machine shop and see if they'll make me a better tighter tolerance holder out of some stainless. I've been converting 223/556 to 300bo and I swear I lose one every 10. Doesn't sound like much but still erks me!

 

[LHSmith]

Loose is good IMHO....it negates ram misalignment with the die....I even take out the c-clip retaining the S/H.

 

[M-61]

Does anyone make a better she'll holder? Rcbs, hornady, doesn't matter they all seem loose around the shell. I've had more issue with 223 brass than any. I'm to the point I'm thinking Monday about taking the shell holder and a case to a local machine shop and see if they'll make me a better tighter tolerance holder out of some stainless. I've been converting 223/556 to 300bo and I swear I lose one every 10. Doesn't sound like much but still erks me!

When you say you lose 1 of 10.........what happens? Rim damage?

 

[hogpatrol]

Loose is good IMHO....it negates ram misalignment with the die....I even take out the c-clip retaining the S/H.

What is said here. They're loose for a reason. The alternative is doing some research to see if there are any cartridges that are a tad smaller base than the one you are using.

 

[CJ6]

The fact that brass isn't the EXACT same size ALL the time makes it a must to have some looseness.

 

[ireload2]

Sounds like you are going too fast and are not getting exactly the right amount of lube on the cases.
The mickey mouse rim on the 5.56 is a large part of the problem. It is so weak that it is not very tolerant of fast and nasty work. Compare it to the rim on a .45-70 Win. That is a real rim.
Add in a spray on lube like Hornady's and you may lose a lot.
The best set up for 5.56 on youtube used (3) FL dies set up in series in a Lee press with a Dillon trimmer. The press cycled about 75% of the case into the first die, indexed to the second and sized most of the case, then cycled into the last to complete the full length sizing. Every die was sizing on each stroke. Compared to my work it was running at warp speed with no chance of having a rim torn off.

 

[fguffey]

[

QUOTE="nastynatesfish, post: 36742116, member: 1285077"]I swear I lose one every 10.[/QUOTE]

There are shell holders that fit; there are a few advantages to a shell holder that fits. There are shell holders that do not fit like RCBS shell holders. RCBS shell holders are my favorite because they only fit where they touch.

I will assume you are pulling the rims off because of stuck cases. A better lube should solve that problem. I form cases; a loose shell holder has more utility when forming cases than a shell holder that fits.

Some reloders insist the brand of shell holder must match the brand of the die. My shell holders have a deck height of .125”, the exception would be a shell holder that has a +/- deck height.

Most of my RCBS shell holders have .012” slack between the deck of the shell holder and case head when lowering the ram.

F. Guffey
\

 

[Brians356]

If the shell holder is too snug a fit, any slight ding in the rim will make it difficult or impossible to get the case into and out of the holder. Dings are common from ARs and also certain bolt actions. And the dings, if you force the case into the holder, can prevent the case from self-aligning inside the die. You don't want to be relying on the shell holder to perfectly align the case with the die, the case should self-align as it enters the die, and it needs to just be free standing on the shell holder's deck for that to happen, not being "held" in any way by the shell holder. The shell holder only needs to keep the case reasonably close to centered while it stands there.
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[ericbc7]

nicely said Guffey, there is almost no way that a tight shell holder works better than a loose one.

 

[JohnKielly]

I like the bevel at the mouth of the Lee holders. Makes it easier sliding cases in.

 

[lightman]

I like the looseness in the RCBS shell holders that I have. I've had a few from Redding that were much tighter. You might try one if thats what you want.

 

[chkunz]

If the shell holder is too snug a fit, any slight ding in the rim will make it difficult or impossible to get the case into and out of the holder. Dings are common from ARs and also certain bolt actions. And the dings, if you force the case into the holder, can prevent the case from self-aligning inside the die. You don't want to be relying on the shell holder to perfectly align the case with the die, the case should self-align as it enters the die, and it needs to just be free standing on the shell holder's deck for that to happen, not being "held" in any way by the shell holder. The shell holder only needs to keep the case reasonably close to centered while it stands there.
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Excellent explanation!

 

[BigBlueandGoldie]

I like the looseness in the RCBS shell holders that I have. I've had a few from Redding that were much tighter. You might try one if thats what you want.

I prefer my Redding shell holders over my RCBS. The 2 RCBS I have look like a beaver machined them with it's teeth. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[nastynatesfish]

I know I'm using enough lube. And I know the rim on the case is the biggest deal about it. Just seems like it's an excessive amount of slop in the shell holders with all the different brass I have. Some brass has a slight bevel on the rim and they are usually the ones that pull off

 

[msinc]

I know I'm using enough lube. And I know the rim on the case is the biggest deal about it. Just seems like it's an excessive amount of slop in the shell holders with all the different brass I have. Some brass has a slight bevel on the rim and they are usually the ones that pull off

Yep, I looked into this a few years back and came to the conclusion that it was more the cases than the shell holder. I also decided to use Ivory Ultra dish soap. Just put a squirt in a zip-lock bag, throw in the cases and shake it around to coat them all. Dump out on a trash bag and let it completely dry...the cases will size so easily with very little pressure that you will think they must have already been sized. Where I had trouble with rims pulling off was when I used spray on type lubes. They work good, but you have to be sure and use them right.

 

[LHSmith]

........"with all the different brass I have".

If it's range brass-there-in lies the problem....especially machine gun brass.

 

[amlevin]

Proper lube along with it's proper use and brand of shell holder won't matter at all.

 

[ireload2]

Check this guy's 3 sizing die set up at about 5:00 minutes into the video.

 

[jpx2rk]

Good video, thanks for posting.

 

[fguffey]

Good video, thanks for posting.

He identifies a case gage he uses for measuring the length of a case from the shoulder to the case head and the length of the case from the shoulder to the end of the neck and diameter of the case body. There is something wrong with a case gage that will not measure a fired and full length sized case because the case gage does not measure the case body diameter.

It is possible but not done by many reloaders. I have chamber gages; it is not likely a fired case will fit my chamber gages, there are a few exceptions with chambers that are not generous with the length from the shoulder to the bolt face and chamber diameter.

F. Guffey