Another noob question......shell holders?

[TheSpaceWanderer]

Hey folks,

So...Shell Holders how specific are they actually?

I've been reloading since last November. Mostly .38 spc and some .44 mag on my RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme.

I've been having a great time all winter shooting my revolvers. I am worried that my sig p229 in .40 s&w is getting jealous. So I am getting set up to load .40 s&w.

I ordered dies and shell holder. Before they were shipped I realized that I ordered the incorrect shell holder. Amazon being the modern wonder that they are was able to cancel the shell holder and send the correct one later on. Still waiting.

In the meantime...

I figured, really, how different can a #6(.38/.357) and a #27(.40) actually be. So I, very gently, ran a .40 case through the sizing die using a #6 shell holder. It went smoothly. No problems depriming

I stopped after 5 cases just in case I was getting lucky and could actually be doing damage to my dies or compromising the brass or just doing something ill advised. As stated I have the correct shell holder in the mail so why take chances right?

But back to the question. Do you guys live and die by the shell holder posted by the manufacturer? Or do you use what works?

 

[Blue68f100]

I always use the correct one. You may not have a big problem with straight wall brass. But with a bottle neck you will/may rip the rim off due to improper fit. This can happen with pistol brass too.

 

[Bartojc]

Some rounds share same shell holder, at least some rifle rounds do. I always use the correct shell holder for the round I am sizing.

-Jeff

 

[cfullgraf]

9x19, 38 Super and 40 S&W get a bit screwy. Different manufacturers have different combinations of these cases that work with their shell holders. One or two manufacturers might even have specific shell holders for these cartridges plus a universal one as well.

For most other cases, shell holders are specific except that many different cartridges share the same case head. 243 Win, 308 Win, 30-06, and a bunch of others based on the 30-06 use the same shell holder.

223 Rem, 222 Rem, 222 Rem Mag, 221 Rem Fireball, 17 Rem, 17 Rem Fireball, 204 Ruger, 300 Blk, 380 ACP and some more all share the same shell holder.

But, there are shell holders that work with only one case.

The manufacturers generally have a chart that shows which of their shell holders work with what cartridges.

Also, there are some interchange charts out there.

Best to do a little research and get the correct shell holder instead of hoping one not actually designed for the case will work.

Hope this helps.

 

[mstreddy]

I use the shell holder marked for that caliber. However, not all shell holders listed for some calibers are the best fit for some. For example the Lee shell holder they list for 30 Carbine is loose. The RCBS is better, IMHO. There are a couple others where a different brand shell holder for that caliber is better than the others.

 

[.308 Norma]

When I buy a shell holder size that I don't already have, I buy 2 of them. That's because I do almost all of my priming with a hand priming tool in the living room, sitting in front of the TV. And I hate having to go back downstairs to fetch the shell holder I left in the press with the sizing/de-capping die. With two, same-sized shell holders I can store one with the dies, and the other with my hand priming tool. Of course, if I already have a two shell holders because I already handload for a cartridge that takes that size shell holder, I only have to buy one new shell holder - the one that I store in the die box. Seeing as how I've been handloading for around 40 years, that's usually the case anymore.

 

[hdwhit]

The Space Wanderer wrote:
I figured, really, how different can a #6(.38/.357) and a #27(.40) actually be. So I, very gently, ran a .40 case through the sizing die using a #6 shell holder. It went smoothly. No problems depriming

Per SAAMI, the .38/357 case is a rimmed case with a rim diameter of 0.440, thickness of 0.058 and a straight wall body of 0.379. The .40 S&W case is a rimless case with a head diameter of 0.424, rim thickness of 0.055 and a body tapering from 0.424 to 0.423 with a diameter of the case at the extractor groove of 0.347.

In this case, you "got away with it" because at each critical dimension, the 40 S&W is just a little smaller than the .38. But, as others have already posted, the difference of the 0.347 diameter at the extractor groove versus the 0.379 diameter at the case body means that the shell holder had very little metal to hold on to and had anything gotten stuck, you would probably have ripped off at least part of the case head.

For my part, I buy the shell holder the manufacturer recommends. And I always buy more than one for reasons alredy explained by .308 Norma.

Also, if you ever had an unaltered male cat get in your garage and "mark" your shell holders, they will corrode to dust seemingly overnight. That's another reason to make sure you have more than one.

 

[TheSpaceWanderer]

I figured that would be the case. As I said, I just tried a few cases and stopped before my luck ran out. Once again my fellow high roaders have proven their usefulness. I've never been made to feel stupid for asking stupid questions.

In this case, you "got away with it" because at each critical dimension, the 40 S&W is just a little smaller than the .38. But, as others have already posted, the difference of the 0.347 diameter at the extractor groove versus the 0.379 diameter at the case body means that the shell holder had very little metal to hold on to and had anything gotten stuck, you would probably have ripped off at least part of the case head.

That was the piece of wisdom I was looking for. Hopefully in the future I will not run into this situation again, and if I do it will be a good opportunity to practice being patient.

For example the Lee shell holder they list for 30 Carbine is loose. The RCBS is better, IMHO

I started with RCBS equipment and so far I have found their products to be an excellent balance of value and quality. Every die set and shell holder I have purchased since thus far has been made by RCBS (with the exeption of Hornady lock rings).

When I buy a shell holder size that I don't already have, I buy 2 of them. That's because I do almost all of my priming with a hand priming tool in the living room, sitting in front of the TV.

Must be nice. My income does not always allow for superfluous parts. I just take the 2 minutes to disassemble the priming tool and shift the holder from press to tool.

Also, if you ever had an unaltered male cat get in your garage and "mark" your shell holders, they will corrode to dust seemingly overnight. That's another reason to make sure you have more than one.

 

[mdi]

K.I.S.S. If you are concerned about using a "wrong" shell holder, measure the sized case. Make sure the case is fully sized...

Shell holders do vary and I use whatever fits. I am using a shell holder that I bought for 45 ACP for reloading my 30-06 stuff. It fits a bit snugger than the one I got for 30-06 (I know they should be the same as the base/heads are the same. Just manufacturing tolerances I figger).

 

[Blue68f100]

As already stated the shell holder numbers are different from mfg to mfg. There are also other minor differences too. The hole for priming may be slightly different size, to accommodate the mfg priming tool for optimum alignment. There may or not be a slot cut to allow for a high primer to be removed. And most are actually MIM now days with a few exceptions. The Redding are made of tool steel and are very hard if you try to remove material off the top.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Must be nice. My income does not always allow for superfluous parts. I just take the 2 minutes to disassemble the priming tool and shift the holder from press to tool.

Right now I only reload for 223 and 9mm
I've used the shell holder that coresponds to those cases.

In my case I have my Turret Press in the garage and I also have a Lee hand press. I also prime with a Lee hand primer.

The standard shell holders for the presses (and everyone but Lee's) and hand primers aren't very expensive. At Sportsman Wharehouse the run from $3 to $7. So while I understand about money being tight, have an extra is nice. When I started I've actually had them disappear then reappear where they should have been. Since no one would have touched them, I'm blaming the ghost. ;-)

Now I have a set in the house and one in the garage. The extra $10 or so was worth it.

The Lee primer shell holders run about $30 for a full set, or about $5 each. Had I known they used special shell holders I'd have spent a little more on a competitors but the Lee got great reviews (better than some of the more expensive ones) and was less expensive so it's what I got.

Anyway, just come up with a system as how you organize your gear and what works best for you. You'll get your basic gear then add things that make things easier, faster, etc. as you gain experience.