Have to Vent

Yup, they are two completely different animals.

Well, there is a learning curve. Buying the wrong shell holders may be your first mistake but it isn't likely to be your last. Try hard to know what you're doing, all the time.

Why are you fuming? You bought the auto prime shellholders ahead of need. You will end up with an auto prime tool eventually. Yes, you will.

Don't sweat the small stuff bud, and believe me this is small potatoes. I picked up a RCBS press off an auction site once and was elated until I found out the shipping was more than I paid for the darn press. Trust me and the other post above get the seating tool you will use it plenty enough.

To heck with the autoprime, get a RCBS universal priming tool It doesn't need shell holders.

Clutch

We would all be happy if we learned a life lesson for just $5. You can always sell them for that anytime.


NCsmitty

Why are you fuming? You bought the auto prime shellholders ahead of need. You will end up with an auto prime tool eventually. Yes, you will.

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I prefer the Safety Prime (press mounted) myself, but I've only been loading a few months.

I use the ram prime supplied with the press. Started a few weeks ago and I don't think Ill ever go back to the Auto prime. Probably will end up selling it.

Me too. The ram is a no brainer. It decaps and resizes at the same time. But not everyone has a ram that is good at priming.

OP: I have a similar story. My press came with Auto Prime shellholders. The manual shows a picture of how you slide the shellholder over the top of the ram, and in the pic you can only see the top half of the shellholder... which of course looks exactly like the Auto Prime ones. So I spent a minute scratching my head, then said to heck with it. I sized a case, anyway. LOL. Try getting a 357 shell out of a sizing die when the shell holder isn't attached to anything. Not my sharpest moment.

For future reference, LEE die sets come with a shellholder.

+1 on Lee dies coming with one. Went to get some 45/70 dies and they were out of stock, so I got rcbs dies instead. Got home, dangit...no shell holder. I didn't know rcbs didn't supply them with there dies. Its a little over 2 hours round trip to my local supplier,and that doesn't count in store time. The following weekend I went back and got one.

Not only RCBS dies not come with one, it's 8-9 extra. I got a set of Lee 380 dies used and they came without a shellholder. Instead of buying one I got a new set of lee 223 dies

IdahoSkies said:

They were only $5 at second hand for the universal set but now I've got to look, find and pay for more tools when I wanted to get to work.

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Inexperience costs you $5.

J_McLeod said:

I got a set of Lee 380 dies used and they came without a shellholder. Instead of buying one I got a new set of lee 223 dies

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Experience saves you $5!


There is definitely a learning curve to reloading, and the way reloading technology has developed in an irregular progression, we're left with a lot of bad options and potential gotchas for the newbie... like Lee using different but similar shell holders for the reloading press and hand priming tool. Lee is usually good about KISS, but not this time.

These sorts of complexities are part of the reason that newbies are generally steered away from starting with a progressive press. There are plenty of pitfalls when climbing up the learning curve with a single stage press. A novice reloader starting with a progressive press can expect 4-6 additional orders to buy unexpected stuff and correct bad assumptions before making any ammo. It's too frustrating for most people. That's why I recommend some hands-on help from a local reloader to get through the initial rough spots when getting started, if possible.

It'll be worth these little aggravations when you're beaming with pride after shooting your first handmade ammo.