RCBS Shell Holder OUT OF SPEC

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gm272gs

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Posting this as a "Community Service" :)

When you buy a shell holder, it's a good idea to check to make sure it's up to specifications. I have a piece of wood with wooden pegs on it and labels, to sort & store my shell holders. It makes for quick identification of the shell holder - especially for decapping all the stuff I pick up at the range.

I bought a shell holder yesterday (it was clearance-priced at $2.97 so really I HAD to buy it) and it wouldn't fit on one of those pegs! That's odd - I think - so I look for burrs inside the hole. No burrs, and it looks like any of my other shell holders.

So I get my primer rod out and insert it into the shell holder, because it should slip right through. Nope. It won't even go in!

I measure the holes in all my other shell holders (.26") as well as measuring the primer rod to be .24". Then I measure the hole in this new shell holder - and by golly - it's .24".
2/100" is practically a mile in the firearms business!

I sent a note to the RCBS technical team with a photo of the package, but told them I don't need a replacement. A minute with the right stone on a Dremel tool, reamed it out to .25" (which is plenty of "slop" for the primer rod to slide in and out easily).

I hope they can track the lot and see if they have a problem.
The funny thing was that it was a #29 shell holder. I don't even have a .25 auto. I don't ever plan to get dies for .25 auto.
I just couldn't pass up a clearance price of $2.97 for a shell holder. :D

It's a sickness, I know.
 
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Looks like a Baby Browning may be in your future. At 1.1 to 1.8gr per cartridge you can get almost a lifetime of reloading from one pound.
 
MichiganScott said:
Looks like a Baby Browning may be in your future. At 1.1 to 1.8gr per cartridge you can get almost a lifetime of reloading from one pound.
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Ha. Can you imagine? Buying a pistol and a set of carbide dies because I got a good deal on a shell holder?

I'll bet it has happened before.
 
I really have it bad I don't need a reason to buy a gun.
There are no indians at the door.
 
gm272gs said:
I hope they can track the lot and see if they have a problem. The funny thing was that it was a #29 shell holder. I don't even have a .25 auto. I don't ever plan to get dies for .25 auto. I just couldn't pass up a clearance price of $2.97 for a shell holder. :D

It's a sickness, I know.
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I must admit, I have the same sickness. A few months back the local Gander Mountain had 5 or 6 different RCBS shell holders on clearance for the same price and I bought 4 of them. Nope, I do not load for the cartridges they fit but like you said, I couldn't pass up the clearance price and now I do have more toys. :p
 
gm272gs said:
Ha. Can you imagine? Buying a pistol and a set of carbide dies because I got a good deal on a shell holder?

I'll bet it has happened before.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wouldn't know anything about that.:rolleyes:

My sickness was revealed over a pile of .380 brass I had accumulated, but still - I did get a great deal on the Mustang.

And I swear, I did buy the Tanfoglio before I bought the 25 acp dies. Admittedly, I happened to have a pretty good stash of brass in that caliber and was wondering just how hard it would be to press it before the pistol was made available.:cool:
 
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