Disappointed in Hornady Customer Service

[JSimpson65]

I've always heard good things about Hornady customer service, but until today never had any personal experience. I bought a set of their 450-400 Nitro Express dies, along with a Hornady shell holder about a month ago. Finally accumulated some brass and bullets, so was looking forward to loading some up for an upcoming trip to the range with my newly acquired Ruger #1. When I went to insert the Hornady shell holder into my Rockchucker press, it wouldn't go. Something was obviously out of spec. I even tried tapping the shell holder in with a block of wood, but it obviously wasn't going to go. I have about 6 sets of Hornady dies, maybe 10 or more of RCBS dies, plus a few random Redding, Lyman, Lee, etc., for the most part have always bought the same brand shell holder as dies, and have never encountered a shell holder that wouldn't fit into the RCBS ram.

When I called Hornady support today, expecting them to gladly swap out an out of spec shell holder, their response was "there is a slight difference between our specs and RCBS specs, so possible that our shell holder meets our spec but doesn't fit RCBS spec. From a purely engineering standpoint, and assuming that every product that leaves their plant is exactly within their specs, I suppose it is theoretically correct, but I was very disappointed in their complete lack of concern for what is likely a defective product. The tech guy didn't even want to discuss that possibility. I even pointed out that I have six other sets of Hornady dies, probably at least that many Hornady shell holders, and that none have been a problem.

Their response was that I should probably buy RCBS shell holder. This response was to a person who has purchased probably $300-400 worth of their product who has a $7 defective part.

Needless to say, this is probably the last time I buy a Hornady product.

[runfiverun]

measure and grind.

[JSimpson65]

measure and grind.

You are probably right, but keep in mind this is a $7 shell holder. I did make a few measurements to see where it was off, but didn't get a conclusive result. The main thing I noticed was that all other dies I have are chamfered on all edges, this one isn't. Other than hitting it with files or sandpaper around the edges to make it fit, not sure what else to do. The thing is too big to try and chuck into a drill press to modify, and I don't have a lot of other tools for the job. Not only that, but it looks like the shell holders are coated, so I'm assuming I'll probably run into corrosion problems if I sand/grind through the coating.

I went ahead and bought another one from Midway (not Hornady this time), plus paid shipping (again).

My issue was with Hornady's complete lack of willingness to accept responsibility.

[Dryball]

I have 2 RCBS presses and have had issues with using some of their shell holders. Although they should've been a little less dismissive is it really worth the extra time and money to return the item? As stated above, a couple minutes with a dremel, stone or sandpaper will have you back in business...and if you sand or stone the metal it will not corrode or rust any quicker than the ones that aren't modified.

[ReloaderFred]

Hornady has been excellent to me in the service department. When I wore out my Pro-Jector press after about 375,000 rounds, I called them and got a return number, and they told me there would probably be a charge for rebuilding it, which was what I expected.

When I received the completely rebuilt Pro-Jector about 3 weeks later, there was a two page list of what they had done and what they had replaced, but at the bottom it said "no charge".

You're badmouthing Hornady on several different forums over a $7.00 shell holder, and on another forum you were told to call back and talk to another customer rep, but you didn't do that. One shell holder doesn't make a company bad, and they told you there was a difference between their specs and RCBS's specs for shell holder slots in their rams. Due to tolerance stacking, the shell holder may be at the maximum spec, while the slot in the RCBS ram my be at the minimum spec.

You say you have an issue with Hornady's "complete lack of willingness to accept responsibility", but maybe I'm different, because I don't see it as their responsibility to make their part fit another company's machine. If it didn't fit a Hornady press, then I could see where you would have a legitimate gripe, but in this case I don't.

Fred

[osteodoc08]

Hornady has pissed me off lately too.

I had had an issue with the LnL AP press and it's autoject feature. Casing continually hung up on it. When I called I was told it is a regular wear item
and the amount I reloaded on the press was well within the expected life of that part. They refused to send me another without paying for it.

I eventually ordered it so I can have a back up press.......to my new Dillon 650. Haven't looked back since. I still reload on it, only if I haven't bought the Dillon caliber conversion.

Continued experiences like this will cause a shift for sure. Hope they hear and see this and fix it soon.

[Guesser]

Same problem here, I just chucked it in a drill and polished it till it fit my Rock Chucker and the RCBS adapter in my old Herters press. No biggeeeeee!!!

[Smoke4320]

You say you have an issue with Hornady's "complete lack of willingness to accept responsibility", but maybe I'm different, because I don't see it as their responsibility to make their part fit another company's machine. If it didn't fit a Hornady press, then I could see where you would have a legitimate gripe, but in this case I don't.

^^^^Agree

[WILCO]

My issue was with Hornady's complete lack of willingness to accept responsibility.

Therein lies the rub. The man said their specs differ from their competitor's.
Who's to say Hornady is at fault? If anything, I would've asked to speak with a manager after dealing with the customer service rep.

[osteodoc08]

No offense to the OP, but I just got a chuckle when I realized the OP was from the town of Humble.

[deepwater]

My take:

Shell holders are interchangeable between mfgs;
Hornady should have sent a new one out n/c....Dillon would have, RCBS would have;
It is the principle of the thing. Time, effort, cost is a loosing proposition. So, with shipping he tosses $10 in the trash and he has not done anything wrong, and Hornady still profits.

[Beef15]

My take:

Shell holders are interchangeable between mfgs;
Hornady should have sent a new one out n/c....Dillon would have, RCBS would have;
It is the principle of the thing. Time, effort, cost is a loosing proposition. So, with shipping he tosses $10 in the trash and he has not done anything wrong, and Hornady still profits.


Their CS has always been helpful to me, but this pretty much sums my feelings on this situation.
I probably would've asked to talk to someone a bit higher up, and if they didn't care about me and my happiness with their $5.00 part I'd be sure to let them know I'd be looking elsewhere for tooling, bullets, and factory ammo.

[Quickdraw4u]

I had a problem with one of their vibratory tumblers. The "imbalancer" on the motor broke (pot metal and broke right thru the bolt hole). Called Hornady and was told they don't stock repair parts for the tumblers, they don't repair them and that they are made in China and assembled in Mexico. Their advice was to buy another one. I did but it wasn't a Hornady. Hornady has been "corporatized" like a lot of other U.S. companies. Their reputation was built originally on one satisfied customer at a time. Now it's all about the profits. Even their packaging exudes marketing. I have never been disappointed with RCBS, Dillon, or Redding. Lyman and Lee still care too. Sure, stuff breaks, but at least those companies stand behind their products and still sell quality goods. I only buy Hornady if it is the only option. I'm just sayin...

[Mad Jack]

I had a problem with one of their vibratory tumblers. The "imbalancer" on the motor broke (pot metal and broke right thru the bolt hole). Called Hornady and was told they don't stock repair parts for the tumblers, they don't repair them and that they are made in China and assembled in Mexico. Their advice was to buy another one. I did but it wasn't a Hornady. Hornady has been "corporatized" like a lot of other U.S. companies. Their reputation was built originally on one satisfied customer at a time. Now it's all about the profits. Even their packaging exudes marketing. I have never been disappointed with RCBS, Dillon, or Redding. Lyman and Lee still care too. Sure, stuff breaks, but at least those companies stand behind their products and still sell quality goods. I only buy Hornady if it is the only option. I'm just sayin...

Well stated. I will only add I am pretty much done with Hornady too. I buy if it's the only option.

IMO shell holders have never been an issue for me interchanging makes before. If Hornady is not going to be interchangeable as they always have been they need to state that on packaging.

Another huge pet peeve of mine is the Chinese parts being assembled in Mexico.

[JSimpson65]

You're badmouthing Hornady on several different forums over a $7.00 shell holder, and on another forum you were told to call back and talk to another customer rep, but you didn't do that. One shell holder doesn't make a company bad, and they told you there was a difference between their specs and RCBS's specs for shell holder slots in their rams. Due to tolerance stacking, the shell holder may be at the maximum spec, while the slot in the RCBS ram my be at the minimum spec.

You say you have an issue with Hornady's "complete lack of willingness to accept responsibility", but maybe I'm different, because I don't see it as their responsibility to make their part fit another company's machine. If it didn't fit a Hornady press, then I could see where you would have a legitimate gripe, but in this case I don't.

This post struck a nerve with me due to a thread on another forum about complainers and the quest for instant gratification by the modern generations. I guess the internet has given people an audience they never had before, so they're going to take full advantage of it...........

Fred

Not to belabor the point, but the main issue I had is that I don't think the shellholder is within Hornady's specs either, and they weren't even willing to consider that possibility. As much as I hated to count, I checked last night and 6 of 29 die sets I have are Hornady, and at least 6 or more shellholders are theirs (I didn't take the time to round them all up). I generally buy the shellholder from the same company who made the dies. This is the only shell holder I've ever had an issue with, which leads me to believe that either my press isn't at the minimum end of the spec, that Hornady's specs may be pretty wide, or that the part was simply out of spec. Either way, for a company to refuse to admit the possibility of a part leaving the factory outside spec rubbed me the wrong way, which is why i simply said i was "disappointed in Hornady customer service."

As for the comment about "modern generation", not sure how old you are, but I turned 50 last year.

[country gent]

You got someone having a "Bad Day". The new style universals are all advertised as "universal" Hornadys deviation dosnt make sense at all. I have not had any trouble with lyman, rcbs, hornady or Lee in any of my presses or priming tools that use universal shell holders. I have had several times where a die / shellholder combo didnt size down far enough. You can chuck the shell holder up in a drill chuck by putting a 1/4" cap head bolt thru thu the hole and a nut to lock then chuck on bolt. In my book ( and trade) universal means it fits in the standard set up regardless who made it.

[Mica_Hiebert]

Had it been myself I would have called back and made up a little white lie and said it wouldn't fit my Hornady press :-D

[JSimpson65]

No offense to the OP, but I just got a chuckle when I realized the OP was from the town of Humble.

No offense to osteodoc08, you seem like a generally helpful guy and all, but that was about the most useless, irrelevant post I've seen in awhile.

See how that works, we just put "no offense to ..." and it makes it not insulting a bit.

[Guesser]

Just for another reference....I have some older Lyman shell holders that didn't fit my 36 year old Rock Chucker but did fit my 1984 Lee Challenger 2000. Why are we so helpless we can't adapt and overcome on a personal level...in this new age. Ain't nuthin' perfect and it never was; but we made it work.

[ReloaderFred]

Mr. Simpson,

When you were born I was well into adulthood, so yes, we come from different generations. I come from one where we fixed things ourselves. It was, and is, just part of life.

Like I told you in the other thread on another forum, in the time it took you to post your complaints in various places, you could have fixed the offending shell holder and probably had some pride in doing so along the way.

I still don't see where you can be mad at a company for not making a part to fit another company's machine? The rep told you they had different specs, which may be true, or not. I have machines and parts from various companies, some of whom have been out of business for many, many years, and some from current manufacturers. If I have a part from one that doesn't fit another's machines, I look it over and figure out where the problem lies and then go to work to fix it. But that's just me, and most of the people I hang out with. It may not be in your nature to do that, which is fine, but don't blame the company.

Now, I'm through with this thread, so I won't be posting back on it, since I've had my say and so have you....

Hope this helps.

Fred

[ubetcha]

I have run into situations in which a Lee shell holder will fit my Hornady press, and work fine, except the hole in the shell holder won't allow the primer arm to pass through. Or vice versa. No Big deal. I just use the proper shell holder for the press. That is, use Lee holders on Lee and Hornady holders on Hornady. Ya I do have to purchase an additional holder ,but their not that expensive. Plus no more aggravations. And yes, I agree that it's not up to the manufacture to insure their product fit someone else's product, though most of the reloading industry product's do. After all , a lot of Ford parts don't fit GM and both are in the automotive business.

[osteodoc08]

No offense to osteodoc08, you seem like a generally helpful guy and all, but that was about the most useless, irrelevant post I've seen in awhile.

See how that works, we just put "no offense to ..." and it makes it not insulting a bit.

I'm not insulted in the slightest. Thank you for the compliment as I do strive to be generally helpful.

Can't get along with everyone, nor should everyone be coddled to. You've been given plenty of sage advice from others and can do with it as you see fit. Being humble is a fine quality in a man. I shared my experience with Hornady customer service and made an attempt to have a bit of empathy in my first post.

Apparantly there is quite a bit of various opinions on here and it reminds me of a thread that was turned into a sticky.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?222520-Why-some-new-members-will-do-better-than-others-here

I share it with everyone, not for any one member.

I wish you the best of luck in resolving your issue with your shellholder.

[Lance Boyle]

Yep someone posted what first popped into my head. I would marker it up and insert it into the press and remove and check the marker for what isn't fitting. Insert bolt through the center, add a nut to the other end and spin in the drill press (or hand drill if that's what you got) and hit the spots with file. I'd chamfer the edges too just because.

I generally buy RCBS or Redding dies and shell holders. I think I have one lyman I bought when that's what was in stock when I had an order to make with a vendor.

[lightload]

The Hornady employee should have sent the man another shell holder for two reasons: (1)good public relations (2)part with low cost which may have been out of spec. If policy prevented replacement, then he should have apologized for the man's inconvenience. That said, the op's Hornady experience may not merit the amount of heat applied to Hornady.

[leeggen]

I think, JMHO, has spent way more effort on trying to bad mouth horneday than is really ness. So it doesn't fit it is $7.00 yeah it is a matter of prenciple, but look at it from Horn. side. I'll bet he lashed out about how many this and how many that he owns to the person on the phone. Now he has insulted the company and the phone person and he thinks they care how many of what he has? Bet you have wasted more money than that on junk. Ok I'm done.
CD

[bleukahuna]

I have an RCBS shell holder that wouldn't fit my RCBS hand primer, the center hole was a little small. Before I modified the shell holder I tried a Lee that I had and it worked fine, no problem. and we all know a call to RCBS will have a new one in my hand in a few days. My experiences with Hornady CS have been a bit mixed, most parts have been no problem, when i needed discontinued parts for my Pro-Jector(which had been upgraded from a Pro-7) I was offered the LNL-AP upgrade deal. However, I had a .50BMG fl die that left the neck ID at .504, abit too snug. My expander ball miked .5125, right where it should be, but the neck checked out at .4998. I returned the die so they could repair it. It came back a month later with a grossly oversized expander ball, I was not pleased! When I called back to customer service they could not understand my issue, I didn't want to overwork the brass like that. I finally got to talk to an engineer and he agreed that the neck needed to be honed out and issued another RMA so the repair could be corrected. In the mean time, I acquired aCH4D bushing die to work the brass a lot less. Once I got the Hornady die back again, it was perfect.

[crowbuster]

They have always treated me like gold. Been to the factory a couple times in grand island. Meet steve and Jason both. Even the guys in the testing area. Couldn't ask for a more down to earth bunch of folks. I hold them in high reguard..All problems have always been takin care of. And on there dime even when I pulled a bonehead move and messed something up myself. Somethin don't seem square bout this to me.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

I guess you have not read other forums where Hornady is experiencing some issues with the QC of their loaded big bore ammunition.

If we are allowed to link: the accurate reloading URL has a long thread in the big bore section. For informative purposes only.
If not relevant, okay to delete.

Rich

[PB234]

I had a bad shell holder from Hornady a couple years ago. One call to customer service and another was on its way to me. No problem. This is also the same firm that made .455 Webley brass and 6.5 Mannlicher ammo recently both of which are sort of like hen's teeth to find.

[hockeynick39]

measure and grind.
Exactly what I have done too. It still doesn't quite fill that gap of the Techs unwillingness to just say, send it back and we'll send you a new one. RCBS has done it with everything that I have sent them with out a hitch. I do not own many Hornady products and have not had any issues with the ones I own, but that's a problem and you may wish to send a letter off to Steve or the plant manager to see what is going on. Good luck and stay safe.

[pmer]

That's it we need a national standard on shell holders! I can see there might've been some frustration if the was OP excited to load and shoot an odd cartridge but I learned sometimes the hard way to not post, email, text, or call while pissed off because it usually won't turn out the way I want.

[EDG]

I don't agree. Hornady needs to quit using that excuse because it is contrary to what they advertise.

I have one of the #31 Carcano shell holders they brag about fitting the cases better. It does not work in my 46 year old RockChucker, RCBS JR2, RCBS A2, Harrell's bench rest press, Lee thigh master or the dinky Lee C press.

The standard shell holders of all brands including Lee, Texan, Redding, Herter's, RCBS, Lyman, Bair and Pacific all fit my presses. BTW the Pacific shell holder is a good fit and the Pacific brand was the forerunner to the Hornady brand.

Apparently Hornady made a mistake. You have to be an idiot to be one of the last companies into the loading tool industry and not make your tools (universal shell holders) compatible with existing equipment that goes back 60 or 70 years.
I will be complaining to Hornady tomorrow and if they cannot replace it, it will go back to Midway.

The necked down diameter of my good shell holders vary from .432 to .437 (7/16). My presses have .437 slots all brands of shell holders EXCEPT Hornady work.
The morons at Hornady made their's .437 also but the top fillet radius hangs up in the slot so they do not fit any of my presses. When measured with the full width of my caliper jaws it measures .450 because of the fillet radius. It will also not fit my bench priming tools.
This problem is not easily corrected with a file. I don't see how Hornady can sell me any more bullets if they can't make a decent shell holder that fits none of the industry standard presses except their own.

Using Hornady type logic if I have other problems it will be because I am not using Hornady brass and bullets too.

Note this quote from the Midway ad
"Precision machined from solid steel then heat treated to perform flawlessly for the life of the press. They fit all other Hornady accessories including the Hornady Cam-Lock Case Trimmer and Hand-Held Priming Tool. These shellholders will also fit the presses of most other brands in the industry."

And in the Hornady catalog on the Hornady website they are called UNIVERSAL SHELL HOLDERS.
Hornady is not correctly representing their product to their customers since they are NOT universal.

Hornady verbiage at Midsouth's website

"Our Shell Holders are precision machined from solid steel then heat treated to perform flawlessly for the life of the press. They fit all other Hornady accessories (Case Trimmer, Hand-Held Priming Tool, etc.). Hornady steel shell holders also fit most other brands of reloading presses. This shell holder is available individually, and in a set that accommodates the most popular calibers."

From Graf's
"Hornady Shell Holders are precision machined from solid steel then heat treated to perform flawlessly for the life of the press. Hornady steel shell holders also fit most other brands of reloading presses. See Shellholder Cross Reference Chart for application information."



Hornady has been excellent to me in the service department. When I wore out my Pro-Jector press after about 375,000 rounds, I called them and got a return number, and they told me there would probably be a charge for rebuilding it, which was what I expected.

When I received the completely rebuilt Pro-Jector about 3 weeks later, there was a two page list of what they had done and what they had replaced, but at the bottom it said "no charge".

You're badmouthing Hornady on several different forums over a $7.00 shell holder, and on another forum you were told to call back and talk to another customer rep, but you didn't do that. One shell holder doesn't make a company bad, and they told you there was a difference between their specs and RCBS's specs for shell holder slots in their rams. Due to tolerance stacking, the shell holder may be at the maximum spec, while the slot in the RCBS ram my be at the minimum spec.

You say you have an issue with Hornady's "complete lack of willingness to accept responsibility", but maybe I'm different, because I don't see it as their responsibility to make their part fit another company's machine. If it didn't fit a Hornady press, then I could see where you would have a legitimate gripe, but in this case I don't.

Fred

[troyboy]

Hornandy should stand by their product. You shouldn't have to modify a new part that is supposed to be universal. Should warranty be required after a modification you will definitely not have any leg to stand on. It is astounding that this is even an issue.

[dogmower]

I have had NOTHING but excellent service from them for over 25 years. The last one was when I sent a totally worn out projector press (well over a million handle strokes), expecting a refurbished machine and a bill (would have gladly paid it).
What I got was a basically new machine, a long list of parts and the labor that went into installing them, and a handwritten note saying "no charge"
They didn't even charge me for shipping it back.
Even Dillon doesn't do that good. Hornady is my brand, no doubt about it.

[EDG]

I called Hornady customer service today and discussed my #21 shell holder not fitting my press. The guy said they had a contract manufacturer make some of the shell holders and that there was an issue with them due to the fillet radius. He asked me the press I was using and told him it was an elderly Rockchucker. But I told him it did not fit 2 more RCBS presses, 2 Lees and a Harrell's BR press.
He took my information and said he could have one pulled from stock, checked and sent to me.

This shell holder cost me $7 plus shipping and the Hornady version is the only one that is a good fit on Carcano brass.

[EDG]

I got a replacement Hornady #21 shell holder free of charge in the mail yesterday.
The first one that I got would not fit my presses due to a fillet radius. The new one appeared to have been expertly reworked to correct the problem.

This was excellent service and thanks to Hornady.