Punch question for standard press

[wonderwolf]

Why do the companies that make swage dies for standard presses use a punch that goes into a shell holder? You think its just to ease production since they don't have to duplicate the shell holder design over and over again?

[MightyThor]

Because of the need to make the dies work as a set. Most of the dies need a punch and a way to extract the bullet parts from the die. This is often easier to do from the top of the press because almost all presses have plenty of room above the die to facilitate some sort of extractor. So the punch is usually at the bottom.

[wonderwolf]

Yeah but why do they use a shell holder instead of having the bottom punch snap into the shellholder slot on the ram?

[Reload3006]

Yeah but why do they use a shell holder instead of having the bottom punch snap into the shellholder slot on the ram?

all i have ever seen just snap into the slot on your ram. Like a lee sizing die punch .. I am not sure I am following your question.

[ReloaderFred]

I was confused, too. All my swaging dies for reloading presses have punches that fit the shellholder slot in the ram, with the exception of my Hollywood swaging dies, which are made to only be used on the Hollywood presses.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Reload3006]

ah I see yes Hollywood did things their own way just like Corbin etc but if swage dies are made for a reloading press they have punches that will fit a slotted ram.

[wonderwolf]

I'll see about posting a picture maybe later...I guess its not as common as I thought

[MightyThor]

Yeah but why do they use a shell holder instead of having the bottom punch snap into the shellholder slot on the ram?

Ohhh, well, in my case it was cause when I was first making punches I did not have a lathe and trying to do that much turning on a drill press would have put me in the looney bin. It was easier to turn the punch and then thread it into an existing shellholder that I had laying around. Can't speak to what others do or why.

[MIBULLETS]

Which company are your talking about? I've never seen one like that, only ones that resemble a shell hold and specifically made to swage.

[Reload3006]

It looks to me like he made a draw set for his either Walnut Hill press or Corbin S or CSP2 Mega Mite. that set of dies was made for a swaging press not a reloading press.

[perazzi]

As I found out, using a punch in a shell holder has a tendency to deform the shellholder. It still works in the rcbs, but, will no longer fit in my Lee loader...

[DukeInFlorida]

BT Sniper and a few others are making a solid replacement ram for the RCBS press. Instead of the standard T slot for the shell holder, it has a 1/2"-13 thread for a screw in punch. Not only does that solidly lock the punch in place, centered to the die, it avoids the collapsing effect that you describe.

Here's the screw in type bottom punch:
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/P1060969.jpg

and here's the standard T slot style punch:
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/P1050791-1.jpg

And, here's the replacement (for RCBS) Threaded Ram:
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/2009_1228bullets0015-1-1.jpg

[perazzi]

I like that idea!