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View Full Version : .43 Spanish shell holder (RCBS #22 is 0.150!)



ohland
05-16-2015, 07:34 PM
Let us genuflect on the 43 Spanish shell holder sizes. I found that Buffalo Arms has a pretty good shell holder chart for the old ones. Who woulda thunk that?

http://www.buffaloarms.com/Content.aspx?PAGE=Shell%20Holder%20Chart

Anyone that surfs for a 43 Spanish or 11mm Mauser shell holder will quickly find the RCBS #22 is everywhere.

RCBS - #22, accepts .090" thick rims, also SH has a 0.150" lip thickness
Lyman - none listed
Redding - #16, used for 11mm Mauser
CH/4D - #43S
Hornady - None listed
Lee - #17 .087" thickness, for cases formed from 348 Win
Lee - #18 .090" thick rims

Bummer, Lee does not have a #18 for the Auto-Prime, and my 21st Century priming tool uses the square tray and Auto-Prime shell holders... Whip out my RCBS bench top priming tool - NOT the APS!

RCBS Shell Holder #22 for the .43 Spanish

This is an extract from the RCBS instructions for Case Forming and Trim Dies.

"Most RCBS Dies are manufactured with the standard 7/8-14 thread and are designed for use with a shell holder having a lip thickness of 0.125". The primary exceptions are the .45 Auto Rimmed, 11mm (.43) Mauser, and .43 Spanish. These must have a shell holder lip thickness of 0.150". Any variations of these dimensions may cause headspace or insufficient sizing problems."

TOW:
"The Lee No. 17 shell holder included is cut to accept .087" rim thickness, only. Antique rifles are chambered to accept the .090" rim thickness. Brass cases reformed from .348 WCF may have this thin rim, to fit this shell holder.

Brass cases reformed from .348 WCF by Dave Gullo, Buffalo Arms, have a .090" rim thickness, to headspace correctly in all antique Remington Rolling Block Rifles that he surveyed. We agree. Use RCBS No. 22 shell holder."

pworley1
05-16-2015, 09:23 PM
The RCBS is the way to go if you are forming your brass. I have had the Lee shell holders top break off. I have not had any problems with the Lee shell holders when loading.

Mk42gunner
05-16-2015, 10:47 PM
I have not measured the RCBS #22 that I have; I also have not broken it (yet). I did pull the top off of about three Lee #17's trying to pull the reformed (from baco) .348 Win cases from the sizing die.

Maybe I didn't have enough lube on the cases, causing them to stick, but I doubt it.

Robert