Shell Holder Question

[Frankmo]

Hey Guy's i'm fixin to start loading for the venerable 45 Colt and the shell holders I have are all lyman, well maybe a couple of rcbs thrown in there,
Anyway I don't have the rcbs #20 needed for the 45 and the lyman one I need is the #14 well my set only came with the #14B and that is for the 45 schofield .

Will the 14B holder fit the 45 colt rim ?.
I think ,(apart from the case lenghth) that the rim on the schofield is a tad thicker.

Anyone enlighten me ?.

[414gates]

Measure the rim diameter, if it's the same, you can use the same shellholder.

The shellholder accomodating a thicker rim is not a factor for a shellholder on a single stage press.

[georgerkahn]

Hey Guy's i'm fixin to start loading for the venerable 45 Colt and the shell holders I have are all lyman, well maybe a couple of rcbs thrown in there,
Anyway I don't have the rcbs #20 needed for the 45 and the lyman one I need is the #14 well my set only came with the #14B and that is for the 45 schofield .

Will the 14B holder fit the 45 colt rim ?.
I think ,(apart from the case lenghth) that the rim on the schofield is a tad thicker.

Anyone enlighten me ?.

Welcome to forum! With no disrespect, I have never been aware of a "#14" shell holder. The 14b's I have are for .38WCF and .44WCF (.38-40 & .44-40). That said, the rim of the .45 Colt is listed at 0.512", with a body at 0.480", fyi.
Also, the Schofield is (imho) basically a shortened .45 Colt, just as the Cassull is a longer one :). Similar to the .44 Russian/Special/Rem Mag. the .38 S&W Special/.357 Mag -- same base -- just different case lengths.
I -- and note this may just be "ME!" -- am very particular with shell holders. To wit, I ONLY use the dedicated shell holder for each calibre; even marking with a Sharpie the one I use for actual loading when I have multiples. To my belief, the shell holder has a very important role in the loading process MUCH more than simply securing the case while you perform loading operations.
Much more significant with cases for semi-auto firearms, they still play an important role with others.
If it were ME, I would NOT use anything other than the reloading manual specified shell holder number -- preferably of the SAME BRAND as the loading press. ("Yes" -- SAAMI specs suggest all brands should be interchangeable...but...tolerances... ;))
.45 Colt shellholders are not a rarity... With Internet vendors -- or even try a "WTB" in S&S on this site? You will learn the members of this forum are mostly really incredibly wonderful -- as perhaps another source.
The listed shell holders for .45 Colt include RCBS #20; Lyman 11 and/or 13; Redding #23; 4D #"LC"; and, Hornady #32.
If you have interest in a full shell holder chart, the wonderful folks at Buffalo Arms have one you may view: https://www.buffaloarms.com/shell-holder-chart
BEST wishes!
geo

[TNsailorman]

As usual, George laid it out very well and I agree with him as usual. Run off a copy of the buffalo arms chart, it just might come in handy later. james

[Rich/WIS]

Rim diameter and thickness are not the same, the 45 Scofield rim is thicker and wider than the 45 Colt. The colt will fit but it will be loose. Not sure how critical that is as the difference is measures in thousanths.

[georgerkahn]

Rim diameter and thickness are not the same, the 45 Scofield rim is thicker and wider than the 45 Colt. The colt will fit but it will be loose. Not sure how critical that is as the difference is measures in thousanths.

Rich/WIS -- You are indeed 100% correct, but I was trying to simplify things :) -- reloading, as we all know, can get reallllly complicated/confusing. I know I loaded .45 Schofield in a single action revolver in attempt to obtain more regularity with the lesser volume afforded by this case as opposed to the 45 COLT stamped by Ruger as calibre on the revolver. (I started to get a "ring" from the shorter case; went back to the 45 Colt cases with a bit of Dacron). I employed reccomended shell holder for each calibre! Anyhoos, I have a chart with shell holder numbers for the few calibres *I* load, and attached it. Hopefully, this may be of further assistance to OP, and any can see recommendations305436 for different calibre shellholders.
geo

[pworley1]

Try the brass in your shell holders and see if it fits any of them, if it doesn't buy the one you need.

[1hole]

Shell holders (and FL sizing dies) from all makers follow the same SAAMI specifications, meaning there is usually as much factory variation between individual holders of the same brand as there is between brands. (The nominal deck height for shell holders is 1/8" or a tad less; that's .125", - zero, + a couple of thou.)

Handguns are not competitive bench shooting guns so sweating over the precise dimensions of shell holders for handgun ammo is pointless. Find a shell holder that holds your cases well enough to reliably extract them from your sizing die and use it.

[oldhenry]

Some WW headstamps will require a #26. I keep one handy when de-priming .45 Colt brass on my SS press. I load on a Dillon 550 & it'll accept all on the same shell plate.

[Green Frog]

There is also the matter of different manufactures sizing their shell holders to slightly different specs so they can be used in a couple of different cartridges. A shell holder size from Lyman may or may not work for the same variety of calibers as the ones from Lee or RCBS or even Herters! i found heartache depending on cross reference list. Geo. has the right idea... get matching stuff wherever possible. it may be unnecessary, but it won't hurt!
Froggie

[Frankmo]

Thx a lot ;)

[Green Frog]

Frankmo, now that you’ve found your way back, stop in more often. There’s a wealth of information here, sometimes nuggets, and sometimes boulders. I’ve been loading for almost 50 years and just discovered a couple of years ago that I couldn’t use Lee Shell Holders in presses using RCBS Priming Punches. Although it’s tempting to find a “deal” on a set of shell holders to “do it all” you may find similar problems. I like the idea of having dedicated shell holders for each set up. Alternatively, you could get all your loading gear from one manufacturer, but where’s the challenge in that?

Froggie

[Wayne Smith]

Even then, Froggie, there are issues. I have to have 2 shell holders for my 41 Colt because Starline makes theirs to fit the .38 Special shell holder!

[racepres]

Some WW headstamps will require a #26. I keep one handy when de-priming .45 Colt brass on my SS press. I load on a Dillon 550 & it'll accept all on the same shell plate.
Not just WW
I find that there seems to be 2 different 45 Colt "specs" I am In the process of Modifying a Lee #11 to fit the "fatter" 45 case.. in the mean time...a #5 Lee works really well, and I see Zero Reasons it is Not, just as "accurate".
Prolly better than my Hickerbilly make it fit solution...

BTW the Chart above is Not Complete.. certainly Not as to the 45 Colt...Just that I cannot locate the One I have used... but, shows the two different Numbers for 45 Colt by at least 3 of the Manufacturers.. One being the same as 44, and another for ??

[ascast]

i HAVE A BUNCH OF OLDER 45c BRASS THAT WILL NOT FIT IN MODERN SHELL HOLDER. sorry about that. New brass has a small groove cut just before the rim. My old stuff does not. I think my old stuff is REM-UMC. just something to watch for.