Can you chop shellholders to fit the Lee Auto Bench primer?

[Gunfreak25]

The Lee auto prime looks like a good little unit. However they don't make the auto prime shellholders for some of my oddball large rim cartridges. Looks like I can just grind the stub off the bottom of a standard shellholder used for reloading and make it flat to fit the auto prime. Is this the case?

[cwtebay]

What size are you looking for? I have quite a few that need a different home.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[imashooter2]

If you have an auto prime and a standard shell holder, grab your calipers. Measure OD, ID, and thickness of each and you’ll have your answer.

[Gunfreak25]

That's the obvious answer but I work abroad and am only home once a month. Some google searching says my idea of cutting regular shellholders to fit will work. The one in question is RCBS #31 for 32 gauge brass shotgun shells, which form to 11mm gras very readily.

[vagrantviking]

I haven't measured but I'm fairly sure your idea would work.
As mentioned, measure the diameter and thichness . Some of the really big diameter rimmed cases might have a shell holder that is too wide to fit. If that's the case, you might need to stay with a press mounted seating system.

[Gunfreak25]

Your correct, the 50-90 shooters that did this mod had to dremel the slot in the lee auto prime a little bigger but it worked well. I have very little time these days so I feel the RCBS bench primer will just be an easier proposition as it requires no proprietary shellholders to work for us odd ducks.

I have a friend in Edmonton asking me to visit him. Told him no offense but I want nothing to do with Alberta until spring!

[hd09]

I found one in some of my dad's reloading parts he had cut off. I don't know if he did it on a mill or a lathe. It was an RCBS shellholder.
So it can be done.

[Green Frog]

Gunfreak25, when I first read this thread from the beginning, I was wondering why you would want to do it. Now that I know what caliber/gauge you’re working with, I understand. All that said, I’d guess probably not since the rim diameter requires a large outer diameter for the SH itself, it comes down to rather than any other dimension. Since RCBS now makes a hand held priming tool as well as their bench model(s) that use their “universal” shell holder mounts, I’m thinking that would be the simplest route to where you want to be.
Froggie

[Gunfreak25]

I ended up getting a new RCBS rebel and a ram prime since I'm not loading in bulk anymore. When I move up to bulk stuff I'll get another 550C which was wonderful for large batches. Thank you for the replies

[country gent]

Shell holders are very hard and pretty much thru. It may take a grinder to cut not a lathe or mill.
Hornady, RCBS make priming tools that use the universal shell holders as is.

[rockrat]

I have cut the stub off to use in my Lee hand primer. I sometimes have to open the hole where the primer is fed, using a dremel tool, but no issues otherwise.
I used a lathe with a carbide bit to take the stub off.

[YoungGun88]

According to my calipers just now, a late-model LEE and RCBS shellholder diameter correspond with the LEE auto/bench prime shellholders in term of diameter, approx 0.811".
An older model RCBS shellholder was slightly smaller, 0.805".

-Dan

[vagrantviking]

I have a friend in Edmonton asking me to visit him. Told him no offense but I want nothing to do with Alberta until spring!

LoL. I don't blame you!
It's been a pretty mild winter with daytime temperatures just a litt below freezing but we're heading into real cold temps in the next few days. My 10 days in Mexico is timed just about right!

[gwpercle]

It might be better to keep your proper fitting snap-in shell holder and get a Lee auto-prime shell holder , that comes as close as possible to fitting your "oddball large rim cartridges " and grinding the auto-prime shell holder to fit the oddball rim ... the Lee shell holders have some generous tolerances ...one that fits close can be opened up with swiss files & dremel tool ...
And the big thing is the Lee holders are cheap and easy to get ... save your good proper fitting shell holders to reload with and take measurements off of .

My theory is always modify/ grind on the cheapest and easiest replaceable part... the Lee Auto Prime shell holders cost only $4.25 ( Titan Reloading ... K&M Precision ...Midway USA ) each and if you mess one up ...
no big loss .
I have a complete set of lee auto prime shell holders ... If I have a case in my pack-rat hoard of "stuff" , I could check them for closest fit ... what round(s) are you looking for ?
Glad to be of help ,
Gary

[MostlyLeverGuns]

The RCBS Hand Primer uses 'standard' shell holders and works very well. Changing shell holders on the RCBS is a little more difficult than the Lee, but using standard shell holders is an advantage. I have the older Lee and RCBS Hand Primers, once setup, the RCBS is just a little better, though I have the Lee's setup for cartridges I reload less. I have not tried the RCBS Universal Hand Primer that does not use shellholders.