.43 Spanish shellholder

[Mk42gunner]

Okay Guys,

For those of you that load .43 Spanish, are there any shellholders that don't break? I have always used Lee #17 and have had several chip, crack, or pull the top off.[smilie=b:

The recent posts about using .348 brass got me interested in shooting my rolling block again; I pulled the die set off the shelf to look and the corner is chipped on the one shellholder that I still have. Before I order more, is there any brand that I might have a chance of getting a hundred rounds loaded without spontaneously deconstructing a shellholder?


Thanks,


Robert

[Freightman]

Hornady #58 I think is slightly tougher, but a little higher I just order four at a time of the LEE.

[psj12]

I once wrote to Lee about the lip breaking off the shell holder while loading the 43 spanish. I told them I bought the last two I think it is your turn. I received a new shell holder in the mail within a week.

[405]

I use the #17 for the 43 Spanish and the 44-90SBN . Never had a problem with ANY shellholder chipping no matter the manufacturer or caliber! There's got to be more to the story. Shellholders are pretty tough little pieces of machined steel. If the rim thickness and diameter are correct for the shellholder....the only way I can see that a shellholder can chip or break is either: The bottom of a die is being rammed down on top of it with more than casual force and at an angle OR the shellholder was manufactured with a flaw (maybe a small crack during casting in the case where an investment casting is used then later machined). You might check the depth the die is set into the press. It's extremely rare that a die needs to contact the shellholder to adequately size a case. Given the compounding leverage of modern presses there can be a great deal of force applied as the linkages "break over". If maximum sizing is needed, then the better way is to grind some off the bottom of the die.

[bubba.50]

trying to size that .348 brass is the biggest problem you have. the base is just too big and requires too much pressure for a standard shell holder. and even when it works the rim is basically too small. my opinion and worth what you paid for it, bubba. merry christmas to all.

[TNsailorman]

I no longer have my Lee shellholder for the .43 Spanish but I do have 2 # 22's by RCBS and they have been doing the job for me for over 35 years now. The Lee gave up the ghost in a short order and I ordered 2 of the RCBS's when I was able to find them. My Lee cracked in the rim recess when I stuck a case that I was putting too much pressure on to reform to .43 spanish. I think it was more of my misuse than a weakness on the part of the Lee shell holder. Not the first time I "hamfisted" my way to failure and wasn't the last either. I use to "wildcat" a little and I managed to crack the wall of a die also with excessive force. Live and learn.

[Mk42gunner]

Thanks for the replies, I will order either the Hornady or RCBS. My brass is from Buffalo Arms, reformed from .348 Win. The last time I loaded any I was using a Pacific Super C press; hopefully it will go better with a Rockchucker.

Thanks again,

Robert

[Freightman]

Thanks for the replies, I will order either the Hornady or RCBS. My brass is from Buffalo Arms, reformed from .348 Win. The last time I loaded any I was using a Pacific Super C press; hopefully it will go better with a Rockchucker.

Thanks again,

Robert
I may be wrong but the .348 requires a #8 LEE as does 45/70 the #17 is for the 8x50 Label brass. I have never broke a #8 but if you look the #17 is very thin as it is a very large shell head.
I use the Label brass to form my Vetterli brass, seems to last a little longer than the 348 and is cheaper.

[Mk42gunner]

Thanks for all the advice guys,

When I opened the box that held my empty brass I found an RCBS #22 shellholder in with it. Evidently I bought one the last time I broke a shellholder, and forgot about it, (I don't know why I would, its only been seven or eight years and a retirement ago).

The #17 Lee is very thin on top, .035"; the #8 Lee is .055". Here is the shocker an RCBS #22 is .055". This explains why the RCBS lasts and the Lee breaks; but it puts a big hole in the universal shellholder theory.

Freightman,

You are right a .348 amd .45-70 take a #8 Lee, however the .43 Spanish takes a #17 Lee or #22 RCBS. My brass is formed from .348 Win. Buffalo Arms draws the cae head down from .546" to .512", they also make a thicker rim by forcing the outer .030" or so forward. The rim is now .090" versus .064" as near as I can measure with chinese dial calipers.

405,

I had never broken one either until I started to load for a 43. When mine break it is usually when I am pulling the case out of the sizer, it is not a case of camming the linkage over on a thin shellholder. I can't explain it any better than that; and I am not going to waste any more money on #17 Lee shellholders.

Robert

[Buckshot]

..............Hmmmmmmmm, I must be living right as I still have the original Lee shellholder that came with my dies. I will say that I know Lee kind of fudges a bit on some of their shellholders, like the standard Mauser headsize shellholder they use for the 7.65 Argentine/Belgium Mauser dies. While a Mauser, it DOES require a different shellholder then Lee ships, to be correct. I use a Hornady shellholder for that.

..............Buckshot

[405]

trying to size that .348 brass is the biggest problem you have. the base is just too big and requires too much pressure for a standard shell holder. and even when it works the rim is basically too small. my opinion and worth what you paid for it, bubba. merry christmas to all.

My opinion also. Always more to the story. 43 Span brass is available. Forget about the problems of a thin rimmed shellholder that fits the 43 Span correctly. Chances are pretty good that re-sizing the WRONG parent case will rarely yield the best results in the long run. But oh well, why get 270 Win brass when you can take cheap, old, mixed HSd military 06 brass and neck it down. Eruhhh, will worry about thick neck and brittle brass problems later. My less than $.02 also.

[oldreliable45120]

I've been using the one that came with the dies for the last 10 years with out a problem. I also use RCBS#22. I have never had a problen using those 2 shellholders for any of the 43 brass i have. I have Bell, Bertram, and Buff Arms reformed 348 brass.

[EDG]

For either 43 Spanish or .348 brass find the old 1" RCBS shell holders if your press will accommodate it. The 1" shell holders are the same diameter as the ram of a Rockchucker.

[Charlie in Co]

Thanks for all the advice guys,


405,

I had never broken one either until I started to load for a 43. When mine break it is usually when I am pulling the case out of the sizer, it is not a case of camming the linkage over on a thin shellholder. I can't explain it any better than that; and I am not going to waste any more money on #17 Lee shellholders.

Robert

Exact same thing happened to me with the Lee shellholder. This happened within the first 40 rounds using Buffalo Arms 43 Spanish cases.
If you look in my toolbox you'll see many replacement linkages for the potmetal Lee hand primer. I like the feel of it but it is junk compared to a Sinclair. The only drawback to the Sinclair (besides cost) is that they don't use a primer tray, single feed only

[Charlie in Co]

fixed grammar