HI,
I am loading for a 20 Tactical (Dakota Brass) and have run into a small problem. I usually prime with a Lee hand primer. When I use the shell holder #4 for .223, the brass is VERY hard to slide in. I can't find another one that will work. Does anyone use this to prime Dakota brass? If so how do you overcome this?

I don't have this problem when putting the Dakota brass in loading press. I use a Lyman shell holder here. Don't have priming system for press.

I also have a RCBS hand priming tool which uses standard shell holders. The problem here is the Lyman shell holder will not fit RCBS hand primer. This is because the RCBS shell holders have a tapered hole in the back and the Lyman is flat. Do any other shell holders have this taper making them fit RCBS hand primer?

Is my only option to buy a RCBS shell holder?

Thanks
Doug

Hmmm . . . I'm loading Dakota .20 TAC brass and have had no problems with them fitting quite easily in my Lee Auto Prime #4 shellholder. But I'm sure the difficulty you're running into is for real.

Here are a couple of solutions.

First, the tight fit is likely not a problem with the diameter of the rim or the shellholder opening, but rather with the size of the extraction groove. Your particular Lee shellholder may be a bit too thick or the Dakota brass extraction grooves too narrow (not lacking depth, but being too "short" from the edge of the rim to the base of the cartridge case.) If this is the case, then you can simply grind a few one-thousands off of the upper face of the shellholder to thin it.

Another way to fix: Standard press shellholders are exactly the same thing as the Lee Auto Prime shellholder except that they have the extension on the bottom which attaches to the press ram. On a couple of different occasions when the proper Lee shellholder was not available I have simply used grinder to remove the bottom portion of a conventional shellholder in order for it to fit in a Lee Auto Prime. If you have, or can obtain, another regular press shellholder which fits your Dakota brass okay, then you can convert it to fit your Lee tool in about three minutes (but do find a way to hold the little bugger other than your bare fingers when doing the grinding as it's going to get nice and hot!)

A third way to remove the cat's epidermis: Since my Lee Auto Prime shellholder fits my Dakota brass fine, this implies that not all Lee #4 shellholders are created equal. You might buy another one and find that your Dakota brass fits it just fine.

By the way, the only thing I enjoy shooting more than my .20 TAC (a rebarreled Sako) is my Sako .20 Vartarg. Those little cartridges are just a hoot.

Hi,
Thanks for the suggestions. Hadn't thought of converting a press shell holder.

I did try to grind the #4 I have and it appears to be binding on the outside of rim. I tried some Win 223 and it fit perfect, but when I tried some military 223 I got the same result as with the Dakota Brass.

I have a New #4 headed my way now. Lee also replied if I would send them some of my cases they would try to find one for me that fits. Going to give the one I ordered a shot before sending Lee some cases.

Thanks again
Doug

Hi,
Got a new RCBS shell holder (thanks to Straght8) and just got a new Lee #4. Problem solved. Can now prime with RCBS and Lee hand primer. All cases fit BOTH!!
Thanks for all the input.
Doug