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hello gents, ive had some once fired .243 cases off a mate, loaded a few tonight and found that some of the cases didnt fit the shell holder(no2). the rim at the base seems to be to thick for the shell holder, could any body advise me on this? for every ten there was three that would not fit. am i useing the right shell holder? no2 thanks in advance gents. swath | ||
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Couple of possibilities here. There is some variance in both brass and shellholders. Lee sold a set that covered almost everything very reasonably and may still sell it. Just keep trying until you find one that works. If that brass was previously fired in an autoloader, there may well be some rim damage. You can usually get around this by rotating the case in the shellholder. Generally the extractor bent the rim back a little. Next shot fired in that case will flatten it back. If the rim is too thick and the brass is worth the effort to you, you can chuck the offending cases in a drill and apply a triangle file inside the groove to thin the rim. This is a non critical dimension on the .243. There is also the very remote possibility that the cases were fired with major overloads that expanded the head. If this happened, new primers will go in with almost no pressure and may even fall back out of the pocket. If you run into this, junk the cases. | |||
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What brand of shell holder are you useing? If the holder is RCBS it`s the wrong one. The proper RCBS holder for the 243 is the #3 holder. | |||
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I think that with the possible exception of RCBS most of the shellholders for a .243Win are numbered "1". It's far and away the most popular shellholder in use. I've been trying to think of who might use the number 2 for your caliber but can't come up with anyone. Best wishes. Cal - Montreal | |||
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Swath - as has been suggested, it sounds like you may have the wrong shell holder. Don't be fooled into thinking because you can get a case shoved INTO a shell holder, it will work. Use the CORRECT shell holder for each case. Next issue - Your buddy who gave you the cases MAY have been less than accurate about how many times they have been loaded. Most of my brass it would be impossible for me to tell you how many times I've loaded it.......once or a dozen.  And even if it was just once, there could be factors involved which deformed the head of these cases. But first get it cleared up if you have the right shell holder. Tell us what sort of press you are using. | |||
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I had this too. It was only with Winchester brass and one Lee shell holder. I'd been using that shell holder for .30-06 Winchester and Remington brass for years with no problems. It's since I started reloading .243 that I had this show up. I used the file trick too. Typically it was only one shell per 20 that stuck, and only one side of the rim that didn't fit. | |||
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Quote:One of the basic rules of reloading is "do not use brass that was fired in a different rifle" | |||
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thanks for the input guys. the cases are from once fired factory ammo(rem). the shell holder that im useing is a no2, its the one i was given with the press( i think its the loader) , the gentlman i had it off only loades 22.250, .243, and he said that was the one to use for both, on asking a few other people they have said that it is the correct shell holder for what im doing. so you can get shell olders that have less exacting tolorences?( to rectify this problem) these cases where fired in a bolt action, as semi autos are illegal over here in the uk! thanks for the input guys swath | |||
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One of the basic rules of reloading is "do not use brass that was fired in a different rifle" Oh horsepuckey! Do a thorough examintation of the brass including using a paper clip with an "L" shaped hook to check for incipient case head separations and load away. That's worked for me for over 50 years. It's never been a problem. On the subject of the #2 shellholder; the #1 is Hornady, C-H, and Redding. The #2 is a Lyman, and the #3 of course is the RCBS. Now, the only thing we need to determine is whether it's a Lyman shellholder. The Hornady,RCBS,Redding, and C-H #2 are for the 30-30. Paul B. | |||
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paul i couldnt tell you whos shell case holder it is, it came all together lee press, rcbs dies,lee hand primer tool etc etc. just sorted the case problem out by chucking the ones that dont fit in the bin, there was only five or six i threw out of fifty odd,so it wasnt that bad. thanks for the advice guys swath | |||
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One of the basic rules of reloading is "do not use brass that was fired in a different rifle" I don't believe this for a second! If you picked cases off the ground at a range you could use them! There are times when inspecting the case you'll find something wrong, but if you inspect it, full length size, it should be able to be fired in any standard chamber. The time when it's critical to use them in the gun they came from is when neck sizing only. If you can't use brass from a different gun then what do do when you get a box full of new brass that hasn't been in a gun? What about wildcat rounds? I use standard '06 brass for my .25-06, and have had no problems. I have noticed a difference between RCBS, Redding, and Lee shellholders. I have mostly RCBS stuff so it's not to hard to get the "wrong" shellholder when swapping stuff around. I use Redding dies for the two standard Mag cases I reload for so they are easy to keep seperate. The Lee and RCBS are for all the rest, and they are mostly common to each other so I could use the same with each of several, but I don't usually. I try to keep the one I'm using with the dies. The confusion for me comes when I get lazy at the bench and use a like size shellholder in my trimmer and leave it there instead of putting it away. Then wondering which set it came out of. Back to the question, I agree sometimes just rotating the case will allow it to go in if it's a circumfrence issue, if it's thickness then I'd recommend trying another shelholder. I have not memorized which # is which for the three brands I have on my bench. One suggestion made to me was to etch the height on the side of the shellholder and always use the same height shelholder for the best accuracy and consistant headspacing. I've yet to do this myself as I leave the shelholders with each die set and don't have more than one rifle in any one caliber. Nate | |||
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Sounds like we are dealing with a Lee press. What is the correct shell holder for a Lee? I've never used their equipment. My second question is, "Will a Lee press accept an RCBS shell holder?" If so, I would get one. Good luck, Swath. Keep after it! | |||
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thanks pecos45 i will. i will get some more shell holders anyway! soon as i work out a load for the ammo i got(58gr vmax .243) i will be away! can find load data anywere for that round! thanks pecos45 and every body else for the input swath | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Reloading .243 cases/ill fit in shell holder
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