I have only lately 450#2 RCBS shell holders snapping off when trying to remove casing from reloading die...
They are breaking or I should say tearing off by the rim of the big casing 450#2...
Broke two yesterday...I am not a novice at the game of reloading, been doing it since 14 years old started with a mallet and a lee loader...

Any ideas???

Mike

Mike,
Are you saying that the RCBS shell holder broke or that it is pulling the rim off of the cartridge case when you try to pull it out of the sizer die? I load the same calibre, Bertram brass, Lee Classic Cast Press, RCBS dies, CH trim die, and RCBS shell holder. I do lube the case neck with powdered white mica and I find that those HUGE tapered cases require LOTS of case lube. If not well lubed I can feel the excess effort required and immediately back it down and re-lube that case. I have to be real careful to keep the lube off of the shoulder to avoid dents!

The steel shell holder is tearing off and not the brass rim...

Mike

Send the pieces back and RCBS will replace them free I would think.
There must not be enough meat on the rim section. They may also have been hardened too much.

Bob G
How are things in Little Rhody? I plan to make my annual trip to Narragansett in about 3 weeks and spend a week chasing bass and blues.

Mike,
If the shell holder is breaking, then your case must be stuck in the die! You need more lube my friend! Just my $.02

Mike
I have broken one 450 No2 shell holder as well.

The Rim of the No2's are so thick that they do not leave a lot of metal at the "top" of the shell holder.

I recommend you use Imperial Die sizing Die Wax, and not be too skimpy with it.

And always have a couple of spare shell holders.

Mike,

Sorry to hear about your troubles. One thing I can offer that I found when first reloading my 416 Rigby is that it seemed no matter how much lube I used I always felt that I needed to use too much force to pull the case back out of the die. I took the Redding die apart and gently polished it with some Flitz metal polish. I applied it using a homemade spindle with a wooden dowel rod, saw cut lengthwise to hold a piece of heavy toweling to apply the Flitz with my hand drill. I went very slowly and applied the polish liberally to the die-according to Flitz it works better if you apply the polish to the piece rather than the cloth. I polished slowly for about 2 minutes or so. Afterwards there was a noticeable difference in force required to pull the case back out of the die. Flitz is a very mild and light abrasive and if you go gently you won’t change the dimensions, you are only "smoothing things out". I’m actually doing this procedure to all my new dies. I would also second the use of Imperial, best lube out there though I sometimes spray the cases with a spray lube, let dry and then apply a small bit of Imperial before resizing. I also agree to call RCBS, they should make it right.

Good luck,

Paul

Retreever:
I have been reloading and casting bullets for 32 years. I have torn the rim off of a 450-400 3 1/4 once. If you are experiencing brass sticking or hard to withdraw it is likely the lube or lack there of. Even with plenty of lube I like to insert the brass into the die a short ways, withdraw it and rotate the brass 1/4 turn and reinsert it. I so this 3 or 4 times until it bottoms out. This prevents collapsing the case from to much lube and the brass sticking in the die body.

As to the shell holder breaking, I agree that the top portion is thin but I have noticed the quality of the latest shell holders and dies I have purchased from RCBS. I have 3-4 of each number shell holder and passing the same piece of brass from one to another I notice that, in some cases, the same case will not enter the one of the holders properly or it will stick. A quality control issue, I believe. I have never broken one yet.

Bought the gloves at Sears. Glad I did.


Dutch

Dutch,
I couldn't agree more re the deterioration in RCBS's quality. For all of my life that brand has been the "sine qua non" in reloading equipment. However, in the last 10 years I have seen their quality slip considerably. I have recently purchased several Lee Factory Crimp Dies. The finish on them is FAR superior to RCBS's and they work marvelously. Also, these BRASS set screws that RCBS uses now on their lock rings are worse than useless. A socket-head set screw in STEEL is prone to stripping and getting buggered. To use one made of relatively soft BRASS is brain-dead IMHO! I wish that they'd go back to the previous split-ring or even the old lead shot idea.

Sounds like to me you might have the die set a little low and running the shell holder into it. Those rams can generate a lot of force.

Thank you friends, just some history... I have been loading this round since 2005 and did not break any shell holders... About 2 months ago the shell holder broke and I thought I did something wrong... Ordered another one from RCBS and ordered an extra one and Wednesday broke the replaced one and after three more casings the extra one broke... So I did some express talking to RCBS for I need to finish loading for the Vintager's shoot next week in Maryland.. I am paying extra for express shipping to my home to get ready to be able to compete.. I am going to do some talking with some other reloading manufacturers to maybe make a custom shell holder with more meat to the rim for strength...

Again thanks,

Mike

What is the shell holder # for the 450#2 I have looked on the RCBS site and can't find it there
Dave

Dave, There is no number. It is one of those holders that is calibre-specific, in this case, .450 #2 and probably .475 #2.

You might need a different shell holder for the 475 No2.

They are not the same case as many think. The 475 No2 has a bigger diameter rim and a bigger diameter to the base of the case.

The rim is the same thickness.

Thanks Thats why I can't find one

Dave

Call Huntingtons at 530-534-1210.

They usually have the Nitro Express shell holders, dies, and loading trays, etc.

Yeah, the 450#2 shell holder says 450#2!!

Double rilfes are the gift that keeps on giving.

NE 450#2,
Thanks for that info. I have always thought that the .475 had the same rim and base dimensions, and would have gone to my grave believing so. When I read your post, I reached over and pulled out "Any Shot You Want" and darned if you're not correct. I'm surprised how MUCH bigger the .475 is too. Funny how so many things that we take as gospel turn out to be wrong!

quote:

Originally posted by Pegleg:
Sounds like to me you might have the die set a little low and running the shell holder into it. Those rams can generate a lot of force.

Not a thing I'd normally consider but in a shell holder of a size to have limited metal it sure makes sense.
As a addition to the lube advice I posted (all by myself ) on the similar thread in the reloading forum, a good clean of the inside of the neck with a stiff brush, a brass bore brush does a better job than a nylon brush but even that helps, can make a huge difference to neck sizing forces & I have found cuts back on neck stretching a whole heap.
Steve

Update and the shell holders.. The one broke while removing the expander ball and the second broke seating a primer...
Just returned home and my new shell holders arrived by mail...
The thickness of the shell holder rim is .035 case rim thickness is .080 and diameter is .660
the .475#2 has a rim at .080 and diameter .675

Mike

RCBS uses the same body of the shell holder that is used to make the 470NE shell holder, but the rim is thicker on the 450#2 case! They made the mistake of removing steel from the top side (EXTRACTOR SIDE) of the recess for the rim. What they need to do in remove the steel from the bottom of the recess so the steel on the top remains as thick as it is on the 470NE holder! My fix for this was to buy a 470NE holder, and have my smith grind away the steel from the bottom, till the 450#2 rim just fit in,no more trouble! However RCBS needs to take the same step on their 450#2, and 475#2 shell holders, so they don't have to keep replaceing them! It would be far easier for RCBS to do it, than the smith who must make a proper size grinder for the project, that he may never use again.