A GUIDE TO FINDING THE RIGHT FIT
This article explains how to find the correct size of shell holder for your cartridge. In this guide, we’ll review what a shell holder is, the purpose it serves, and the importance of using the correct size or number. We’ll also show where you can locate what shell holder is necessary for your reloading – including tips on using RCBS resources and reference charts. Whether you are new to reloading or working with a new cartridge, this guide helps you get it right.
WHAT DOES A SHELL HOLDER DO?
Shell Holders are tools used to align a cartridge case with the die – or other tool – when going through the reloading processes. They’re sized to fit specific case heads and capture 0.125” of the case head for proper SAAMI headspacing. With the use of the proper size, you can ensure the cartridge case is properly aligned, greatly reducing the chance for error. Being built from a hardened steel, the RCBS shell holder gaurantees years of durability, precision, and performance.
The ram on RCBS’s presses use shell holders as an interchangable system so you can reload any cartridge on any RCBS press. Some of our priming tools utilize shell holders as well for a precise fit for each cartridge, such as our Auto Priming Tool and the RCBS Hand Priming Tool.
WHAT SHELL HOLDER SIZE DO I NEED?
All RCBS shell holders are numbered. One size/number of shell holder can fit multiple cartridges. For example, an RCBS Shell Holder #3 fits cartridges including 22 Creedmoor, 22-250 Remington, 243 Winchester, 6mm Creedmoor, 6mm Dasher, 6mm GT, 6mm Remington, 25-06, 257 Roberts, 260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270 Winchester, 280 AI, 7mm-08 Remington, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Savage, 308 Winchester, 338 Federal, 35 Whelen, and many more.
To determine what the proper shell holder is for your reloading application (what number of shell holder you need), there a few places you can look:
RCBS RELOADING RESOURCE PAGE:
On the RCBS.com website, you can find the Reloading Resource page. This page contains all essential component and caliber data for each cartridge including the required shell holder.
RCBS Reloading Resource Page, click here: Reference Tabe
RELOADING DIE BOX:
On the bottom of the die box label, the appropriate size/number of shell holder that cartridge needs is shown, as seen below.
RCBS CATALOG:
Download a free RCBS catalog with shell holder reference charts for each cartridge, here. Check out pages 42, 44-45.
CAN I USE RCBS SHELL HOLDERS ON OTHER PRESSES AND OTHER BRANDS ON A RCBS PRESS?
For the most part, yes, a Hornady, Lee, Lyman, Frankford Arsenal, Redding, etc. shell holder should fit on an RCBS press or tool, and vice versa. However, manufacturers may use different numbering systems for their shell holders. For example a #3 RCBS shell holder may not fit the same cartridges as a #3 Hornady shell holder.
Each manufacturer holds different manufacturing tolerances and standards, so the only shell holders RCBS garrantees will work in RCBS products are of course RCBS-made.
Finally, shell holder heights vary slightly by manufacturer, meaning if you’ve set your dies up to resize a cartridge or seat a bullet with an RCBS shell holder, if you use a different brand of shellholder you will likely need to reset up your dies. Here’s a cross reference chart showing shell holders by manufacturer.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully you know now where to find the shell holder required for the cartridge you are reloading. If you’ve got questions, call or contact our expert customer service team anytime.
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