Shellholder won't stay on ram?

[send it_hit]

Hornady will hook you up with the clip...but, did the shipping box that it arrived in have damage? That gouge on the side and what looks to be a gouge in the ram, where the shellholder slides in(?) is not the norm. It almost looks like a second or a press that someone returned previously, if no box damage. As long as the ram itself is not tweaked (moves up and down straight) it not a huge deal....but

The box doesn't really look damaged... now i'm worried about the ram being straight... i think it is.

good luck

Good point. Op, did you buy this press new, or as new? Cause I would probably have an issue with just the gouge if I was expecting new product.

bought it new. I honestly would rather keep a gouged press than wait 5-7 days to get a different one... It is a little concerning though. I almost don't want to risk there being something wrong with it I can't detect since I am new to reloading I called hornady today and they said they'd have the part out to me ASAP.

Why do you want to deprime before the tumbler?

Well it was my impression that's just better to do, so that I get everything tumbled and clean. It made more sense to remove everything, use the primer pocket tool to clean it a bit... chamfer and de-burr, THEN tumble. To make sure all residue or bits of brass is gone.

Is there a better way?

Also, this is off topic, but how do i know my neck resizing die is going deep (into the casing) enough? the manual says to screw it in until it touches the shell holder, then give it one more turn. Seems a little haphazard, seeing as there's a lot of shell holders out there... it removes the primer correctly though. is there a way to size it and make sure it's being resized correctly? everything is a bunch of numbers and i can't find the measurements of what it SHOULD be... but, like i said im new and i bet i'm just missing something obvious.

[rsrocket1]

Well it was my impression that's just better to do, so that I get everything tumbled and clean. It made more sense to remove everything, use the primer pocket tool to clean it a bit... chamfer and de-burr, THEN tumble. To make sure all residue or bits of brass is gone.

Is there a better way?

1. Tumbling with corn cob or walnut shells will not clean the exposed primer pockets anyway. All you do is run the risk of corn cob getting stuck in the pocket or walnut shell pieces stuck in the flash hole. Neither is a real problem, all you need to do is to pluck it out with a straightened paper clip or something similar. If you tumble before depriming, you don't run into that problem. If a walnut shell gets stuck in the flash hole from the inside, the depriming action will knock it out. One quick twist with a primer pocket cleaner cleans as much of the junk out of the primer pocket that matters (if it really matters at all).

Also, this is off topic, but how do i know my neck resizing die is going deep (into the casing) enough? the manual says to screw it in until it touches the shell holder, then give it one more turn. Seems a little haphazard, seeing as there's a lot of shell holders out there... it removes the primer correctly though. is there a way to size it and make sure it's being resized correctly? everything is a bunch of numbers and i can't find the measurements of what it SHOULD be... but, like i said im new and i bet i'm just missing something obvious.

2. What you are doing with the extra twist of the die is ensuring that the ram is going all the way up. You can twist 5 extra turns if the threads are long enough and it will still work. The extra twist takes up any bending of the press frame, cam over, ram compression or anything else that could possibly cause a "stroke to the top" to not actually reach the top. If you put a shell into the shell holder and raise the ram all the way up, there should be no daylight shining between the die and shell holder.

You can check that the neck is being resized properly by taking a case that has been fired and slip a bullet into it. If it slides in and out easily, lube the body and put it into a properly adjusted press and resize it. The bullet should not be able to be inserted unless you use a lot of force. That should be how much neck tension the bullet has. Crimping does not make up for inadequate neck tension.

Good luck

[rumblebee]

I understand about the wait again....and as long as the ram is functional and moves up and down straight and smooth, it'll just be a cosmetic thing. It does take a pretty good amount of force to to make a gouge in the ram's shellholder area. You don't need to mount the press to check it, just put it thru it's full up stroke and down stroke motions...if it feels funky, it probably is.

I tumble before I deprime, due to the fact I full resize\deprime and don't want to put dirty brass in my die(s). You are correct in that a RCBS shellholder and Hornady shellholder have a differnce in height, so you'd need to set for each. I just try and stick with Hornady's on my LnL and use the RCBS's in the Hornady hand primer.

bought it new. I honestly would rather keep a gouged press than wait 5-7 days to get a different one... It is a little concerning though. I almost don't want to risk there being something wrong with it I can't detect since I am new to reloading I called hornady today and they said they'd have the part out to me ASAP.





Well it was my impression that's just better to do, so that I get everything tumbled and clean. It made more sense to remove everything, use the primer pocket tool to clean it a bit... chamfer and de-burr, THEN tumble. To make sure all residue or bits of brass is gone.

Is there a better way?

Also, this is off topic, but how do i know my neck resizing die is going deep (into the casing) enough? the manual says to screw it in until it touches the shell holder, then give it one more turn. Seems a little haphazard, seeing as there's a lot of shell holders out there... it removes the primer correctly though. is there a way to size it and make sure it's being resized correctly? everything is a bunch of numbers and i can't find the measurements of what it SHOULD be... but, like i said im new and i bet i'm just missing something obvious.

[send it_hit]

cool guys thanks.

the ram moves smoothly, don't think it's damaged at all. good to know about the die... in a game of precision and exactness i am conditioned to think every tiny bit matters!

[rsrocket1]

Correction: you don't need to lube the case because you are using a neck sizing die only. The sizing of the neck only needs enough force to close the fingers in on the neck (about 25 pounds of force on the press handle). In this case, the lower you screw the die into the press, the better, so long as there is clearance for you to put the case into the shellholder.

But make sure you are doing this on cases already fired in your particular bolt action gun. It would be a good idea to full length resize new cases or cases fired in another gun.

[send it_hit]

Correction: you don't need to lube the case because you are using a neck sizing die only. The sizing of the neck only needs enough force to close the fingers in on the neck (about 25 pounds of force on the press handle). In this case, the lower you screw the die into the press, the better, so long as there is clearance for you to put the case into the shellholder.

But make sure you are doing this on cases already fired in your particular bolt action gun. It would be a good idea to full length resize new cases or cases fired in another gun.

yep, using brass i've fireformed in my rifle. good to know i don't have to be exact with the neck die. thanks!