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Lyman Shellholder for 338 Lapua Really tight?

robpiat

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 14, 2007
177
12
Roswell, GA
I got a Lyman Shellholder for my 338 Lapua Brass. Its so tight that you have to force the case in there and out. I wonder if mine is out of spec or the case holder is just designed that way? I don't want to be marring my $2 brass with a $5 shell holder.
 
Re: Lyman Shellholder for 338 Lapua Really tight?

Is the web the Minor diameter of the casehead? If so thats where the issue is. With calipers, the opening of the shellholder that would contact the web is about .505. I can't get a precise measurement of the "web" because my calipers don't have enough knife edge and are bottoming out. I would suspect that the web of the case is around .525.
 
Re: Lyman Shellholder for 338 Lapua Really tight?

.020" is doing some serious squeezing on the web. You are correct. The web is the part that is the bottom of the extractor groove. Get another shell holder. Either that one was mis-marked or somebody just made a mistake. Snug is one thing. That's way to small.
 
Re: Lyman Shellholder for 338 Lapua Really tight?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: robpiat</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I got a Lyman Shellholder for my 338 Lapua Brass. Its so tight that you have to force the case in there and out. I wonder if mine is out of spec or the case holder is just designed that way? I don't want to be marring my $2 brass with a $5 shell holder. </div></div>

What brand of brass are you using? Norma and Lapua have different dimensions at the groove and require different shell holders. I can't speak to Jamesion, Hornady, or Pivi.

Chris
 
Re: Lyman Shellholder for 338 Lapua Really tight?

I just called Lyman and they said it was caused by the brass and all there 17 shell holders will be about that dimension. He even went so far as to tell me to try a different type of brass. Jackasses.

I only got the lyman SH because they were sold out of the others. Off to find something else and no more lyman stuff!
 
Re: Lyman Shellholder for 338 Lapua Really tight?

phreak, I have the RCBS #37 and the #14. RCBS says 37 is for Norma and 14 is for Lapua brass in 338.
BOTH don't seem to fit well.

I then got a Redding #35 and then I got another (one for the RCBS hand primer)

If you want to quit trying to find one that works and actually fits Lapua brand 338LM brass, then Redding is the way to go.

madd0c
 
Re: Lyman Shellholder for 338 Lapua Really tight?

Don't know what to tell you. The 37s work fine for me, casings slide right in with minimal play.

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Re: Lyman Shellholder for 338 Lapua Really tight?

I know I am bringing up an old post, but I had this issue also. My first lot of 100 pieces of 338 lapua brass fit nicely into my #18 Redding shellholder. My second lot of 100 pieces of brass fits very tightly into the #18 shellholder... It kind of snaps in. My dad just bought a 100 new pieces of 338 Lapua brass and he is having the same problem with his #37 RCBS shellholder, except he can't even snap most of the pieces into the shellholder. No problems with his old brass.

So, did Lapua change something in their brass specifications? Is their tooling on the 'far ends' of it's tolerence?

Just wondering.