Hollywood Shell Holders

[jaguarxk120]

Any one have a cross reference for the Hollywood shell holders. I have six for my Uinversal, some fit cases and others I haven't found what they fit.

A reference sheet would be helpful.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

I have a bunch. All of them have the caliber scratched or hand engraved (e.g. 30/06, 38spl) into their sides at the top. The words "Hollywood Gunshop" are also machine-stamped above the scratching. One is chrome-plated and has everything machine-stamped.

Dunbar shellholders look the same, but I don't own any of them, so I can't comment on their exact description. The same goes for a Herter's clone of the Dunbar.

The scratching is very faint and hard to read. Are you saying your shellholders have a one or two-digit number stamped into them like other manufacturers do?

If so, I'd like to see a picture of it.

 

[jaguarxk120]

Kevin, I have three that will take the 30-06 case head, two are marked with a number one (1). The last one has no markings,
The others have a #6 (38/357 head), #3 (30-30 head), and a #8 (22 Hornet).
The numbers are stamped on the top surface of the shell holder.

And the last shell holder I almost forgot, 12 gauge, my press came with all the 12 gauge reloading dies.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

Hollywood and Other Shellholders

Looking at my shell holders, I have multiples of the following, which came on the six Hollywoods I own:

38spl
.357mag
.45acp
30/06
30-30
.222 Remington
.220 Swift
300 winmag
340 H&H Mag
.219 Donaldson Wasp

Remembering that these shell holders were made a long time ago and the shooting world has changed since then, your unnamed shell holders are probably on this list. All my documentation states that the #1 should be for THE cartridge of that era: the 30/06. I have a Rosetta Stone for shellholders, but can't find it right now.

Here are the four designs of shellholders I got with my Hollywood presses, the presses having been made between 1945-1960+. Which were made by Hollywood and which were not?

Answer from left to right:
1.RCBS (stamped "RCBS #1" on the top of the rim)
2. Hollywood (stamped "Hollywood Gun Shop" on the back and ".357 Mag" on the front
3. Hollywood (hand scribed "300M" on the top. There are no other marking showing it to be a Hollywood, but I have a picture of Phil Sharpe using his Hollywood Universal III Special, and the press has four of these mounted on the turret)
4. CH (chromed, stamped ".222 Rem CH") on the front

They are all the same basic design, but have different appearances and different heights. To complicate matters, many early presses (1935-60s) used this design. I have pictures of similar ones made by Lyman and Redding, and as previously stated, Dunbar and Herters also used them, and all are interchangeable.

As far as I am aware, the only press maker currently using this design is CH/4D, which comes on their '444' (I own one). Their shellholders are the universal-type that uses RCBS-type shellholder inserts.

Post a pic if you can of the front and top of your unidentified shellholders, and I will research it more.

 

[jaguarxk120]

Thanks for the reply, will try to post a picture but I have many irons in the fire right now. It's a pleasure to talk to some one that has a Hollywood Universal.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

jaguar: I found my Rosetta Stone shellholder list. Old copies of Handloader's Digest have them. I happened to be looking in issue #2 (1964) and found it. Am guessing newer versions also have it. The list is good for 15-different companies/types of presses.

If your unnamed shellholders are knurled on the side, they may be old CH shellholders as I saw a pic of one recently and it only had a number on the top. A #1 for them is the 30/06 family.

*two are marked with a number one (1): RCBS= .218Bee, or the 30/06 family for other companies

*The others have a #6 (38/357 head): RCBS, Pacific, Wells, VAMCO

*#3 (30-30 head): Echo

*#8 (22 Hornet): Micro Precision

 

[c.j.sikes]

i have a turrent hollywood and i had a machines to make me a universal stump so i could use any type shell holder, the fee was very reasonable, he is my son. thanks cjs

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

For those w/o machinist sons, universal shellholders for any press using the Hollywood-type shellholder can buy them from CH4D or Ebay for around $10.50.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

Handloader's Digests

For those who appreciate the older, precision-made, steel presses and other equipment over the Chinese-aluminum stuff currently produced, I recommend you locate all the old Handloader's Digests (there are 18). They can be purchased at gunshows and Ebay for $10-20 each and are a goldmine of information that is still relevant today. Both of the NRA reloading guides aren't bad either.

Here is decades of reloading information at my fingertips:

And one last recommendation is picking up a copy of Phil Sharpe's handloading book. Sharpe is the father of modern reloading and his equipment reviews and photographs are a pure delight to read/look at. Wolfe Publishing (the publishers of Handloader and Rifle magazines) republished it, but earlier editions are also available for around $45.

The 3rd edition (1953) right next to the Wolfe reprint:

 

[jaguarxk120]

Thanks for the information on the Handloader Digest's, forgot o look in them for shellholder interchane.
It seems that many of the older publications have a ton of knowledge that is overlooked today. I have found sometimes the "new" process or tooling is just the same as it was done years ago just marketed a different way with a new name. Thanks