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Posted: 10/22/2008 7:35:50 PM EDT
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I have an older Mesa shellholder that I feel is a much improved product over the other available options. It is not, however, without its faults. The mounting screws MUST be loc-tited into the standoffs, and they must be checked periodically. If not, they can get loose, and they can break off. Been ther, done that. That little 4-40 screw in the front on an 870 cannot take much recoil if its not tight. After settling that, the other issue I have seen is the lack of sustained shell holding ability. The santoprene tueb that provides the tension on the shells takes a set pretty quickly, and when it does, the shells like to fall out is held as they should be, base down. You can rotate the tube a few times, but thats really chasing the symptoms, not attacking the cause. I went down to my local podunk parts tore with a mission. I tried a few varieties of tubng. I finally settled on 1/4 0.62 wall Poly-Vinyl tubing, such as used in pneumatic lines. This stuff is pretty rigid. Make sure its the off-white stuff, not the clear, soft line. After replacing the ultra soft santoprene with the Poly-Vinyl, I went to the range. I ran a couple hundred rounds of buck and slug, and two boxes of bird shot, and the shellholder holds the shells tighter than it ever did with the santoprene. It does take a bit more effort to remove the shells than it did, but thats a good thing, in my opinion. Best part, the stuff is about fifteen cents a foot. |
I ran into the same problem with mine.I cut the ends off a few plastic Q-tips and slid them into the tube.Made the tube more rigid.Problem solved. |
That's actually pretty close to my fix. I was using hard nylon tubing inside the soft Mesa piece. |
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TacStars do work fine for the most part. They do wear out, however. My TacStar ceased holding shells after five years, and theres not much you can do about it. I also dislike the fact they cover the serial number, which is a pretty vital thing in the Law Enforcement world. Yes, the TacStar is a viable product, but I feel the Mesa is simply another, better option. |
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Quoted:
TacStars do work fine for the most part. They do wear out, however. My TacStar ceased holding shells after five years, and theres not much you can do about it. I also dislike the fact they cover the serial number, which is a pretty vital thing in the Law Enforcement world. Yes, the TacStar is a viable product, but I feel the Mesa is simply another, better option. I agree.The TacStar I had worked fine for awhile but had to be replaced.The Mesa is better made and the rubber tube can always be replaced. |
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