Frankford Arsenal X-10 #4 Shell Plate .223 Rem/5.56 NATO

Description

The Frankford Arsenal #4 Shell Plate is the piece that lets you run small rifle cartridges through the X-10 progressive press without a headache. It's machined from solid stainless steel, so it holds up to the repetitive grind of volume reloading, and the integrated ball bearings keep the plate turning smooth as it indexes from station to station. That smooth rotation matters more than people expect, since a plate that hitches or jerks is how you end up with powder spilled across the bench and tipped bullets at the seating station.

What the #4 Shell Plate Covers

This particular plate is sized for the .204 Ruger, .223 Rem/5.56x45mm, and .300 Blackout family, with some listings also noting .380 ACP and .17 Remington compatibility thanks to shared rim dimensions. If you're loading AR-pattern rounds in bulk, the #4 is the plate you'll reach for most. The caliber callouts are laser etched right into the steel, so there's no squinting at a grease-pencil mark or guessing which plate is which when you've got a few of them stacked up.

Changing Calibers on the X-10

The whole point of the X-10 system is quick caliber swaps, and the shell plate is half of that equation alongside the tool head. Pull the plate, drop in the one you need, and you're set to run a different cartridge in a couple of minutes. The #4 is a direct-fit part made specifically for the X-10, so it seats and indexes exactly the way the press expects.

It ships with a hinge-top storage case, which sounds like a small thing until you've got several plates floating around a dusty reloading room. Keeping each one boxed up protects the bearing and keeps grit off the plate so it keeps indexing clean load after load. For anyone running an X-10 and loading .223 or .300 BLK, this is simply the plate that makes it happen.