Abstract: The disclosure relates to a novel and improved arrangement of shell pusher for feeding tubular shells into a plug mill. The pusher comprises a ram carriage, which is movably positioned on an elongated carriage track on the upstream side of the plug mill. The ram stroke capacity of the carriage is designed to be relatively minimum, sufficient to advance a shell from a predetermined load position, directly in front of the mill, until the leading edge of the shell is drivingly engaged by the working rolls of the mill. Means in the form of a heavy, elongated rack and pinion arrangement are provided for pre-positioning the ram carriage in advance of each loading operation of a new shell and also in advance of the return of that shell from the downstream side to the upstream side of the mill after each pass.