The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Need tips for accurate loading of 357 Sig

snuffy · January 31, 2006, 02:10 PM

I am loading on a lyman Crusher II single stage press for now, so the extra step of crimping with a seperate die is not what I want to hear!

So you come here asking for advice, but prequalify that with not wanting to hear the answer?

In response to a question like this on THR, reloader Fred said he does NOT bell the 357 sig cases. He inside chamfers, then expands but does not bell. I tried his method, using the Hornady seating die,(it has a floating chamber that supports the bullet prior to seating), it works just fine. I even tried it without chamfering, again it worked just fine! This was with Hornady 125gr H.A.P. bullets.

The bullet pull was substantial, but I wanted more insurance. So I ordered a Lee final crimp die. It puts a taper crimp on the case. It didn't seem to be doing anything I could see on the outside,(using a 10X magnifier). So I processed a dummy round,( sized, expanded, no primer just seated and crimped a bullet). I then used my knetic bullet puller to see what had happened to the bullet. What I saw was the nicest taper crimp all the way around the bullet!

These shells will give the powder a little extra time to build pressure, resulting in less unburned powder, AND they will NOT be seated deeper when hitting the feed ramp!

January 31, 2006, 02:10 PM	#16
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	!!! I am loading on a lyman Crusher II single stage press for now, so the extra step of crimping with a seperate die is not what I want to hear! So you come here asking for advice, but prequalify that with not wanting to hear the answer? In response to a question like this on THR, reloader Fred said he does NOT bell the 357 sig cases. He inside chamfers, then expands but does not bell. I tried his method, using the Hornady seating die,(it has a floating chamber that supports the bullet prior to seating), it works just fine. I even tried it without chamfering, again it worked just fine! This was with Hornady 125gr H.A.P. bullets. The bullet pull was substantial, but I wanted more insurance. So I ordered a Lee final crimp die. It puts a taper crimp on the case. It didn't seem to be doing anything I could see on the outside,(using a 10X magnifier). So I processed a dummy round,( sized, expanded, no primer just seated and crimped a bullet). I then used my knetic bullet puller to see what had happened to the bullet. What I saw was the nicest taper crimp all the way around the bullet! These shells will give the powder a little extra time to build pressure, resulting in less unburned powder, AND they will NOT be seated deeper when hitting the feed ramp! __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?