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BigDog,
I do not crimp bottleneck rifle cartridges. (Except for tubular magazine lever actions.) Lee claims an advantage for it, but I and the target shooters I flock with do not do it. At all. Full stop.
On the other hand, the bullet must be snug in the case neck and you should not be able to turn the bullet. If you are using the Lee collet neck size die, you can get more purchase on the bullet by polishing down the mandrel rod to a smaller diameter. Or use the full length sizing die and see if the bullet seats friction tight after that.
The "jump" from the case neck through the throat and leade to the rifling is one variable in handloading. Some bullets in some rifles benefit from a jump to the rifling, some are more accurate when "jammed" into the rifling. Light contact with the rifling as you determined is seldom the best. (I think it is just a pity that the British Isles metricated, don't you? Not to mention decimal money. What is wrong with shillings and pence, I ask you?)
Back when the .222 was the king of benchrest shooting, it was thought to shoot better loaded "hot." Work your loads up toward the listed maximum and see if that helps.
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