Crimping a rifle cartridge?

IrvJr · September 11, 2011, 06:38 PM

Hey All,

I am about to start reloading for 308 win. I bought a set of Lee dies and have all of the components to get started. I am experienced at reloading handgun cartridges, but this is the first time I'm going to reload for a rifle (a bolt action rifle).

For my handgun ammo, I normally put a little bit of crimp on the casing after seating the bullet (I use a Lee Factory Carbide Crimp die to put a final crimp on the cartridge). Is it advisable or necessary to crimp my 308 Win reloads? I would mostly be using the ammo for plinking at the range, but eventually I'd like to develop some loads that I can use for hunting.

Should I invest in a Lee Factory Crimp die for .308? Is it necessary to put a crimp in order to get more consistent accuracy?

Thanks in advance.

m&p45acp10+1 · September 11, 2011, 06:47 PM

I have not reloaded for any .30 cal rifles yet. I have loaded .221 Rem Fireball, and .223 rem. So far I have not crimped a single one, and have had no accuracy issues. If you have good bullet tension no crimp should be needed. Especialy in a bolt action, unless it is a super heavy recoling round, and you are having problems of bullets backing out.

Cowboy_mo · September 11, 2011, 06:59 PM

I have only reloaded rifle ammo for about a year and all my rounds are fired through bolt action rifles, but I have never crimped any of them. Everything I have read on this forum and in the reloading manuals says it isn't necessary to crimp unless you are loading for a semi-auto or lever action rifle.

P.S. Thus far I have reloaded for .30 cal, .270 win, and .243 win.

IrvJr · September 11, 2011, 07:33 PM

Thanks all for the replies. I guess I won't crimp since I'll mostly be loading moderate power loads for the bolt gun.

RKG · September 11, 2011, 08:34 PM

I don't crimp .308/7.62, either for bolt guns or auto guns. Nor do I crimp 5.56 for the M4.

Charlie98 · September 11, 2011, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Thanks all for the replies. I guess I won't crimp since I'll mostly be loading moderate power loads for the bolt gun.

In this instance I would not crimp, simple neck tension is enough. Understand that tired brass will change the neck tension and may affect accuracy or your POI... make sure you check for split necks.

Loading for my M1a, I normally don't crimp... even for a box-fed autoloader.

Ike666 · September 11, 2011, 08:56 PM

I don't use any crimp for my bolt guns in .308, but I do put a slight taper crimp on the loads for my auto-loaders. I usually load the bolt guns single shot and stuff a magazine with 18 for the autos. I figure the rounds in the autos take more of a beating and are more likely to shift so I use the light crimp to help hold them in place.

This may not be necessary but it works well for me.

Gunplummer · September 11, 2011, 11:03 PM

I don't crimp anymore either. Did when I first started reloading. Only problem I ever had was when trying compressed loads. There was enough tension from the powder to back the bullet out after seating.

September 11, 2011, 06:38 PM	#1
IrvJr Senior Member Join Date: June 2, 2004 Posts: 199	Crimping a rifle cartridge? Hey All, I am about to start reloading for 308 win. I bought a set of Lee dies and have all of the components to get started. I am experienced at reloading handgun cartridges, but this is the first time I'm going to reload for a rifle (a bolt action rifle). For my handgun ammo, I normally put a little bit of crimp on the casing after seating the bullet (I use a Lee Factory Carbide Crimp die to put a final crimp on the cartridge). Is it advisable or necessary to crimp my 308 Win reloads? I would mostly be using the ammo for plinking at the range, but eventually I'd like to develop some loads that I can use for hunting. Should I invest in a Lee Factory Crimp die for .308? Is it necessary to put a crimp in order to get more consistent accuracy? Thanks in advance.

September 11, 2011, 06:47 PM	#2
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	I have not reloaded for any .30 cal rifles yet. I have loaded .221 Rem Fireball, and .223 rem. So far I have not crimped a single one, and have had no accuracy issues. If you have good bullet tension no crimp should be needed. Especialy in a bolt action, unless it is a super heavy recoling round, and you are having problems of bullets backing out. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

September 11, 2011, 08:56 PM	#7
Ike666 Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2009 Location: SW VA Posts: 491	I don't use any crimp for my bolt guns in .308, but I do put a slight taper crimp on the loads for my auto-loaders. I usually load the bolt guns single shot and stuff a magazine with 18 for the autos. I figure the rounds in the autos take more of a beating and are more likely to shift so I use the light crimp to help hold them in place. This may not be necessary but it works well for me. __________________ ___________________ "I'm your huckleberry."

September 11, 2011, 06:59 PM	#3
Cowboy_mo Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,039	I have only reloaded rifle ammo for about a year and all my rounds are fired through bolt action rifles, but I have never crimped any of them. Everything I have read on this forum and in the reloading manuals says it isn't necessary to crimp unless you are loading for a semi-auto or lever action rifle. P.S. Thus far I have reloaded for .30 cal, .270 win, and .243 win.

September 11, 2011, 07:33 PM	#4
IrvJr Senior Member Join Date: June 2, 2004 Posts: 199	Thanks all for the replies. I guess I won't crimp since I'll mostly be loading moderate power loads for the bolt gun.

September 11, 2011, 08:34 PM	#5
RKG Senior Member Join Date: June 18, 2009 Location: Boston Posts: 562	I don't crimp .308/7.62, either for bolt guns or auto guns. Nor do I crimp 5.56 for the M4.

September 11, 2011, 11:03 PM	#8
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I don't crimp anymore either. Did when I first started reloading. Only problem I ever had was when trying compressed loads. There was enough tension from the powder to back the bullet out after seating.