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TBAUS · September 12, 2002, 11:21 PM

Hey David,
I too think over-crimping a bullet without a cannalure is not a good thing. In pistol, I reload for 9mm, 38 Super, 9x23, .40 S&W, .45acp, & .45 colt. My reloading gear is not the most sophisticated. I would love to someday have a Dillon press, but for now have to make due with my RCBS and Lee gear. In my .40 reloads I have seen the bulge ( off center) with Speer, PMC, Winchester, S&B and other brass that I can't recall right now. The brass was properly trimmed to length and the bullet was seated to the proper oal. In all cases except perhaps S&B, the problem was not too thick of brass. (the S&B brass is pretty thick and sometimes forms a "belt" where the sizer stops. ).. I have two competition barrels with the chamber quite tight. If too much soot gets in the barrel, the round will cause the gun to not go into full battery. In those guns, I had a couple failures to go into full battery with my reloads. I then bought the Lee Factory Crimp die and started using it to do one final sizing on my brass and to put a crimp on the bullet in the final operation. ( I used to crimp before, just not with the Lee die.) My accuracy has not suffered at all. I no longer have failures to go into full battery, unless I allow the barrel to get REALLY dirty. The competition barrels would not make good carry guns, but put the bullet exactly where it is supposed to go in competition. Most barrels have pretty loose chambers in autos, so they will feed and function fine even when cruded up. Perhaps those guns will not benefit from the factory crimp die. Maybe my RCBS carbide dies overly aggressively resize the case so I get the bulge phenomenon. I don't know. All I know is this $16 marvel made my gun function as it should when before I would lose a match because the gun would malfunction. ( Before, other competitors would say," Yeah, look at the junk gun he is shooting." Now they say, What gun is he shooting?") I only bought factory crimp dies for my semi-auto pistol calibers. I too reload rifles, including .45-70. I haven't gotten any bulges in my .45-70 rounds at all. In fact, I just loaded up 40 rounds of .45-70 last night, using IMR 4759 with Mt. Baldy 405gr. hollow base cast lead bullets. Perhaps the Lee Factory Crimp die is not for everyone. The crowd I run in all use them for our semi-auto pistols and the story is pretty much the same for all of us in that our FTF's have diminished. Having said that, I also reload .38/.357 and don't own a Lee Factory Crimp die for that caliber since it is a wheel gun. I don't plan on buying one for that caliber either. Just my two cents.

September 12, 2002, 11:21 PM	#22
TBAUS Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2002 Location: Central Texas Posts: 111	Hey David, I too think over-crimping a bullet without a cannalure is not a good thing. In pistol, I reload for 9mm, 38 Super, 9x23, .40 S&W, .45acp, & .45 colt. My reloading gear is not the most sophisticated. I would love to someday have a Dillon press, but for now have to make due with my RCBS and Lee gear. In my .40 reloads I have seen the bulge ( off center) with Speer, PMC, Winchester, S&B and other brass that I can't recall right now. The brass was properly trimmed to length and the bullet was seated to the proper oal. In all cases except perhaps S&B, the problem was not too thick of brass. (the S&B brass is pretty thick and sometimes forms a "belt" where the sizer stops. ).. I have two competition barrels with the chamber quite tight. If too much soot gets in the barrel, the round will cause the gun to not go into full battery. In those guns, I had a couple failures to go into full battery with my reloads. I then bought the Lee Factory Crimp die and started using it to do one final sizing on my brass and to put a crimp on the bullet in the final operation. ( I used to crimp before, just not with the Lee die.) My accuracy has not suffered at all. I no longer have failures to go into full battery, unless I allow the barrel to get REALLY dirty. The competition barrels would not make good carry guns, but put the bullet exactly where it is supposed to go in competition. Most barrels have pretty loose chambers in autos, so they will feed and function fine even when cruded up. Perhaps those guns will not benefit from the factory crimp die. Maybe my RCBS carbide dies overly aggressively resize the case so I get the bulge phenomenon. I don't know. All I know is this $16 marvel made my gun function as it should when before I would lose a match because the gun would malfunction. ( Before, other competitors would say," Yeah, look at the junk gun he is shooting." Now they say, What gun is he shooting?") I only bought factory crimp dies for my semi-auto pistol calibers. I too reload rifles, including .45-70. I haven't gotten any bulges in my .45-70 rounds at all. In fact, I just loaded up 40 rounds of .45-70 last night, using IMR 4759 with Mt. Baldy 405gr. hollow base cast lead bullets. Perhaps the Lee Factory Crimp die is not for everyone. The crowd I run in all use them for our semi-auto pistols and the story is pretty much the same for all of us in that our FTF's have diminished. Having said that, I also reload .38/.357 and don't own a Lee Factory Crimp die for that caliber since it is a wheel gun. I don't plan on buying one for that caliber either. Just my two cents.