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February 21, 2011, 05:24 PM | #1 |
Member
Join Date: February 14, 2011
Posts: 19
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Relative newbie crimp question
Im relativley new to reloading and have reloaded about 1000rds of .243 win ammo. I am now going to reload .204 ruger with a 40 gn vmax. My question is can you taper crimp (not full roll crimp) a bullet without a crimp channel? If so will it lead to more consistent velocities? When loading the .243 I set the bullet slightly off the lands to achieve consistent pressures but I will be reloading .204 for two rifles (my brothers and mine) and would like to be able to keep the die set for one oal. I am using lee pacesetter dies and a classic cast press.
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February 21, 2011, 05:37 PM | #2 |
Junior member
Join Date: October 4, 2007
Location: All the way to NEBRASKA
Posts: 8,722
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I use a Lee Factory Crimp die on my hunting ammo...... Sierra Game Kings have no cannelure..... I found that a pretty firm crimp (makes a small "mini-cannelure" on the bullet, evident if you pull the bullet) makes for a slightly smaller Standard Deviation in my load, and does not hurt the 100 yard group size at all.
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February 22, 2011, 10:38 PM | #3 |
Member
Join Date: February 14, 2011
Posts: 19
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I would love to use the factory crimp die but I cannot since lee does not make that die for .204 ruger (yet?). Can I place a small crimp on a bullet without a cannelure using the pacesetter bullet seating and crimp die?
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February 23, 2011, 03:02 PM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: September 16, 2009
Location: I live in the foot of the Green Mountains of Vermont
Posts: 1,602
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You don't need a crimp for any reason !
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February 23, 2011, 03:43 PM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 15, 2009
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 1,717
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Agreed. Crimping bottleneck rifle cartridges is generally not necessary. For some reason, it is fashionable to do so, but probably not necessary. Some folks say it is mandatory for semi-auto rifles, but I don't shoot those, so I can't opine on that. It's a real good idea to do it for tubular magazines of course. I started out loading big bore revolvers and put a heavy crimp on all of them because I was told to do so. It seemed odd to not do a crimp at all for rifles, but it works that way. The more I load even for revolvers, the more I realize that even a mild crimp is good enough there.
Simplify your life by applying the most gentle crimp you can get away with, or perhaps none at all. You'll get a more harmonious outcome. |
February 23, 2011, 10:10 PM | #6 |
Member
Join Date: February 14, 2011
Posts: 19
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Wow sounds like you guys have quite a bit of experience. I'll just go without a crimp then since im not shooting a semi auto. Ill let you know how the loads turn out. Thanks a bunch!
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Tags |
.204 ruger , classic cast press , crimp , pacesetter dies |
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