357 SIG cannulure bullets

petej88 · April 5, 2000, 10:44 AM

I just received a bunch of once fired 357 SIG brass. I grabbed a few cases from each brass type (Speer, Remington, FC, & Hornady).

I was surprised that the Hornady could not pass the thumb pressure test. Using a weighing scale, the bullet would slip into the case at a mere 20 pounds of pressure -- 50 lbs is ideal.

So I tightened up the taper crimp, which turned it into a partial roll crimp. Although, you could still see the mouth edge and tweak it with a thumb nail. At any rate, it's a strong, but not a deforming crimp.

The Hornady brass did a tiny bit better but the bullet would still slip into the case 50% of the time.

So I pulled out my old cannulure tool and put some cannulure grooves into some Rainier 124 grain plated bullets. I then found that the Hornady brass could hold the bullets to over 50 pounds of pressure, consistently.

As a safety measure, I'm now thinking of having a cannulure groove on all my 357 SIG bullets as a safety measure. In my case, the Hornady brass was the lowest common denominator. If the bullet can hold in a Hornady case, the other brands are a piece of cake.

Comments and other experience is welcome.

WalterGAII · April 5, 2000, 01:28 PM

See my response to your same post on Glocktalk..

k in AR · April 9, 2000, 09:36 AM

petej88,
What is your "old cannelure tool"? Can it still be purchased? From Who?? Know any $$ amounts?? How much is involved in using your cannelure device?

I just posted a question about this same problem & your post was pointed out to me.
I'm also considerig a "Lee Factory Crimp" die if thay can make one for a short case like the 357Sig. What do you think ablut this idea?

Thanks, k

petej88 · April 10, 2000, 03:17 PM

I believe my cannulure tool was made by CH Tool & Die. At the time, Corbon Ammo Company gave me a phone number to call. Others on this list might have more info. I vaguely remember paying somewhere between $45 - $90?

George uses a cannulure tool on his .400Corbon rounds. Maybe he might see this email.

At any rate, it seemed to consistently do the trick for me. Because of slight variations in brass brands, some brass can be belled a tad bit more than others, which is bad. I suppose this can be solved by segregating the brass brands and tweaking the belling to just barely squeeze a bullet into the case.

With a cannulure and a strong taper crimp (or a semi strong roll crimp) the problem is solved.

You have to make sure that you can still feel the mouth edge with your thumbnail. And make sure the shoulder is correctly positioned. I've heard a lot of people having problems with the RCBS resizer die. You might want to try a Lee 357 SIG die set, which works well and only costs $20.

I did just order the RCBS die set because I'm interested in trying out their roll crimper. But the Lee taper crimper does very well.

There is some confusion with the 357SIG, which head spaces on the case mouth. But there is strong evidence that you can think of it as a regular little rifle cartridge. See www.greent.com in the calibers section. There is a cautionary faq there with pointers to other sights.

How does my cannulure tool work?

You use an allen wrench to control where the groove will be placed on the bullet and then lock the position in place. Then you put a bullet into place and manually crank a lever for one rotation. Then you rewind the lever and seat another bullet for the next iteration. It goes fairly quickly once you get used to it.

[This message has been edited by petej88 (edited April 10, 2000).]

k in AR · April 12, 2000, 09:30 AM

petej88,

Thanks for the info,
k

WalterGAII · April 12, 2000, 11:02 PM

I cannelure a bullet about every three seconds with my Corbin tool. Costs $59.50, plus a few dollars shipping. Does a really professional job and is well made, with good finish, ergonomics, etc. Check it out at http://www.corbins.com.

April 5, 2000, 10:44 AM	#1
petej88 Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Location: US Posts: 510	I just received a bunch of once fired 357 SIG brass. I grabbed a few cases from each brass type (Speer, Remington, FC, & Hornady). I was surprised that the Hornady could not pass the thumb pressure test. Using a weighing scale, the bullet would slip into the case at a mere 20 pounds of pressure -- 50 lbs is ideal. So I tightened up the taper crimp, which turned it into a partial roll crimp. Although, you could still see the mouth edge and tweak it with a thumb nail. At any rate, it's a strong, but not a deforming crimp. The Hornady brass did a tiny bit better but the bullet would still slip into the case 50% of the time. So I pulled out my old cannulure tool and put some cannulure grooves into some Rainier 124 grain plated bullets. I then found that the Hornady brass could hold the bullets to over 50 pounds of pressure, consistently. As a safety measure, I'm now thinking of having a cannulure groove on all my 357 SIG bullets as a safety measure. In my case, the Hornady brass was the lowest common denominator. If the bullet can hold in a Hornady case, the other brands are a piece of cake. Comments and other experience is welcome.

April 5, 2000, 01:28 PM	#2
WalterGAII Junior member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Posts: 1,516	See my response to your same post on Glocktalk..

April 9, 2000, 09:36 AM	#3
k in AR Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 1999 Location: Arkansas USA Posts: 436	petej88, What is your "old cannelure tool"? Can it still be purchased? From Who?? Know any $$ amounts?? How much is involved in using your cannelure device? I just posted a question about this same problem & your post was pointed out to me. I'm also considerig a "Lee Factory Crimp" die if thay can make one for a short case like the 357Sig. What do you think ablut this idea? Thanks, k

April 10, 2000, 03:17 PM	#4
petej88 Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Location: US Posts: 510	I believe my cannulure tool was made by CH Tool & Die. At the time, Corbon Ammo Company gave me a phone number to call. Others on this list might have more info. I vaguely remember paying somewhere between $45 - $90? George uses a cannulure tool on his .400Corbon rounds. Maybe he might see this email. At any rate, it seemed to consistently do the trick for me. Because of slight variations in brass brands, some brass can be belled a tad bit more than others, which is bad. I suppose this can be solved by segregating the brass brands and tweaking the belling to just barely squeeze a bullet into the case. With a cannulure and a strong taper crimp (or a semi strong roll crimp) the problem is solved. You have to make sure that you can still feel the mouth edge with your thumbnail. And make sure the shoulder is correctly positioned. I've heard a lot of people having problems with the RCBS resizer die. You might want to try a Lee 357 SIG die set, which works well and only costs $20. I did just order the RCBS die set because I'm interested in trying out their roll crimper. But the Lee taper crimper does very well. There is some confusion with the 357SIG, which head spaces on the case mouth. But there is strong evidence that you can think of it as a regular little rifle cartridge. See www.greent.com in the calibers section. There is a cautionary faq there with pointers to other sights. How does my cannulure tool work? You use an allen wrench to control where the groove will be placed on the bullet and then lock the position in place. Then you put a bullet into place and manually crank a lever for one rotation. Then you rewind the lever and seat another bullet for the next iteration. It goes fairly quickly once you get used to it. [This message has been edited by petej88 (edited April 10, 2000).]

April 12, 2000, 09:30 AM	#5
k in AR Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 1999 Location: Arkansas USA Posts: 436	petej88, Thanks for the info, k

April 12, 2000, 11:02 PM	#6
WalterGAII Junior member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Posts: 1,516	I cannelure a bullet about every three seconds with my Corbin tool. Costs $59.50, plus a few dollars shipping. Does a really professional job and is well made, with good finish, ergonomics, etc. Check it out at http://www.corbins.com.