Hi Troopers...

I have a 6.5x55 swede...should I crimp...roll crimp OK?

I have a 9mm Browning Highpower...crimp or dont crimp? roll crimp OK?

Thanks,

Seatime

For the Swede I wouldn't crimp at all. For the 9mm, the case is supposed to headspace on the case mouth - use a shallow taper crimp. The case mouth should be clearly visible around the bullet.

Jerry Liles

As already stated, the 9x19 headspaces on the mouth, thus a taper crimp is mandatory (the same can be said foe the .45 ACP, BTW). As with all things in life, enough lies right between too much and too little. Adjust your TC die so that the finished round mikes : bullet diameter + (2x case wall thickness) at the junction case/bullet.

in the front of every reloading manual [actual manuals not the phamplets] i own there is a section on setting up dies,what they do and how they work.
most of them even have pictures.
there is also a section on different types of cases and most have an explanation on headspacing.
i'm not even in my reloading room and have 10-12 actual manuals i can reach from here.
some of them are duplicates [in nice shape] to replace the others that i have just about worn out reading through them.

Apples and oranges.

With the rifle cartridge you won't bell the case mouth in order to seat the bullet. Thus, no modification of the case mouth is necessary -- just shove the bullet in to the desired depth and leave well enough alone.

With the pistol cartridge you will have first belled the case mouth (opened it up to a diameter larger than that of the chamber it is to be fired in) in order to allow the short, fat bullet to be seated. Thus, you have to return the case mouth to at least its original diameter by the time you have finished loading the round. So yes, some "crimping" is necessary with the 9mm. But as with most cartridges, the die should be set so as to only return the case mouth to original diameter, not smaller.

Your seating die will be equipped with a "taper crimp". Set it to return the case mouth to original diameter and you'll be good. Any more crimp can create unnecessary issues to deal with.

Hey People...Thanks to you all... I will follow your advice for certain ...OK I need to buy a crimping die before I can finish the loads I have rfesized...do I also understand that I need an expander die...or is it a built-in feature of the crimping die...

Another question...my Lee resizing die is an old one I bought at a Army Navy Store that also sold guns and supplies...it is marked:

9MM I 1 on the bullet seater
9MM J 1 on the resizer
9MM HI on a short die that has the guts missing...crimper?...expander?


I got a feelin' that I have the wrong dies for the 9MM Luger...is 9mm and 9mm Luger the same in Lee dies?

Do any of you ancient types (I am also an ancient type so no offense intended) know what the I1...J! and HI stand for on these dies.

Many thanks, boys...Fred

Your seating dies have a built in crimper. Check your loading manuals on how to use. There is usually no need to buy a separate crimping die.

I do not know what the codes are on your Lee dies. The die with the guts missing would seem to be the expander die. If the die is just labeled 9MM it is almost certainly for 9mm Parabellum/Luger. A new set of dies from Lee aren't very expensive and would seem to be a good investment.

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Liles:
Your seating dies have a built in crimper. Check your loading manuals on how to use. There is usually no need to buy a separate crimping die.

I do not know what the codes are on your Lee dies. The die with the guts missing would seem to be the expander die. If the die is just labeled 9MM it is almost certainly for 9mm Parabellum/Luger. A new set of dies from Lee aren't very expensive and would seem to be a good investment.

+1

160 gr Hornady in 6.5X55 is an amazing killer of big deer and may be even elk. With modern actions it can be loaded to 2500 fps. Out to 250 yards it is more than enough.

I would not bother crimping this bullet.