I bought some 158gr bullets for my 357 but noticed no groove. Can I still load these with a regular crimp or did I get the wrong stuff?

If there is no cannalure to crimp the case into you will have better results with a taper crimp.
Bullets designed for a revolver cartridge should have a crimp groove, are you sure this bullet is the right diameter and designed for your cartridge?

Got them from cabelas for 357mag. So I need to get a taper crimp die? These are being used in a revolver.

I also read on a sight that the taper crimp and roll crimp are done with the same die? Hornady suggets 1/2 turn from touching for the crimp which will perform a taper crimp. I have had my Hornady LNL AP for 3 months and still not loaded a round yet...lol. Im a newbie so sorry for all the simple questions.

No crimp needed

Shoot them with no crimp

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
No crimp needed

Shoot them with no crimp

Depends on how much he belled the brass. The cartridge may not enter the chamber without removing the bell and a bit of crimp to help the bullet from backing out during recoil is a good thing.

True....I dont flare my pistol brass much so I forget

There's more experience here than I have with a revolver and reloading but all the revolvers I ever reloaded for required a crimp somewhere on the bullet to prevent the bullet from creeping foreward (due to recoil) in the cylinder and eventually locking up the cylinder rotation.

Personally I wouldn't reload a .357 magnum without a bullet having a cannelure!

Ok heres what happened. This is my first time doing this on my own so bare with me.I set the dies up and did a dummy round first.I got the bullet set at the right depth and then backed it out to adjust the crimp.It came out nice but wouldnt slide all the way in the cylinder so I added more crimp a little at a time till it dropped in the cylinder.The next day I set my powder up and primers to try a real load and when it got to the crimping die it wrinkled the round.So I tried another but did it real slow...the shell came within a quarter inch of going completely in the die of which I stopped.It came out nice except the bullet didnt seat at the right depth.What the heck did I do wrong?Do I need to set the bullet depth first and crimp in another station?

Forgot to mention Im using a Hornady LNL auto press with rcbs dies and everything is new.

It sounds like you are crimping while the bullet is still being seated.
A stand alone crimp die is the easiest answer but, you can fix it by:
#1 screwing the die in the press until it contacts the mouth of a empty case with athe case fully raised in the press.

#2 seat a bullet and adjust the seating stem to give the COL you desire.

#3 Once the bullet is at the depth you want back the seating stem out a few turns.

#4 adjust the die body down until the crimp is set and lock the die body in this position.

#5 With the same loaded cartridge, with the proper seated bullet, at the proper COL, now raise the ram fully and screw the seating stem down until light contact is made with the bullet.

#6 Load another round to insure everything is set, and the cartridge is coming out with the bullet at the right COL and crimp i place.

#7 lock all rings in place and load.

I backed out the amount of bell i put in the shell till the bullet barely set in and readjusted the crimp die and all seems good now.